Funding approved: Leibniz Science Campus "NanoBrain" starts in Mainz
Stress-related depressive disorders are one of the main causes of chronic illnesses worldwide. In addition to the massive individual impairment caused by the disease, its enormous health-economic consequences present us with major challenges - especially in current times of crisis. Despite intensive research, there has been no real breakthrough in the treatment of stress-associated mental illnesses in recent decades, nor have there been any significant improvements in targeted prevention options. A major challenge in the development of novel therapeutic approaches is the need for substances to cross the so-called blood-brain barrier (BBB) to reach their site of action in the brain. The BBB prevents the uncontrolled passage of a large number of endogenous as well as exogenous substances, such as drugs, from the blood into the brain. However, this fundamentally very useful protective mechanism of the brain often proves to be an insurmountable barrier to the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system.
NanoBrain aims to find solutions to this problem: overcoming the barrier of the blood-brain barrier in a targeted and customized manner, for example using the possibilities of nanomedicine, is a scientific challenge that can only be met by a team of experts. The Leibniz ScienceCampus Nano-Brain will combine outstanding competencies in the field of nanomedicine and mRNA technology at the Mainz site with translational stress and resilience research over the next four years to address precisely this challenge.
The funding of 1,200,000 euros will enable the four interdisciplinary core projects listed below during the first funding period:
Deciphering and targeting stress-associated inflammatory mechanisms.
Development of a methodological toolbox for targeted delivery of mRNA-based therapies to the brain
Establishment of focused ultrasound stimulation for targeted blood-brain barrier opening; and
Establishment of a unique database to identify novel targets for future mRNA-based therapies using single cell sequencing.
"Our goal is to conceptually develop novel, innovative and highly specific approaches for the prevention and treatment of stress-associated mental illness. The need for novel and ideally also individualized therapies is increasing. Our goals are ambitious, but thanks to the unique interdisciplinary collaboration at the site, we are very confident that we will make fundamental progress over the next four years," explains Professor Dr. Marian-ne Müller of the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR) and designated spokesperson of the ScienceCampus.
"There is enormous potential for innovation in interdisciplinary collaboration, which the Leibniz ScienceCampuses want to promote with thematically focused collaboration in a regional partnership. These networks of Leibniz institutes with neighboring universities and other research partners further develop their respective research areas and thus strengthen the individual science locations in a targeted manner. The Leibniz Association has therefore selected the NanoBrain Science Campus in a competitive process to pave the way for the development of targeted therapies and prevention strategies for mental illnesses in Mainz," explains Leibniz Association President Prof. Dr. Martina Brockmeier.
The Minister of Science of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Clemens Hoch is very pleased about the selection and support of the location in Mainz by the Leibniz Association "The translational research expertise of the LIR with the life science strongholds in Mainz, in particular neuroscience and immunology, nanotechnology, molecular biology and RNA-based technology (TRON/BioNTech), can be effectively bundled here. With NanoBrain, a stimulating and interdisciplinary network can emerge in Mainz in the coming years. NanoBrain will provide an international, vibrant research environment and foster the next generation of young scientists - ultimately a crucial pillar to develop Mainz into a leading center of excellence in biotechnology."
"A large number of interconnections at the site also arise, for example, with aging research, translational neuroscience, but also, for example, with research into immunologically mediated diseases of the central nervous system or tumors. What all these areas have in common is that the transport of novel substances into the brain is a basic prerequisite if the treatment approach is to succeed. If successful, the results of the NanoBrain researchers could contribute to a fundamental paradigm shift in the prevention and treatment of stress-associated mental illnesses," Prof. Dr. Stefan Müller-Stach, Vice President for Research and Young Scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the Scientific Director and Dean of the University Medicine Mainz, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Förstermann, unanimously emphasize the high relevance of these research activities.
Das Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung (LIR) wurde im Jahr 2014 als Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ) gegründet und im Januar 2020 als LIR in die Leibniz-Gemeinschaft aufgenommen. Das LIR ist ein außeruniversitäres Forschungsinstitut, in dem Neurobiolog:innen, Physiker:innen, Mediziner:innen und Psycholog:innen interdisziplinär das Phänomen der Resilienz erforschen, d.h. die Aufrechterhaltung oder rasche Wiederherstellung psychischer Gesundheit während oder nach stressvollen Lebensereignissen. Seine zentralen Anliegen sind es, Resilienzmechanismen neurowissenschaftlich zu verstehen, Interventionen zur Förderung von Resilienz zu entwickeln und darauf hinzuwirken, Lebens- und Arbeitsumfelder so zu verändern, dass Resilienz gestärkt wird. Damit widmet sich das LIR einer der aktuell besonders drängenden gesellschaftlichen Fragen und stellt europaweit das erste Institut seiner Art dar.
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