Current News & Press Releases

CECAD scientists among the most highly cited researchers worldwide

13.11.2025 2025 News and Calendar University of Cologne TopNews

Annual ranking of ‘Highly Cited Researchers’ published as an indicator for outstanding research / University of Cologne…

Microglia (green) responding to aggregated beta-amyloid plaques (blue) in the mouse cortex.

Protective Brain Immune Cell State Discovered

10.11.2025 2025 News and Calendar TopNews Dr. Anne Schaefer

Discovery points to a potential new therapeutic pathway for Alzheimer’s disease

Prof. Dr. Miguel Alejandre Alcázar

Over half a million euros in DFG funding for Miguel Alejandre Alcazar & Julian Wagner

03.11.2025 Research Group Leaders 2025 News and Calendar Grants

DFG funding to investigate the neuro-cardiopulmonary interface in health and aging.

The green fluorescent signal indicates the stability of mitochondrial surface proteins (marked in red). Changes in cellular nutrient levels, such as the availability of leucine, alter the signal’s intensity, reflecting the dynamic regulation of mitochondrial proteins. Disruption of this process has been linked to diseases such as cancer and infertility.

From food to fuel: How leucine enhances mitochondrial energy production

31.10.2025 2025 TopNews Prof. Dr. Thorsten Hoppe

Researchers from the University of Cologne discovered how a specific dietary amino acid increases cellular energy, opening new…

Leptin-sensing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (colored green) help to overcome anxiety to enable adaptive behavioru. Input from prefrontal cortex is shown in red. White lines show the activity of individual neurons.

Eat, explore, rest: a leptin-sensing brain circuit helps overcome anxiety to meet vital needs

20.10.2025 2025 News and Calendar TopNews Prof. Dr. Tatiana Korotkova

A research team at the University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne identifies a circuit in the brain that counteracts…

CECAD community members gather in anticipation of the vaccination event.

CECAD Health Day: Protecting Our Community

15.10.2025 People 2025 TopNews

Keeping CECAD healthy against COVID-19, Flu, and RSV with a vaccination campaign

CxUb is the last unit of the polyubiquitin gene, represented here by a moving train that carries at its end a bright wagon attached to a valuable trolley, which symbolize the C-terminally extended ubiquitin, CxUb in short. The train transitions from a stormy sky, with abnormal/dark mitochondrial-shaped clouds, representing stress, to a sunny sky full of healthy/bright mitochondria, thanks to protection from CxUb. The treasure, golden clock and hourglass are metaphors for the essential functions of CxUb in stress resistance, cellular homeostasis and healthy ageing.

A quiet ally: a ubiquitin precursor promotes stress resistance and longevity

02.10.2025

In response to cellular stress, the protein CxUb is activated to identify damaged proteins, thereby maintaining cellular health.…

In mice, inflammation caused by a deficiency in DNA building blocks leads to hardening of the glomeruli in the kidneys.

Hidden cause of inflammation

25.09.2025 2025 News and Calendar TopNews Prof. Dr. Thomas Langer

Excess RNA building blocks destabilize mitochondrial DNA

Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft Logo

Two Master Students selected for Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft Scholarship

18.09.2025 2025 Award

Niklas Müller and Kyra Olechnowicz, two outstanding students of the Master’s program “Genetics and Biology of Aging and…

Microbial allies

Microbial allies: Bacteria help fight against cancer

11.09.2025 2025 News and Calendar

An international team of scientists have discovered that microbes associated with tumours produce a molecule, which can control…