FRANKFURT. Professor Bernhard Brüne, Vice President for Research at Goethe University, congratulated the scientists involved on the funding of their projects: “The funding approvals are a tremendous success for our research in the future-oriented field of life sciences: All three Collaborative Research Centres examine cellular processes from different perspectives, thereby expanding our understanding of the mechanisms of life and the molecular causes of disease.” The Vice President continued: “The leading researchers in the CRCs are also the pillars of our two Clusters of Excellence, ‘CPI – Cardio-Pulmonary Institute’ and ‘SCALE – Subcellular Architecture of Life’. The CRCs will further sharpen Goethe University’s two profile areas, ‘Science for Health’ and ‘Structures and Dynamics of Life’. At the same time, these collaborative projects demonstrate the benefits of Goethe University’s extensive networking across the Rhine-Main region, which forms the foundation of the Rhine-Main Universities alliance.”

mRNA in Focus

For a long time, mRNA was regarded in the life sciences merely as a passive, short-lived messenger substance. The experiments of Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman – honoured with the Nobel Prize in 2023 – initiated a radical change in this assessment, and mRNA demonstrated its enormous application potential in vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Today it is known that mRNA molecules do far more than transport the blueprint for proteins; they regulate protein production on numerous levels. The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 440 smART, “Specific mRNA Targeting”, aims to develop chemical-biological tools for specifically targeting mRNA molecules. TRR 440 spokesperson Professor Harald Schwalbe of Goethe University explains: “With the help of chemical and biological tools that target specific messenger RNA, we can deliberately increase or decrease the concentration of the corresponding protein in the cell. This will help us better understand how cell biology functions and what goes wrong in diseases.” Co-spokesperson Prof. Julia Weigand of Philipps University Marburg is convinced: “Methods that can eliminate certain disease-relevant mRNA are already scientifically established. With the toolbox we will develop, we will also be able to increase the production of proteins, for example to compensate in future for disease-related deficiencies.” TRR 440 will receive total funding of €12.3 million until 2030. The spokesperson institutions are Goethe University Frankfurt and Philipps University Marburg; partners include Justus Liebig University Giessen, TU Darmstadt, the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Heidelberg University, and the University of Freiburg.

Complex Proteins as Mediators

CRC 1507 “Protein Assemblies and Machinery in Cell Membranes” is dedicated to researching large protein complexes in cell membranes. Such membrane-embedded or membrane-associated protein complexes convert energy, transport nutrients, metabolic products or signaling molecules, mediate interactions with pathogens, and thus enable interactions between the “inside” and the “outside.” CRC 1507 seeks to understand the organizational and functional principles of these large, dynamic protein complexes, for example how these complexes cooperate in cellular self-defence or communication processes. Collaborative Research Centre 1507 will receive total funding of €15.7 million until 2030. Goethe University, under the leadership of Professor Robert Tampé, is the lead institution. Partners include the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

How Connective Tissue Supports Healing

CRC 1531 “Damage Control by the Stromal-Vascular Compartment” investigates how connective tissue, or stroma, in the body supports the healing of damaged organ structures. The focus is on repair processes triggered after injuries to the brain, heart, or blood vessels as a result of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. Various cells act in a highly coordinated manner during these complex processes. Understanding this interplay provides the basis for finding ways to medically support the body’s own healing processes. Collaborative Research Centre 1531 will receive total funding of €17.1 million until 2030. Goethe University (Professor Ralf Brandes) is the spokesperson institution. Partners include the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, Heidelberg University Hospital, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.