Research

A vitamin D3 deficiency can lead to severe symptoms, for example in people suffering from allergic asthma. This has already been shown in several studies. A team of researchers from FAU has now demonstrated for the first time how taking vitamin D3 can alter the cellular inflammatory reaction in allergic asthma and alleviate asthma symptoms.

An unprecedented and continuing loss of biodiversity has been sparked by anthropogenic climate change together with the intensive use and destruction of natural ecosystems. However, since the public often views the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis as two separate catastrophes, an international team of researchers including paleontologist Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kiessling from FAU calls for adopting a new perspective.

Green hydrogen could play a key role in the energy transition. However, electrocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen requires huge amounts of electricity. Materials scientist Dr. Pablo Jiménez Calvo is conducting research into an alternative method known as photocatalysis.

A team from MPL and FAU has created a new, fast and precise method for clinicians to analyse cells in tissue samples from cancer patients without the need for a trained pathologist. They use artificial intelligence to evaluate the data their method produces.

Another researcher from FAU has been awarded an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). The mathematician and Humboldt professor Dr. Enrique Zuazua will receive up to 2.5 million euros for his project “Control for Deep and Federated Learning”.

Memory training, exercises to improve brain fitness, early detection tests for dementia or tools to help carers organize their daily schedule: The range of apps for people with dementia and their care-giving relatives is very wide. A team of researchers at FAU and the Bavarian Digital Dementia Register has now evaluated the scientific evidence and quality for users of German language apps for the first time and has come to two sobering conclusions.

FAU has set up a new research center in order to make the development of bioactive compounds even more efficient. In this center, teams of researchers from the areas of pharmaceutical science, food chemistry and pharmacology at FAU and departments at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen combine their research activities in a unique manner.