MissionoftheClusterofExcellencePMI

ThemembersoftheClusterofExcellencewanttoestablishprecisionmedicineinchronicinflammation,whichtakestheindividualityofapersonandhis/herenvironmentintoaccount.Clinicalstudiesandtranslationareatthecoreofthiswork-fundamentalresearchresultsshouldbetransferredasquicklyaspossiblefrombenchtobedside.

Chronicinflammation

Inflammationisnotactuallyapathologicalprocess,butanaturaldefensereactionoftheimmunesystemtopathogensorforeignbodies.Butinthecaseofchronicinflammation,thisreactiongetsoutofcontrol:theimmunesystemcontinuouslyattackstissueandorganssuchastheskin,thegut,thelungsandthejoints.Thestrainonthoseaffectedisenormous.Manysufferfromsymptomslikefever,pain,fatigueandpsychologicalcomplaints.

TheClusterofExcellencePrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammation(PMI)focusesonchronicinflammatorybarrierdiseases(CIBD).Theseincludechronicinflammatoryboweldiseases(e.g.Crohn'sdiseaseandulcerativecolitis),inflammatoryskindiseases(e.g.psoriasisandatopicdermatitis),inflammatoryrheumaticdiseases(suchasrheumatoidarthritis,lupuserythematosusandankylosingspondylitis)andlungdiseases(e.g.asthmaandchronicbronchitis).

Asystemicapproach

Foralongtime,medicinetreatedinflammatorydiseasesseparately,dependingontheaffectedorgan:thegastroenterologisttreatedCrohnsdisease,whilethedermatologisttreatedpsoriasis,forinstance.Morerecentfindingsshow,however,thatchronicinflammatorydiseasesaretoberegardedasaphenomenonaffectingtheentirebody,onethatcannotbereduceddowntowhatisvisibleasinflammationinthegut,ontheskinorinthejoints.Inaddition,theindividualinflammatorydiseasesaremorealikethanoriginallythought.

Forexample,becauseofthemolecularsimilaritiesbetweenCrohnsdiseaseandpsoriasis,oftenthesametreatmentsareeffective.Forthisreason,physiciansfromvariousspecialistfieldsareworkingcloselytogetherintheClusterofExcellencePrecisionMedicineinChronicInflammationinordertoresearchandtreatthediseasesholistically.

Andthisisalreadybeingimplementedinmedicalpractice:Since2009,attheComprehensiveCenterforInflammationMedicine(CCIM),doctorsfromvariousdepartmentshavebeenworkingtogetheronaninterdisciplinarybasistotreatpatientssufferingfromchronicinflammation.

Precisionmedicine

Chronicinflammatorydiseasesdiffersignificantlyfrompersontopersonintermsofprogressionandmanifestation.Asaresult,despitegreatadvancesinresearch,notonlytreatmentbutalsoearlyrecognitionisnotadequateforallthoseaffected.Asawhole,symptomscanoftenberelievedandtheprogressofthediseasecanbesloweddown,butputtingacompletestoptoitisonlypossibleinsomecases.

ThemembersoftheClusterofExcellenceaimtocounterthiswithprecisionmedicine,i.e.individualizedmedicine.

Theirapproachistorecognizethedifferencesbetweenindividualpatientswiththesamediseaseandutilizetheseinbothdiagnosisandtreatmentbyselectingthemostsuitableformoftreatmentonthebasisofthesedifferences.Thelatestingeneticanalyses,high-resolutionimagingmethodsandanalyticalalgorithmsareimportanttoolsinthiswork.

Diseasescanbebetterunderstoodandtreatedwithgreaterprecisionineachindividualcasethroughtargetedgathering,cross-linkingandanalysisofbiologicalandclinicaldata.

Thisisthefutureofmedicine.

Logo: CAU. Kiel University. Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Universität zu Lübeck
UKSH: Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein
Forschungszentrum Borstel: Leibniz Lungenzentrum
IfW Kiel: Institut für Weltwirtschaft
IPN: Leibniz-Institut für die Pädagogik der Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik
muthesius kunsthochschule
Gefördert durch: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft