Elena Reckzeh
Elena Reckzeh holds an Argelander Professorship for Organoids and Chemical Biology at the University of Bonn. In her research, Reckzeh and her team use miniature intestines and mini-tumors in the laboratory to manipulate metabolism and thus find new treatment approaches for diabetes and cancer. The idea of working with these mini-organs is the result of transdisciplinary research; as far as is currently known, this concept is closer to patients and closer to a cure. The award of this Argelander Professorship brought her to the University of Bonn – and thus contributes to our message: "We are Uni Bonn".
Understanding Metabolic Phenomena
Elena Reckzeh and her team use stem cell-derived model systems of the intestine (organoids, mini-organs) and colon tumors (tumor organoids) to study extrinsic and intrinsic influences on nutrient uptake, dependence, and flexibility. We employ these organoids to discover novel biologically active small molecules (compounds) to better understand metabolic phenomena.
Elena Reckzeh
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
Transdisciplinarity is key
When Elena Reckzeh learned about the job posting for this Argelander Professorship, she was immediately enthusiastic about the attractive implementation of transdisciplinarity. She sees her own research as "precisely in the niche," explains Reckzeh, meaning in a field that requires insights, methods, and expertise from both zoology and chemistry. In the TRA, to which she now belongs, she can conduct research at the interface between the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.