Keynote Speakers
05.10, 9.30 - 10.30 am
in person & online
Prof. Dietmar Fischer
Dietmar Fischer is professor for pharmacology and director of the Center for Pharmacology at the University Hospital Cologne. After obtaining his Master’s degree in Pharmacy at the Philipps-University Marburg, Prof. Fischer went on to gain his PhD in Münster and Marburg next to studying Medicine.
After two Post Docs, in Münster and Harvard, he was appointed as Junior Professor at the University of Ulm. After professorships in Düsseldorf and Bochum, Prof. Fischer and his research group moved to Cologne in 2022.
Prof. Fischer has been awarded a serious of professional awards, including a Young Investigator Award and an Award of the Deutsche Stiftung Querschnittslähmung.
His research focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and axon regeneration, as well as developing translational approaches to enhance axon regeneration in the peripheral and central nervous system, by employing gene therapeutic as well as pharmacological methods.
Novel Approaches to Regenerate the Injured Central Nervous System
Neurons of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) do not normally regenerate injured axons causing severe and permanent disabilities, for example, after spinal cord injury. The lack of CNS regeneration is mainly attributed to a developmental decline in the neuron-intrinsic growth capacity of axons. Despite numerous efforts to facilitate axon regeneration, such as delivering neurotrophic factors or neutralizing inhibitory cues, success has remained very limited. In the optic nerve, activating the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3) pathway stimulates the regeneration of CNS axons. JAK/STAT3 activation is achieved via the delivery of IL-6- type cytokines such as CNTF, LIF, IL-6, and/or the genetic depletion of the intrinsic STAT3 feedback inhibitor: suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3). However, the low and restricted expression of the cytokine-specific α-receptor subunits in CNS neurons required for signaling induction generally limits these pro-regenerative effects of native cytokines.
For this reason, we developed a gene therapeutic approach using the designer cytokine hyper-interleukine-6 (hIL-6), which consists of the bioactive part of the IL-6 protein covalently linked to the soluble IL-6 receptor α subunit. In contrast to native cytokines, hIL-6 can directly bind to the signal-transducing receptor subunit glycoprotein 130 (GP130), abundantly expressed by almost all neurons, thereby circumventing natural cytokines' limitations. We found that hIL-6 is reportedly as potent as CNTF but activates cytokine-dependent signaling pathways significantly stronger in different types of neurons because of its higher efficacy. In the visual system, virus-assisted gene therapy with hIL-6, even when applied only once post-injury, induces more robust optic nerve regeneration than previous approaches. Strikingly, a single unilateral injection of AAV-hIL-6 after SCC into the sensorimotor cortex promoted the regeneration of spinal cord axons and remarkably enabled locomotion recovery of both hindlimbs. Thus, transneuronal stimulation of neurons located deep in the brain stem using highly potent molecules might be a promising strategy to achieve functional repair in the injured or diseased human CNS.
05.10, 4.30 - 5.30 pm
online
Prof. Ronald Sims
Dr. Ronald C. Sims, PhD, is the Huntsman Corporation Endowed Professorship recipient at Utah State University and Co-Director of the Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproducts Engineering Center. His research area is sustainable systems engineering related to public health and the environment focusing on algae biotechnology and scale up. He teaches courses in biological engineering design and biochemical engineering. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and of the Institute of Biological Engineering, and the founding department head of Biological Engineering at USU. Before that, he served as Director of the Utah Water Research Laboratory.
Currently he is the principal investigator of a multiorganization industry and government effort to treat high strength residues from anaerobic digestion of biosolids by removing nutrients through microalgae cultivation on a field-scale outdoor pilot biofilm platform and transforming the harvested biofilm into biofuels, bioplastic, biofertilizer, and UV-protectant bioproducts using a technoeconomic analysis (TEA), while minimizing power, cost, and environmental impact using a life cycle analysis (LCA) lead by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Algae Biomass Applications in Therapeutics, Animal Feed, Bioplastics, Biofertilizer, and Biofuels: Scaling Up the Biotechnology
Marine biotechnology and its interdisciplinary application has developed and utilized molecular biology tools for the benefit of modern industrial, agricultural, environmental, pharmaceutical,and life science based products. With this new diversity of biotechnologies, we have the potential to contribute to: (1) global improvement of public health and the environment, and
(2) supporting the circular economy for the financial uplifting of the worlds citizens. Marine environments offer the advantages of avoiding dedicated use of land and freshwater resources for algae biomass cultivation and of utilizing food vegetation for bioproduct production. Specific marine environments include shoreline/beach ecosystems that are amenable to the occurrence of harmful algae blooms (HABs), which pose a threat to marine ecosystems and public health. Beach/shoreline areas are generally characterized by features conducive to HABs, including shallow depth with light penetration, warm temperature, and relatively high nutrient concentrations compared with marine environments more distant from the shoreline. The challenge presented and discussed here is the scaling up of biotechnologies for applications to
and utilization of marine environments for the cultivation of algae biomass, including cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae using a rotating algae biofilm reactor (RABR), which can assist in removal of excess nutrients of shorelines to prevent the occurrence of HABs.
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06.10, 9.30 - 10.30 am
in person & online
Prof. Sabine Chourbaji
Sabine Chourbaji is a behavioural biologist by training.
She received her diploma at the University of Muenster and continued working on ethological topics for her PhD, Postdoc and Habilitation in Experimental Psychiatry at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim.
Since 2012 she is the head of the central animal facility of Heidelberg University and teaches topics of laboratory animal science & behavioral biology.
Beside major functions within the institution as well as for national and international working groups, she is still engaged in the field of stress research in animals.
In private she is mother of two daughters, dog-, food- and Capetown lover and worst pastry cook ever…
Explaining the need for animal experiments to the general public – A Walk on the Tight Rope
In the light of political pressure, discussions about reproducibility and a continuously increasing emotional challenge in the field of animal research, there need to be strategies to overcome such problems and work on trust in science.
Regarding limitations of in vivo research, a serious matter is for sure the lack of translationability.
Given that laboratory rodents are not small humans, this is not surprising!
While the impact of animal research in biomedical research is still huge, most aspects are handled in an “undercover” modus.
Even within institutions there is a lack of internal information about the basic data, conduction of experiments and legal requirements behind it.
This talk intends to illuminate the backstage of research reports, in which animals are rarely mentioned, explain the legal steps and highlight the importance of transparency.
Discussions about the need of animal research, ethical aspects and methodological questions are welcome!
06.10, 11 - 12 am
in person & online
Prof. Lars Lauterbach
Lars Lauterbach is Univ.-Professor in Synthetic Microbiology at the Institute of Applied Microbiology at RWTH Aachen University and a Guest Scientist at RIKEN, SPring-8 in Japan. He obtained his PhD in Microbiology at Humboldt-University Berlin his Habilitation in Biochemistry at the University Potsdam.
Lars Lauterbach was previously team leader at the Technische Universität Berlin, and a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of California, Davis and the University of Oxford.
Professor Lauterbach has been the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including a Sustainable RWTH Fund and fellowship by the European Molecular Biology Organization. He has also secured significant third-party funding for his research, including from the German Research Foundation in the priority program eBiotech and from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions ConCO2rde.
His research interests include synthetic biology, electro-biocatalytic conversion of renewable resources, and autotrophic biorefineries.
Energy Modules for Biocatalysts: Designing Sustainable Solutions
A desired bioeconomy is a prerequisite for a carbon-neutral or even slightly carbon-negative society. While the advanced production processes of industrial biotechnology are based on glucose from starch and sucrose, the challenge of land use and competition with the food industry are coming into focus. This is especially true for the economic production of bulk and fine chemicals through biocatalysis, which allows highly specific chemical transformations with minimal waste and byproducts.
In the talk, I will discuss innovative approaches to equipping biocatalysts with energy modules. By integrating energy-generating systems into biocatalysts, such as utilizing biofuels like molecular hydrogen, my research group aims to enhance the overall performance and efficiency of biocatalytic processes. This strategy not only maximizes the utilization of available resources but also facilitates the production of valuable chemicals in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
Another exciting aspect to be explored is the electronic coupling of biocatalysts to electrolysis for electro-driven production of chemicals. By linking biocatalysts with electrolysis, which involves the use of electrical energy, my group seeks to unlock new opportunities for the synthesis of chemicals.