News archive 2025

This year, our Christmas bauble features a stunning firework display of immune cells. Researchers in our network use imaging techniques to reveal what is normally hidden from view and study how cells in organisms behave. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cells are characterized by their ability to adhere particularly well to surfaces in their environment, which enables the development of complex tissues and organs. A team led by cell biologist Prof Carsten Grashoff has now shown that the talin protein plays a central and evolutionarily conserved role in cell adhesion. The study was published in “Nature Communications”.

InFlame is to receive 1.1 million euros from the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation for a second funding period of four years. The programme is aimed at postdocs in the natural sciences working in the interdisciplinary field of inflammation research. It helps create synergies between research and clinical practice and supports candidates in setting the course for their careers.

An international research led by Dr Thilo von Groote and Prof Alexander Zarbock from the University of Münster has demonstrated that a targeted preventive treatment strategy after major surgery significantly reduces the incidence of severe acute kidney injury. The study was published in the journal “The Lancet”.

A major success for research in Münster: The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded funding for the new Collaborative Research Centre “Principles of Reproduction”, which focuses on male infertility, and has extended funding for CRC 1348 “Dynamic Cellular Interfaces” into a third funding period. Both networks will receive approximately twelve million euros.

Professor Sara Wickström from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, together with Daniel St Johnston and Ewa Paluch from the University of Cambridge (UK), receives an ERC Synergy Grant to study how cells shape and function in tissues. This prestigious award provides 8.5 million euros over six years.

How do cells in tumour tissue communicate with each other, and what can we learn about cancer from this? Researchers working with Professor Klaus Dreisewerd and Dr Jens Soltwisch at the University of Münster have developed a method combining fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging. Using this method, they were able to reveal metabolic differences between individual cells for the first time.

On 10 September, 18 medical professionals from various modules of our Clinician Scientist CareerS programme participated in a special session as part of the 5th Inflammation and Imaging Symposium in Münster: they exchanged thoughts and recommendations with four experienced clinician scientists from Germany and abroad and learned from their experiences. 

On September 12, 2025, the University and University Hospital Münster opened their doors to the public during the “Lange Nacht der Universitätsmedizin”. At the Multiscale Imaging Centre, many visitors took the opportunity to gain live insights into various areas of research.

More than 200 scientists at the University of Münster and their international guests are discussing their research on inflammation and imaging of the immune system this week (September 8 to 10). Here you can find some picture impressions!

Epithelial tissues cover the inner and outer surfaces of the body. A study by the working group of cell biologist Prof. Carsten Grashoff now provides insight into the molecular details underlying the formation of the connections between epithelial cells.

The new Collaborative Research Centre “PodoSigN – Podocyte Signaling Networks: From Basic Concepts to Disease Understanding” receives funding of 15.5 million euros from the German Research Foundation. One third of the research projects are carried out at the University of Münster. The University of Cologne takes the lead for the network. The University of Hamburg is also involved.

PhD students and postdocs from the Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre took part in a workshop on science communication and subsequently created articles about their research. Using different media and narrative styles, four of them report on various aspects of their research using the fruit fly as a model system.

Cells build connections in organisms, and thus, form tissues that only allow certain substances or cells to pass through. In her doctoral thesis, biologist Dr Thea Jacobs has carried out investigations on this process using a simple model – fruit fly eggs. In a guest article, she provides insight into her day-to-day research and explains what she has discovered so far.

Neurobiologist Dr Bente Winkler is investigating how fruit fly brains react to inflammation. To do this, she is using genetically modified fruit flies in which a reaction of the immune system can be artificially activated. In this guest article, she explains how this could contribute to disease research.

Dr Rui Benedito succeeds founding director and pioneer of cell adhesion research Prof Dietmar Vestweber at the MPI. Rui Benedito is an expert in genetic modeling and cardiovascular biology and brings innovative genetic tools for research into disease-relevant cell processes to Münster.

Interdisciplinary exchange, teamwork and the quality of research were some of the topics discussed at this year’s forum, organised by two career support programmes of the Faculty of Medicine Münster: Clinician Scientist CareerS and the Medical Scientist Programme InFlame. The Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre actively contributes to shaping these programmes.

Similar to a small cut that heals itself after a short time, individual cells in our body suffer “wounds” in their protective layer, the cell membrane, every day and have to repair them again. A research team working with biochemist Prof. Volker Gerke and cell biologist Dr. Nikita Raj have now identified the processes that enable the precise closure of such membrane injuries. Their findings were recently published in the journal “Advanced Science”.

Presenting 24 images of cells, tissue and organisms, scientists at the Multiscale Imaging Centre of the University of Münster offer insights into their research. Additionally, a twelve-metre-high wall  installation sheds light on biomedical imaging from an artistic perspective. The exhibition opening, featuring tours with scientists, will take place on 2 February (Sunday). On 4 and 11 February, light projections on the artwork can be experienced.

A research team headed by biochemist Prof Ralf Adams has discovered a new type of capillary that is involved in bone remodeling: Type R capillaries. These are a special, physiologically important group of blood vessels that are essential for maintaining healthy bones throughout adulthood and especially during the aging process. The study has been published in the journal “Nature Cell Biology”.

Dr. Mara Pitulescu is heading a new research group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine and is a new member of the Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre. With her team, she investigates the molecular code of organ-specific vascular patterning in health and disease.