© Genetik

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

© https://www.uni-gr.eu/

UniGR Visiting Professorship at the Chair of Genetics: Gender-sensitive Parkinson's research

As part of the UniGR Visiting Professorship, Dr. Lasse Sinkkonen from the University of Luxembourg spent two months in December 2025 and January 2026 conducting research at the Chair of Genetics and Epigenetics at Saarland University. Together with Prof. Julia Schulze-Hentrich and her team, he investigated the molecular basis of gender-specific differences in neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Parkinson's disease.

A central component of the stay was the preparation of a joint third-party funding application as part of the German Research Foundation's (DFG) new priority program entitled “SEXandGLIA.” The project aims to understand how biological sex differences and specific brain regions influence the identity and function of certain glial cell types, particularly astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

Among other things, the research focuses on the question of how regional and gender-specific factors shape the response of these cells to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is considered an important mechanism in numerous neurodegenerative diseases, which can manifest differently between men and women as well as between different brain regions.

Further information on project initiatives and further cooperation and knowledge transfer can be found here.

 
© Genetik

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.

 
© Universität des Saarlandes

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.