Research

Rheumatism, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis are examples of diseases which trigger a false, excessive immune reaction and which require treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. Researchers at the German Centre for Immunotherapy at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen have now investigated how well these patients react to Covid-19 vaccinations.

Researchers from FAU and other research institutions from the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate are investigating how to ensure and improve medical care in rural areas during the coronavirus pandemic in a model project funded by the BMBF. Mathematically-based optimisation and...

At many banks, insurance companies and online retailers, self-learning computer algorithms are used to make decisions that have major consequences for customers. However, just how algorithms in artificial intelligence (AI) represent and process their input data internally is largely unknown. Researchers at the Pattern Recognition Lab and the Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Group at FAU and the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, the Aix-Marseille Université in Marseille, France, and York University in Toronto, Canada, examined the problem of ‘black boxes’ in artificial intelligence and developed a method that makes these processes visible.

The latest findings of an FAU research team will revolutionise the entire chemistry of magnesium. The research team have discovered magnesium, which usually has a double positive charge in chemical compounds, in the elemental zero-oxidation state.

The mechanical properties of cells can reveal which diseases a patient is suffering from. Researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen are taking advantage of this effect - and revolutionising diagnostics. Their goal: instead of costly examining blood samples in the laboratory, doctors should be able to analyse them quickly and reliably using AI-supported methods.

Materials scientist Prof. Dr. Carolin Körner receives ERC Advanced Grant worth three million euros. She will use the funding to drive forward research into additive manufacturing of high-performance components using high-energy electron beams over the next five years.

Sport scientist Dr. Dejan Reljic has shown for the first time that not only high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but also moderate-intensive interval training significantly improves the health of obese patients. This means that the interval training benefits health even at only moderate intensity.

Initial findings from a study involving hospital staff has indicated that nasal spray Carragelose® containing iota carrageenan– a natural ingredient from red algae – could protect against SARS CoV-2 infections. Several laboratory tests have already demonstrated the effect of Carragelose® against the coronavirus in cell experiments. With that in mind, this special nasal spray could support the general protective measures against SARS-CoV-2 and prevent infections.

What effects might the pandemic have on Germany as an country which attracts a lot of immigrants between now and 2030? A research project at FAU involving researchers from various disciplines has investigated this issue in more detail and has drawn up various scenarios for the future.