Research

An FAU project is researching opinions on organ donation. A public panel discussion about the topic will be held on 18 July in Erlangen.

Researchers at FAU are working on a way to develop custom-fit prosthetics, with the help of 3D scanning and printing, which is simple and inexpensive, yet can be done locally using recycled materials.

Viral infections may be involved in the pathogenesis of the lupus autoimmune disease. Researchers have discovered that messenger substances of the immune system trigger the disease when their production is not lowered after recovery from viral infection.

Photodynamic therapy is an effective treatment for early-stage skin cancer. However, this therapy can cause patients severe pain. The reason for this was previous a mystery to researchers. Physiologists at FAU have now discovered that it is due to two specific ion channels.

Researchers have been investigating how tumour necrosis factor (TNF), a messenger substance in the immune system, protects against infection for many years. A new mechanism via which TNF protects against pathogens that cause infection has now been discovered.