Life and Health - Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) University of Bonn
Life exists in complex structures, from the smallest molecules that interact with each other to the interplay of various organisms in ecological systems. Understanding the complexity of life is therefore one of the most fascinating research topics. If researchers decipher the mechanisms underlying life, this will provide the basis for a better understanding of diseases and the development of new therapies. In a lively research environment and together with the Cluster of Excellence "Immunosensation2", the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health" of the University of Bonn focuses on comprehending life - from the level of the tiniest particles to the interaction of complex systems with the environment. One of the main objectives is the development of new strategies to improve and maintain health.
Our members
Our members are professors and group leaders of the University of Bonn and cooperating Bonn institutions from medicine, life sciences, pharmacy, nutrition research, mathematics, computer science and other fields.
Become TRA member!
As TRA member, you will have access to TRA funding and opportunities for networking beyond the borders of your own discipline.
TRA Hertz Chair for "Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience"
We are pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Dr. Dominik Bach as new Hertz Chair of TRA Life and Health at the University of Bonn as of April 1, 2022. The internationally renowned neuroscientist will establish a strong new research focus at the interface between neuroscience, psychiatry and computer science within TRA Life and Health.
Circuits for Survival - Inaugural Symposium on September 26, 2022
To celebrate the inaugural lecture of the Hertz Chair for "Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience", Prof. Dr. Dr. Dominik Bach, TRA Life and Health hosted a scientific symposium on 26.09.2022.
TeRAbytes - Strategies for Data Science and Data Management, 17/18.01.2023
This workshop will bring together researchers from across the Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) who produce and deal with large and complex data sets and generate digital research products. We wish to stimulate an exchange of ideas and common challenges.
Bonn Conference on Mathematical Life Sciences
Mathematical modelling and analysis are nowadays essential for all fields of the life sciences, ranging from basic research to clinical application. To discuss the state of the field and potential future development, we would like to invite you to the
Bonn Conference on Mathematical Life Sciences
Bonn, April 17-20, 2023
Interested in Mathematical Life Sciences ?
The "MaLiS“ Club meets regularly to discuss ongoing projects around mathematical questions in medicine and life sciences, either at the Venusberg Campus or in Endenich/Poppelsdorf. Interested scientists from the University of Bonn and cooperating local institutions are welcome to participate. Please contact Christina Fricke for further information!
Scientific organizers: Alexander Effland, Jan Hasenauer and Kevin Thurley
Next meeting: January 27, 2023
"Technolgies Drive New Science" - TRA Mini-Symposium 02.09.2022
Scientists of the University of Bonn, who had won the “Life and Health Research Prize” of the TRA or received a “Method Development Grant” have presented their results in a half-day symposium, organized by TRA Life and Health. The event attracted a broad audience of around 40 scientists, coming from many of the different research areas who are part of the TRA, from Genetics to Neurosurgery to Urology and Life and Medical Sciences, and many more.
The projects presented ranged from research into phototherapeutics as novel anti-epileptic drugs over the introduction of a new tool for in vivo cell-type specific proteomics in the CNS to insights into analyses of the mononuclear phagocyte compartment. A further presentation illustrated how beautiful “fat in a dish” can look like while establishing this as a model system to study function and communication of different cell-types in this tissue. And: What is the best (and fastest) way to switch the species specificity of a nanobody? Finally, we learnt how to use a microscope to optically screen CRISPR mutants – a technique that might be highly useful for various biological settings.
This event once again demonstrated that the idea of the Transdisciplinary Research Area can only thrive if we bring people from different disciplines together. We are inspired by this event - to be repeated!
First TRA Workshop on "Data Science and Data Management”
About 100 scientists from the University of Bonn and all 6 TRAs met for the first time on January 17 and 18, 2023 at the Wissenschaftszentrum in Bonn to address the topic of "Data Science and Data Management" and exchange ideas on current challenges. In terms of content, the exchange was promoted by offering interesting scientific and service-oriented talks, posters and hands-on workshops. Results from this workshop will also be summarized in a white paper. The organizers were very satisfied overall and loved a very lively discussion culture, so that a follow-up event on this important topic is already being considered.
Organoid Club
The "Bonn Organoid Club" is a forum for interested researchers to exchange expertise and reagents on organoid models in biomedical research.
Next seminar:
24.01.2023, 4:30 pm Anne Grapin-Botton, MPI-CBG, Dresden (seminar room BMZ 2, Venusberg-Campus))
Pancreas organoids: from tissue mechanics to diabetes modelling
Image: Tim Kempchen
Overview on talks and events
Bonner Forum Biomedizin provides an overview about talks, seminars, workshops with topics related to "Life and Health".
Become member
As TRA member, you will have access to TRA funding and opportunities for networking beyond the borders of your own discipline.
Contact
Dr. Meike Brömer
There are two fundamentally different cell types in the brain, neurons and glial cells. The latter, for example, insulate the "wiring" of nerve cells or guarantee optimal working conditions for them. A new study led by the University of Bonn has now discovered another function in rodents: The results suggest that a certain type of glial cell plays an important role in spatial learning. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) was involved in the work. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Nerve cells need a lot of energy and oxygen. They receive both through the blood. This is why nerve tissue is usually crisscrossed by a large number of blood vessels. But what prevents neurons and vascular cells from getting in each other's way as they grow? Researchers at the Universities of Heidelberg and Bonn, together with international partners, have identified a mechanism that takes care of this. The results have now appeared in the journal Neuron.
People with chronic epilepsy often experience impaired memory. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now found a mechanism in mice that could explain these deficits. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) was also involved in the study. The results are published in the journal Brain, but a preliminary version is already available online.
Nerve cells can regulate their sensitivity to incoming signals autonomously. A new study led by the University of Bonn has now discovered a mechanism that does just that. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior were involved in the work. The results have now been published in the journal Cell Reports.