FourmoreyearsofmetaorganismresearchinKiel
GermanResearchFoundationfundsCollaborativeResearchCentre1182atKielUniversitywith11millioneuros
GreatsuccessforthescientistsoftheCollaborativeResearchCentre(CRC)1182"OriginandFunctionofMetaorganisms"atKielUniversity:TheGermanResearchFoundation(DFG)continuestosupportthejointresearchprojectledbyKielUniversityuntiltheendof2023.TheresearchersoftheCRC1182willthusbeabletostartthesecondfundingphaseatthebeginningofnextyearandfurtheradvanceresearchintotherelationshipsbetweenhostorganismsandtheircolonizingmicroorganisms.TheDFG,whichannounceditsdecisiontoday,25November,thusconfirmstheimportanceofthissuccessfulinterdisciplinaryresearchprojectandisprovidingscientistswithatotalofaround11millioneurosoverthenextfouryears.
"OnbehalfoftheentireexecutiveboardoftheUniversity,Iwouldliketocongratulateallthoseinvolvedonthisgreatsuccess.ThecommitmentofthemostimportantGermanresearchfundinginstitutionmakesclearhowimportanttheinvestigationoftheinteractionsofhostandmicrobesisforthehealthofhumans,animalsandplants,"saysKielUniversitysVice-PresidentforResearch,ProfessorKarinSchwarz."IamparticularlypleasedforthemanycommittedscientistswhocannowsuccessfullycontinuetheirworkatKielUniversity.Theythuscontinuetoprovideaspecialexampleofcutting-edgeresearchinSchleswig-Holstein,"Schwarzcontinued.
 
Successfulresearchnetwork
Foundedin2016atKielUniversity,theCRC1182bringstogetheraround80scientistsfromsixpredominantlyNorthGermaninstitutionsinatotalof15interdisciplinaryresearchprojects.TheresearchersfromtheInstitutesofZoology,ClinicalMolecularBiology,GeneralMicrobiology,ExperimentalMedicineandtheBotanicalInstituteatKielUniversityworktogetherwithcolleaguesfromtheGEOMARHelmholtzCentreforOceanResearchKiel,theMaxPlanckInstituteforEvolutionaryBiologyinPln,theHeinrichHeineUniversityDsseldorf,theLeibnizInstituteforScienceandMathematicsEducationandtheMuthesiusUniversityofFineArtsandDesigninKiel.Togethertheywanttounderstandbitbybitthefunctionalconsequencesoftheinteractionsofhostorganismsandmicrobialcommunities.
"Inthesuccessfulfirstfundingperiod,wewereabletogainabroadunderstandingofthecooperationbetweenhostorganismsandmicrobesonthebasisofanumberofmodelorganismsandidentifytheplayersinvolved,"explainsProfessorThomasBosch,spokespersonfortheCRC1182.Nowwewanttotakethenextstepandunderstandthemolecularandevolutionarymechanismsunderlyingthesesymbioticinteractions,"Boschoutlinestheresearchprogramforthecomingyears.
 
Applyingfundamentalprinciples
ThescientistsoftheCRC1182convincedtheDFGwiththeirveryinterdisciplinaryresearchconcept.Thelastdecisivefactorwasanexcellenton-sitereviewlastsummer,inwhichtheresearchersandtheirpartnerinstitutionspresentedpastsuccessesandfuturegoals.Inadditiontotheexcellentscientificresultsofthefirstphase,whichwerepublishedinaround80high-rankingpublications,theCRC1182wasalsoconvincinginimportantcross-sectionaltopics.Inparticular,theintensivepromotionofyoungresearcherswithtwoindependentfundinglinesandatailor-madementoringprogramme,especiallyforfemaleresearchersatdifferentcareerlevels,wereratedparticularlypositively.Anemphasisoncommunicatingthecentersresearchininnovativeoutreachformatstothepublicwasalsoevaluatedverypositively.Intotal,athirdfundingphaseandthusthemaximumpossibletwelve-yearsupportfromtheDFGiswithinreach.
Inthesecondphase,whichstartsatthebeginningof2020,thescientistsoftheCRC1182willnowdefinecommonanduniversallyvalidprinciplesofhost-microberelationshipsforalllivingcreaturesandthuscomeclosertotheiroverarchinggoal:Fromresearchintothemetaorganism,theyintendtoderivetherapeuticapproachesfornumerousdiseasescausedbycivilisation,whicharebasedonanimbalanceofthesymbioticbacterialcommunityofthebody."Onlythosewhohaveunderstoodthemechanismsandfunctionsofthemulti-organismicrelationshipsbetweenhostandmicrobesfrombottomupwillbeabletofindwaysofmanipulatingadisturbedmicrobiome,changingitandthustreatingdiseasesinthefuturethathavenotyetbeenunderstood,"predictsBosch,whowillcontinuetoleadtheCRC.
AbouttheCRC1182:
TheCollaborativeResearchCentre"OriginandFunctionofMetaorganisms"isaninterdisciplinarynetworkinvolvingaround80researchersthatinvestigatestheinteractionsofspecificmicrobialcommunitieswithmulticellularhostorganisms.ItissupportedbytheGermanResearchFoundation(DFG)anddealswiththequestionofhowplantsandanimalsincludinghumansformfunctionalunits(metaorganisms)togetherwithhighlyspecificcommunitiesofmicrobes.TheaimoftheCRC1182istounderstandwhyandhowmicrobialcommunitiesenterintotheselong-termconnectionswiththeirhostorganismsandwhatfunctionalconsequencestheseinteractionshave.TheCRC1182bringstogetherscientistsfromfivefacultiesoftheChristian-Albrechts-UniversittzuKiel(CAU),theGEOMARHelmholtz-ZentrumfrOzeanforschungKiel,theMax-Planck-InstitutfrEvolutionsbiologiePln,theHeinrich-Heine-UniversittDsseldorf,theLeibnizInstituteforScienceandMathematicsEducationandtheMuthesiusUniversityofFineArtsandDesign.
Moreinformation:
- CRC1182OriginandFunctionofMetaorganisms,KielUniversity:
www.metaorganism-research.com
  - PressReleaseoftheGermanResearchFoundation(DFG):
https://www.dfg.de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/2019/pressemitteilung_nr_58/index.html
Around80scientistsfromKielUniversityanditspartnerinstitutionsformtheCollaborativeResearchCentre1182"OriginandFunctionofMetaorganisms".
Inthefirstfundingperiod,theCRC1182researchersinvestigatedtheinteractionsofhostsandmicrobesusingdifferentmodelorganisms-fromsimplyorganisedspongestovertebrates.
PublishedthenewhypothesistogetherwiththeresearchersoftheCIFAR"Humans&theMicrobiome"program:Prof.ThomasBoschfromKielUniversity.
WiththeBiologyCentre(inthebackground)andtheCentreofMolecularBiosciences(ZMB),theCollaborativeResearchCentre1182alsohasaspatialhomeatKielUniversity.
Contact:
Prof.ThomasBosch
SpokespersonCRC1182"OriginandFunctionofMetaorganisms",
KielUniversity
+49(0)431-880-4170
tbosch@zoologie.uni-kiel.de
Presscontact:
ChristianUrban
SciencecommunicationKielLifeScience",KielUniversity:
+49(0)431-880-1974
curban@uv.uni-kiel.de
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