At its December meeting, the Board of Directors of the Einstein Foundation Berlin approved eleven new research projects totalling 13 million euros over the next six years. The Foundation is sponsoring Prof Dr Kerstin Kaufmann as an Einstein Professor, thus helping to keep the internationally renowned expert in plant cell and molecular biology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Projects by researchers at Humboldt-Universität are also sponsored. The largest new funding project is the Einstein Centre for Early Disease Interception; after a two-year preparatory phase, it is now being launched as a network of twelve Berlin institutions with the aim of decisively advancing the pioneering research field of cell-based preventive medicine.
Promotion of biologist Kerstin Kaufmann as Einstein Professor
In her research, Kerstin Kaufmann combines state-of-the-art experimental and computer-aided methods and develops classical, descriptive developmental biology into a design-orientated discipline. The aim is to decipher the fundamental principles of plant development and to control development processes in a targeted manner, for example to make plants more resistant to stress or to increase yields in agriculture.
At the heart of their research programme is the question of how cells acquire, maintain and flexibly adapt their identity. These processes form the basis for the development of complex and adaptable tissues. A particular focus is on symmetry breaking and the emergence of cellular asymmetry in plants - crucial steps in plant development
With her research, Kaufmann is pursuing the vision of programmable plant morphogenesis. By combining molecular genetics, genomics and optogenetics, she is investigating how light, mechanical and signalling influences can be used to specifically control development and regeneration processes. This opens up new perspectives for the development and regeneration of plant tissue and the design of biological systems.
Kaufmann explains: "Our aim is to launch a cross-institutional initiative for controllable morphogenesis in Berlin, integrating biological, biophysical and engineering approaches. The support of the Einstein Foundation is very valuable in this endeavour."
Through established collaborations with the Berlin Institute for Molecular Systems Biology (BIMSB), the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Kerstin Kaufmann is strengthening the links between molecular biology, quantitative modelling and bioengineering.
Professor Martin Rennert, Chairman of the Einstein Foundation Berlin, emphasises: "With Professor Kaufmann, we are supporting an outstanding scientist who combines excellent basic research with innovative technological approaches. The continuation of her work at Humboldt-Universität will significantly strengthen Berlin's internationally recognised research in the field of integrative and design-oriented life sciences."
By funding an Einstein Professorship, the Einstein Foundation supports the Berlin universities and Charité in their appointment or retention negotiations. Upon application, their offers can be strengthened in order to ensure that top scientists come to Berlin or remain in Berlin.
Bacterial infection mechanisms: research with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Many pathogenic bacteria use tiny nanomachines, the type III secretion systems (T3SS), to introduce proteins directly into host cells. How bacteria deliver the right proteins quickly and precisely is still poorly understood. The project "Spatial Targeting of Secretion Substrate mRNAs to Type III Secretion Systems in Gram-Negative Pathogens" by Prof Dr Marc Erhardt from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Professor Orna Amster-Choder from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) is now investigating whether the mRNA of these proteins is specifically transported to the T3SS and thus enables rapid secretion. Initial results indicate that mRNA accumulates in local clusters near the T3SS in order to produce the proteins locally when required. The aim of the project is to identify the exact signals in the mRNA and the bacterial factors that could control targeted localisation. Understanding this possible mechanism could not only provide insights into bacterial infection processes, but also new approaches for antimicrobial therapies - for example, blocking infections without killing the bacteria and thus combating the development of antibiotic resistance.
Einstein Postdoctoral Grant
Dr Philipp Popp, group leader with Prof. Dr Marc Erhardt at the Institute of Biology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, will establish a working group in his BacDefiant project to investigate how bacteria coordinate their defence systems against bacteriophages (phages). Using state-of-the-art microscopy and microfluidics, individual cells will be tracked in real time to decipher when and how different defence mechanisms interact. The project combines microbiology, live cell imaging and synthetic biology to understand bacterial-phage interactions at the single cell level. The results could provide a detailed picture of bacterial immunity and improve our understanding of the factors that could influence the success of phage-based treatment approaches.
Einstein Centre for Early Disease Interception
The Einstein Center for Early Disease Interception (EC-EDI) aims to recognise and combat diseases at an early stage, when only individual altered cells are present in the body and no symptoms are yet apparent. It builds on a two-year pre-module phase in which the innovative research field of cell-based preventive medicine was funded. With its full funding over the next six years with a total funding volume of six million euros, the cross-institutional centre will focus on the accelerated development, integration and application of new key technologies. These include methods of single-cell multi-omics and spatial biology, highly developed preclinical patient models and solution-oriented approaches based on artificial intelligence in order to diagnose diseases as early as possible and treat them in a targeted manner even before noticeable symptoms appear.