Our lungs are bombarded by all manner of different particles every single day. Whilst some are perfectly safe for us, others—known as pathogens—have the potential to make us ill. The immune system trains its response whenever it encounters such a pathogen. Yet researchers at the University of Bonn have now shown that even harmless particles help to improve the immune response and have published their results in the journal “Nature Immunology.”
Chemokines are signalling proteins that orchestrate the interaction of immune cells against pathogens and tumours. To understand this complex network, various techniques have been developed to identify chemokine-producing cells. However, it has not yet been possible to determine which cells react to these chemokines. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have developed a new class of genetically modified mice that enables the simultaneous identification of chemokine producers and sensors. Using the chemokine Ccl3 as a “proof of principle”, they discovered that its function in the immune defence against viruses is different than had been previously assumed. Their results have now been published in the "Journal of Experimental Medicine".
Uveitis is a rare inflammatory eye disease. Posterior and panuveitis in particular are associated with a poor prognosis and a protracted course of the disease. Diagnosis and monitoring can be challenging for healthcare professionals. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a fast and non-invasive imaging technique that supports this. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn, together with experts from Berlin, Münster and Mannheim, have drafted a review on how FAF can facilitate the diagnosis and monitoring of posterior uveitis and panuveitis. The results have now been published in the journal "Biomolecules".
The University of Bonn’s Team NimbRo was the top scoring team in the @Home league for household robots at the RoboCup German Open, held in Kassel from April 18-20. Developed by the Autonomous Intelligent Systems working group at the Institute of Computer Science, NimbRo’s lifelike soccer-playing robots had the best final-round test results, according to the judges panel. The robots are able to navigate around on their own, grasp and place objects and interact with people via voice dialogue technology.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel are just two of the many conflicts that continue to shake the world. War would just seem to be part of human nature. Although making this observation 230 years ago, the polymath Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) then proceeded to formulate a 100-page blueprint for perpetual peace. Professor Rainer Schäfer from the Digital Kant Center NRW in Bonn discusses the practicality of Kant’s concept and its relevance for the 21st century.
“Inclusive Education for Inclusive Societies” was the title given to the latest summit of members of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, which now includes the University of Bonn as one of only five German representatives. They are demanding tangible action from the G7 to improve access to higher education worldwide, including by investing more in the university system in low-income countries and simplifying the visa process for researchers from conflict-hit nations.
He was the founder of the German Enlightenment. His thinking was cosmopolitan, despite never having left Königsberg. Immanuel Kant was born 300 years ago in Königsberg, now Kaliningrad. His philosophical and academic achievements remain. The Categorical Imperative may still be familiar to many from school. This edition of forsch presents two key areas of Kant studies conducted in Bonn, reveals what you can expect in Bonn this year, and provides some scintillating insights that will help you shine during the Kant tercentenary.
While the adequate surgical treatment of cataract is guaranteed in high-income countries, the surgical results in the Global South are often inadequate. Video recording can be used to analyze possible surgical errors, improve training and demonstrably optimize surgical results. However, this has been very time-consuming up to now. There are now promising approaches to automating surgical video analysis using artificial intelligence (AI). However, no deep learning algorithms have yet been developed for video analysis of the surgical method commonly used in countries of the Global South. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn, the University of Bonn, the Sankara Eye Foundation India and Microsoft Research India want to change this and develop a corresponding algorithm. The aim is to improve the results of cataract surgery in the Global South in the long term. As a first important step, they have compiled an overview of previous AI approaches for analyzing cataract surgeries. The results have now been published in Translational Vision Science and Technology (TVST).