General Information about the Research Module

I was part of the class of 2022/23 and completed my FM internship in the working group of Dr. Attila Braun and Dr. Elmina Bach. There I researched whether blood platelets can "wake up" dormant cancer cells. To do this, I treated dormant tumor cells with platelets and used a special stain to measure whether they divide more frequently. This is important because dormant cancer cells are difficult to destroy and can lead to cancer recurring years later. However, the highlight for me was above all the other students. A big thank you to Dr. Chao Han, a PhD student, who guided me competently and caringly through what was sometimes very time-consuming and new work for me. At ScienceCon, I won the 2nd prize for presentations by young researchers. It was fascinating to put the knowledge from my medical studies into a larger scientific context. The world of research is wider than the sun and deeper than the Atlantic.

Thirty years ago, my father had the opportunity to complete an internship abroad thanks to a DAAD scholarship—this year, it was my turn. As part of the RISE Worldwide scholarship program, I was able to spend a month and a half in the Department of Virology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where I also completed the 2024/2025 research module—the first student to do so in a foreign laboratory. During my time at the Tygerberg Medical Campus, I conducted research on sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). Using blood samples taken from the morgue, we performed PBMC extractions, which were then examined for immune markers. In addition, we analyzed nasopharyngeal and lung swabs for the most common respiratory viruses. In developed countries, SUDI is considered one of the leading preventable causes of death in infants. In developing regions, such as large parts of Africa, however, there are many cases of SUDI. Nevertheless, there are hardly any published studies on this topic, and SUDI is not yet considered a priority health issue there. The aim of the working group is therefore to investigate the virome of the upper and lower respiratory tract in these cases and, with the help of statistical analyses, to describe the spread of respiratory viruses and the distribution of immunological data, as well as to identify possible links between certain viruses and immune biomarkers. In addition, sociodemographic information (age, gender, season, living situation, etc.) will be correlated with known risk factors for SUDI. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the DAAD, my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Preiser, and the research module team, especially Ms. Romana Ruiß, for this unique opportunity.

Hi, I am Simona and I was part of the 2022/2023 research module. I carried out my project entitled "Semi-automatic quantification analysis of direct neuronal reprogramming efficiency" in the lab of Prof. Magdalena Götz under the supervision of Giacomo Masserdotti, PhD, as my supervisor.During this time, I tested (semi-)automatic cell counting with a FIJI/ImageJ software plug-in developed by the lab and received the Best Poster Award of the MMS Science Conference 2023, for which I am very grateful.I greatly appreciate the experience and opportunities that have come from the research module. Due to my existing research interest, I applied for the "DAAD RISE Worldwide 2024" program abroad. Thanks to the scholarship, I was able to complete a three-month laboratory internship at Western Sydney University in Australia in the laboratory of A/Prof. Gyengesi (Neurodegenerative Diseases and Neuroinflammation).A big thank you to Giacomo, Florian, Prof. Götz and Dr. Ruiß for the valuable experience that the research module gave me!

Hi, I'm Taehee and I was part of the 2023-2024 research module. I was in AG Dietrich, and my project was: Age-driven changes in lung morphology of TRPC6-deficient mice. The research module is a really great way to learn research without pressure. There are also many workshops, such as abstract writing, which I found very helpful. Many thanks to Professor Dietrich and my supervisor Lena Schaller for making the research module an enriching and exciting experience!

My project for the 2023/24 research module was entitled: "Where can the most B-and T-cells be found in the upper airway epithelium?". My experiment was essentially about taking swabs from three locations (nose, throat and nasopharynx) from study participants and determining the number of cells by flow cytometry. I was also able to draw some conclusions from the data: B cells and natural killer cells are more common in throat swabs, while T cells are more common in nasopharyngeal swabs. In addition, more CD8 cells than CD4 cells were found in all swabs. Many thanks to my supervisors Dr. Christof Geldmacher and Tabea Eser and to Romana Ruiß for the great organization. The research module was one of the best and most instructive experiences I have had in the field of research!

Hi, I'm Liv and I did my FM in Prof. Michael Meyer's neurophysiology lab. The title of my own small project was "Secretagogin interaction partners affecting insulin secretion and circulation"! In the lab, I worked a lot with cell cultures, Western blots and immunoprecipitations and finally carried out mass spectrometry. Interpreting the results of this was particularly exciting! Overall, the research module was really a great opportunity to get a first insight into experimental research by trying out different methods and experiencing the atmosphere in the lab! I liked it so much that I am now doing an experimental doctoral thesis! Many thanks to Prof. Meyer and Ms. Ruiß for their great support!

Hi, I'm Belinda and I was part of the research module in the Grimm working group in 2023/2024. Together, we worked on the project “Lysosomal TMEM165 controls cellular ion homeostasis and survival by mediating lysosomal Ca2+ import and H+ efflux,” which was finally published this year (2025) in Nature Communications—with me as a co-author. My research focused on exploring ion channels at the lysosomal membrane using genetic modification, overexpression and knockout models, and calcium imaging. Dysfunction of the lysosomes can lead to serious diseases such as mucolipidosis or cancer. For me, the research module was one of the most impressive experiences of my preclinical studies. It gave me the opportunity not only to learn a great deal in a short period of time, but also to combine theoretical knowledge from my studies with practical experience at a very early stage. It was particularly enriching to learn how to deal with new challenges independently (it is completely normal that not everything works out on the first try, or even on the second!) and to be encouraged to think creatively. I can wholeheartedly recommend the research module to anyone who is interested in research or simply looking for an exciting challenge. Many thanks to Prof. Dr. Dr. Grimm and Veronika Kudrina as my supervisors, as well as to the rest of the lab team, who welcomed me so warmly.