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Our research focuses on the analysis of gene expression and epigenetic modifications in health and disease.
Particular interest is geared towards a better understanding of:
- the interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental influences in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases
- epigenetic modifications in ageing
- the potential of epigenetic signatures in diagnosing rare diseases and syndromes
News
Kick-off Meeting of SPP2561 “Sex and Glia”
Sex-dependent mechanisms of neuroglial cell function in the context of health and disease
From Sep 28th till Oct 1st, Saarland University hosted the kick-off meeting of the new DFG Priority Programme SPP 2561 “SEX and GLIA: Sex-dependent mechanisms of neuroglial cell function in the context of health and disease.” Researchers from multiple institutions across Germany, Luxembourg and Austria came together in Saarbrücken to officially launch the programme and to plan the collaborative projects that will be pursued over the next three years. The programme, coordinated by Professor Julia Schulze-Hentrich and Professor Barbara Di Benedetto, brings together experts in neuroglial biology, neuroscience, and sex-specific research to investigate how biological sex influences the function of glial cells in the healthy and diseased brain. A central aim is to establish common standards and methods, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and train early-career researchers in this emerging field.
The kick-off featured scientific presentations, discussions on joint projects, and a keynote lecture by Professor Nathalie Rouach (Collège de France, Paris), who spoke on the role of biological sex as a determinant of astrocyte function. Special guests included Vice-President Professor Kray of Saarland University, Professor Frank Kirchhoff, speaker of the Center for Gender-Specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM) and the Mercator fellows Elly Hol and Enrico Glaab who also participated actively in the meeting.
Over the coming three years, SPP 2561 will fund collaborative research projects focused on understanding sex-dependent mechanisms in neuroglial cells, with the long-term goal of improving our knowledge of brain function and neurological disorders.
New Priority Program: “SEXandGLIA: Sex-dependent mechanisms of neuroglial cell function in the context of health and disease”
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing eight new Priority Programs (SPP), which are due to start in 2026. The eight new collaborations, which were selected from 53 submitted initiatives, will initially receive a total of around 55 million euros for three years. In addition, there will be a program allowance of 22 percent for indirect project expenses.
Prof. Schulze-Hentrich's research group will lead one of the new SPP consortia, which will investigate gender-dependent mechanisms of cell functions in the nervous system over a period of 6 years.
Further information can be found on the UdS news page and the SPP2561 web site.
Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM)
Project: Integrative analysis of gender-specific epigenetic alterations in Parkinson´s disease
It becomes more and more evident that biological sex influences Parkinson's symptoms. While the risk of developing Parkinson's disease is twice as high in men as in women, women have a higher mortality rate and a faster progression of the disease. As the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are still largely unclear, a better understanding is needed to potentially open up new avenues for pharmacological intervention. Here, the epigenome is of particular interest, as sexually dimorphic changes are in part a consequence of underlying differences in gene regulation and epigenetic control. To better understand this regulation, our group became part of the Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM) and will perfom an integrated analysis of disease-related sex differences in epigenome and transcriptome data from the brain and blood of Parkinson's patients compared to healthy controls. The focus is on changes in only one sex (sex-specific) as well as on changes in both sexes in the opposite direction (sex-dimorphic changes). Further integrated pathway and network analyses will be used to identify coordinated sex-dependent changes. Please find further information here.