New research by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) in cooperation with the University of Bonn has shown for the first time that certain early changes in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can lead to a measurable local loss of vision. This discovery could help to improve the treatment and monitoring of this eye disease in older patients, which otherwise slowly leads to central blindness, and to test new therapies.

Monocytes, a special type of white blood cell, secrete cytokines as inflammatory messengers that are crucial for an appropriate immune response. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now discovered that platelets, also known as thrombocytes, communicate with monocytes and increase their inflammatory capacity. By understanding the platelet-monocyte interaction, they hope to improve the treatment of immune disorders and associated diseases. The results of the study have now been published in the renowned journal "EMBO Molecular Medicine" and will be featured on the cover of August issue.

Almost 2,000 graduates celebrated the successful completion of their studies at what is probably the largest central graduation ceremony at a German university. Families, friends and lecturers joined in the celebrations - over 5,000 guests in total. The tradition has existed for almost two decades, and currently one record attendance follows the next.

What happens when we look at a late antique image? In what order does our gaze wander over the individual elements? Where does it linger? What bodily reactions do such images or early Christian narratives trigger in us? Attempts to answer questions like this are going well beyond merely interpreting early Christian works. A research project embarked on by the University of Bonn together with the University of St Andrews is now bringing Ancient Studies and Cognitive Science together. One key theme is immersion, a concept usually associated more with the world of gaming. 

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has given its approval for a new Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences and a Research Unit at the University of Bonn. In the Finance and Inequality Centre for Advanced Studies, the researchers led by Professor Christian Bayer and Professor Carsten Burhop are looking at the relationship between the growth of the financial sector and inequality from a historical angle. In the field of mathematical physics, meanwhile, Professor Claude Duhr is the speaker for a new Research Unit for particle physics. The DFG will be funding the two projects to the tune of several million euros over the next four years. 

How can a structure hold together if its individual components are actually repelling one another? An international research team has now demonstrated one example of such a highly excited exotic quantum state of matter. Researchers from the University of Bonn played a major role in the study. The findings have now been published in the journal “Nature.” 

The University Election Assembly of the University of Bonn has elected five female Vice-Rectors and one male Vice-Rector. This completes the team with which Rector Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch will start his third term of office in May 2025. Vice-Rectors are part-time and form the Rectorate together with the Rector and Provost Holger Gottschalk.

Researchers at the University of Bonn have isolated a DNA molecule that is suitable for combating allergic contact dermatitis in mice. What is known as an aptamer binds to certain immune system messenger substances, rendering them ineffective. This even works if the active ingredient is applied to the skin in the form of an ointment. The working groups involved hope that aptamer creams such as this could also be suitable for treating other skin conditions. The results have now been published in the journal Molecular Therapies - Nucleic Acids.