RESEARCH PROJECTS
Our research projects are a compli(e)ment to the eye.
We investigate the molecular role of the complement system, part of the innate immune response, in eye diseases.
SCIFIMED
An EU wide project to investigate the Factor H related protein family
Diana Pauly
Hamed Rahimi
Pratiti Banerjee
Aaron Dort
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Millions of people in the European Union suffer from diseases associated with dysregulation of the complement system. This can be bacterial infections like invasive meningococcal disease, chronic inflammation of the kidney or, as in 15 million elderly european residents, age-related macular degeneration resulting in impaired vision.
SciFiMed will investigate the pathophysiology of the FH-protein family, to enable the development of personalized, radically new on-time diagnostics, which allow improved patient stratification for prospective cohort studies to understand complement-associated diseases.
SciFiMed work packages are divided between 8 european academic and industrial partners.
In our lab in Marburg, we manage and coordinate the project and focus on investigating structural and functional interaction partners of the Factor H related protein family using phage-display library and mass spectrometry and validate new complement diagnostics.
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For detailed information see www.scifimed.eu.
COMPLEMENT IN RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM CELLS
Juliane Schikora
The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is one of the retinal layers and forms the outer blood-retinal barrier to establish the immune-privileged structure of the retina. With a variety of important functions the RPE helps to maintain our eyesight. Under pathological conditions the RPE is able to undergo epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and loses its mature form, unable to preserve its vital role in the retina. Our goal is to characterize the maturation of the RPE and analyze the role of the complement system in this process, using the immortalized human cell line ARPE-19 as well as RPE cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
CAMBio - Classification of Age-related Macular degeneration by Biomarkers
Aaron Dort
Paula Streckenbach
Eye Clinic Marburg
By 2040, over 288 million people worldwide are projected to suffer from vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a complex disease with various forms and underlying mechanisms, making treatment challenging. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding excessive sunlight, and taking dietary supplements are common recommendations, our study aims to go further by improving patient classification.
The CAMBio project analyzes biomarkers and immune markers in eye fluid samples from AMD patients and healthy individuals. The goal is to enable earlier diagnosis, better understand how the disease develops, and support monitoring treatments. These findings could pave the way for new therapies to address the challenges of AMD.