Research

Fatigue, stress, scarcely any free time or feeling unappreciated: Those caring at home for relatives suffering from conditions such as dementia often feel overwhelmed or under great mental strain. For the first time in Germany, a team of researchers from Universitätsklinikum and FAU have now documented the positive aspects linked to caring for someone at home in a recent study.

Which factors in our immune system protect against chronic Q fever? This has now been investigated by researchers at FAU and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, who have discovered a metabolic product that inhibits the reproduction of the pathogen.

Electric roads charge electric cars as they drive. Car drivers will be able to experience the technology for themselves from 2025 on a test route in Northern Bavaria. The stretch of road is part of the E|MPOWER project at FAU.

A team of researchers has gained new insights into the maturation of SARS-CoV-specific antibodies after multiple vaccinations with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty.

Researchers from Erlangen and Würzburg develop reliable rapid test on the basis of magnetic nanoparticles.

The numbers are alarming. Children and young people are not getting nearly enough exercise. Sport scientists at the WHO Collaborating Center for Physical Activity and Public Health at FAU have now taken stock of the situation and drafted a document on “Promoting physical activity in children and adolescents in Germany” on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health .

A team at FAU is investigating how intelligent prostheses can be improved and made more reliable. The idea is that interactive artificial intelligence will help the prostheses to recognize human intent better, to register their surroundings and to continue to develop and improve over time.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding a new clinical research unit at FAU that will investigate the interaction between the nervous and immune systems in inflammatory and degenerative diseases, also know as the “gut-brain axis”. The interdisciplinary team will receive a total of 6 million euros of funding over the coming four years. 

Whether it is as a new organic fuel, innovative cancer medication or a sustainable source of food: researchers across the globe see immense potential in euglenoids. Of the 1,000 known species, only 20 have been investigated to date. The Euglena International Network (EIN) now hopes to change this situation. FAU researchers are also on board.

At least one in ten people who contract COVID-19 still struggle with persistent or new complaints weeks or months after contracting the virus. Extreme fatigue after strenuous activity, listlessness, shortness of breath, concentration difficulties and memory problems, anxiety and feelings of depression are only some of the possible symptoms of post-COVID syndrome. In order to offer patients suffering from severe and complex forms of the disease a central port of call, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen has now opened an interdisciplinary Post-COVID Center.