Be up to date! Have a look at our most recent news.
about
faculty members
students
dates
publications
application
news
locations
contact
Be up to date! Have a look at our most recent news.
On June 13th 2022, three CORVOS ESRs started their month-long entrepreneurship secondment at Hycult Biotech, Uden, The Netherlands. Each ESR was assigned a business case and a field research topic related to their ongoing PhD projects. Lisa, Mariam, and Janti investigated the value of their assigned topics/biomarkers in RUO, pharma and potential diagnostic value, which research groups are looking into those niche areas, and ongoing clinical studies involving these biomarkers. In the second part of their assignment, each of the ESRs investigated the potential application and trends of complement in chronic kidney diseases and graft rejection, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
While the ESRs were working on their business cases and field research, they also had the opportunity to sit down with different Hycult Biotech employees to learn firsthand about general market validation, customer complaints handling and support, intellectual property and patents, communication and distribution chains, online marketing and industrial validation of products prior to launch. Furthermore, the students also contributed to the organization of the one day Symposium held after the training.
At the end of their entrepreneurship secondment, the ESRs presented their work to Hycult Biotech’s Management Team, R&D as well as Commercial departments. A discussion followed that culminated with constructive feedback from the involved departments to the ESRs.
Special thanks to Loek Willems for organizing our entrepreneurship training and to the whole team of Hycult Biotech for providing us interesting insights into their company.
On the 7th of July 2022, CORVOS Faculty Members and students (Early Stage Researchers, ESRs) took an active part in the symposium “Host defense against infection - Complement and beyond”, organized in collaboration with Hycult Biotech, also an industrial partner of the CORVOS programme.
This meeting in Nijmegen (The Netherlands) provided an overview of our current understanding of the role of the complement system in a wide range of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, fungal diseases, and COVID-19. Next, the meeting also focused on diagnosing and treating infections via the modulation of complement.
Speakers from both inside and outside the complement field were present to provide comprehensive overviews concerning the role of complement and pattern recognition receptors (PRPs) in fighting infections. All in all, interdisciplinary investigators from academia and industry were brought together to discuss novel ideas and to set up collaborations which will likely contribute to a better understanding of the role of complement in human infectious diseases.
Following an intense program of scientific discussions, the evening continued with a 3-course dinner at the Restaurant Van der Valk. Furthermore, some of the participants also joined a visit to the facilities of Hycult in Uden the day after.
On the 20th May 2022 the doctoral programmes of excellence, HOROS and CORVOS, joined the Long Night of Research, where teams of researchers made the fascinating world of science visible for the interested general public through experiments, workshops and live presentations in different institutes all around Austria.
At our booth at the Centre for Chemistry and Biochemistry (CCB) in Innsbruck we guided people into our world, showing what our research can do and to which innovations we contribute with our everyday work. From establishing tridimensional lung models to distinguishing healthy or infected tissues under a microscope or checking how many microorganisms we have on our hands, everybody, from children to adults, could actually play with science.
In addition to this, HOROS students Christina Schöpf and Verena Harpf and CORVOS student Giulia Bertacchi presented their PhD programmes together with the coordinator Reinhard Würzner, explaining what it means to be a PhD student and guiding people, especially young women, and made them interested in pursuing a PhD of their choice.
.png)
The Pint of Science festival strives to provide engaging and relevant discussions on cutting-edge research to the general public — and this in bars, pubs, cafes, and other public areas. Beginning of May, scientists from the Medical University of Innsbruck, including Dr. Guido Wollmann, Dr. Zlatko Trajanoski, Dr. Hesso Farhan, Dr. Oliver Schmidt, Dr. Doris Wilflingseder, and Dr. Victoria Klepsch presented their research topics within the fields of Cancer, Immunology, Virology, and Mycology in a relaxed atmosphere at Tribaun. CORVOS was part of this unique event by providing organizational and financial support.
Be up to date! Have a look at our most recent news.
We are delighted to congratulate Max on successfully completing his PhD! His thesis provided valuable insights into the role of the complement system in the innate immune response, focusing on the pathogens SARS-CoV-2 and Aspergillus fumigatus.
Max's research comprised three significant studies:
(1) Max developed a sensitive MASP-2 ELISA to investigate its association with COVID-19. He found that MASP-2 concentrations were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls and correlated with age, female sex, and higher mortality. Additionally, MASP-2 levels were linked with terminal complement complex (TCC), ficolin-2, ficolin-3, and C-reactive protein (CRP), suggesting MASP-2 as a potential biomarker for COVID-19.
(2) By exploring the binding kinetics of pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) of the complement system on pathogen surfaces, Max discovered that C1q and MBL rapidly bound and then detached from pathogen surfaces within minutes in plasma, a process associated with complement cascade activation. C1q detachment was linked to the activation of the C1 complex, while MBL dissociation relied on overall complement activation and solubilization via C3b.
(3) Max investigated the innate immune responses to A. fumigatus in whole blood, finding that it triggered complement and leukocyte activation, similar to E. coli. Although A. fumigatus induced a less extensive cytokine response compared to E. coli, complement inhibition significantly altered the release of six key cytokines, indicating the complement system's role in cytokine release. The expression of most cytokines depended on the monocyte fraction in whole blood.
Collectively, these studies demonstrate the significant role of the complement system in infections with SARS-CoV-2 and A. fumigatus. Max's work highlights the potential connections between cytokine release, pathogen opsonization, and the detachment of C1q and MBL from microorganisms, though further research is needed to fully understand these mechanisms.
We wish Max the best of luck for his future academic career.
We are thrilled to announce that Beatrice has successfully graduated with her PhD! Her thesis explored the human innate immune system using the lepirudin whole blood model. This model, introduced in 2002, uses the anticoagulant lepirudin to maintain complement system function while preventing blood coagulation. Beatrice's work involved collecting blood in lepirudin-treated tubes, exposing it to various activators, and analyzing cell activation markers, complement activation, and inflammatory mediators.
Beatrice's thesis consisted of three significant papers:
Paper I: Beatrice developed a novel model by selectively removing individual cell populations, revealing the specific roles of monocytes and granulocytes in cytokine release. This study was published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
Paper II: She investigated the inflammatory response to Aspergillus fumigatus conidia compared to Escherichia coli, identifying CD14+ monocytes as key contributors to cytokine release. This paper was published in the Journal of Innate Immunity.
Paper III: Beatrice adapted the model to study patients with acute myelogenic leukemia (AML) undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The study showed that AML patients maintain a functional complement system throughout the transplantation period. This paper is under revision for publication in Frontiers in Immunology.
Collectively, these papers enhance our understanding of innate immune responses and pave the way for new targeted therapeutic strategies.
We are incredibly proud of Beatrice's achievements and wish her all the best in her scientific career.
On the 11th June 2024 two CORVOS ESRs Hang Zhong (IT-1) and Mikel Rezola Artero (FI-2) participated in the 16th International Conference on Complement Therapeutics. They showcased their research through oral presentations and flash poster talk sessions which stimulated scientific discussion and provided invaluable feedback on both projects.
This meeting in Loutraki, Greece, provided an opportunity to bring together complement experts from both academia and industry. Participants shared new data and discussed the latest developments in therapeutic design, clinical trials, and new aspects of complement-driven pathophysiology.
Following an intense, one week program on a wide variety of topics ranging from complement-driven haematological/ocular/kidney/neurological disorders to complement in infectious diseases, the conference finished with a farewell dinner where all the participants enjoyed live music and had the opportunity to learn some local dances. Finally, the evening culminated in the announcement of the awards, where both of the ESRs received trainee awards due to their commendable contributions to the conference.
We are delighted to announce that Mariam has successfully completed her PhD! Her research focused on the complement system, specifically the component C7, which is crucial for the assembly of the membrane attack complex (MAC). While the structure and function of C7 in MAC assembly are well documented, Mariam's work aimed to uncover the non-canonical roles of C7, which are less understood. Mariam's thesis explored several key areas: (1) Extrahepatic Synthesis of C7: Unlike most complement proteins, C7 is primarily synthesized outside the liver, allowing it to regulate local MAC assembly. This unique synthesis pathway suggests that C7 could play distinct roles in different tissues. (2) Association with Disease Pathogenesis: Emerging studies have linked C7 with various diseases, highlighting the need for further investigation into its non-canonical functions. (3) Development of Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) and Immunoassays: A major aim of Mariam's research was to create reliable tools for characterizing C7. She developed monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to native C7, which were then used to establish an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring C7 in different matrices. This novel ELISA demonstrated high specificity and no cross-reactivity with similar proteins. (4) Interaction with Clusterin (CLU): Mariam's investigation into the regulatory role of C7 revealed a significant association with the complement inhibitor clusterin (CLU). Her work indicated the presence of a C7-CLU complex in circulation, suggesting that C7 has multifunctional roles beyond its traditional functions in MAC assembly.
Mariam's innovative research has provided new insights into the complex roles of C7 and developed valuable tools for future studies. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and wish her all the best in her scientific career.
