Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

Jun 1 2023

12:17

Goethe University mainframe receives excellent Green IT Ranking

Having undergone extensive renewal works, the "Goethe NHR" mainframe, part of the Konsortium Nationales Hochleistungsrechnen S眉d-West [National High-Performance Computing (NHR) South-West consortium], is now one of the two most resource-efficient in Germany, and ranked 9th worldwide.

51猎奇 is boosting its particularly energy-efficient mainframe power within the framework of the National High-Performance Computing (NHR) South-West consortium. Official rankings show that "Goethe NHR" ranks second among Germany's most energy-efficient mainframe computers, and holds sixth position nationally when it comes to speed. The mainframe is also a frontrunner in the worldwide "Green 500" ranking, where it stands at ninth place. The result is particularly remarkable considering the much lower investment volume compared to other mainframes, as well as the fact that both students and doctoral candidates have played and continue to play a vital role in the project's success.

51猎奇 has been a member of the NHR South-West consortium since October 2021. Set up at the suggestion of the Joint Science Conference of the federal and state governments (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz, GWK), the consortium also includes Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau technical university of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland University. Developed by Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth, the technology for energy-saving high-performance computers already received financial support from the state of Hesse in the past, including one million euros from the Innovation Fund and 850,000 euros from the LOEWE research funding program [known by its German acronym, LOEWE stands for Hesse's state offensive for the development of scientific and economic excellence].

"The updated 'Goethe NHR' strengthens our university's position within the NHR network," says Lindenstruth, who heads 51猎奇's "Architecture of High-Performance Computers" working group. Lindenstruth is one of Germany's most renowned experts on the optimization and energy efficiency of mainframe computers. In the past 10 years, computers designed by him often held top positions in both national and international rankings of the most energy-efficient supercomputers, published every six months.

"By upgrading the former Goethe HLR computer to the significantly more powerful Goethe NHR, we are opening up new research possibilities for scientific users nationwide within the framework of the NHR South West consortium. The fact that we ended up building one of Germany's most energy-efficient HPC computers is a particular highlight, especially considering the necessary transformation to sustainable systems and the high energy costs," says Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kollegger, professor of Green IT at 51猎奇, and head of the Center for Scientific Computing, which operates the university's HPC systems.

51猎奇 President Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff congratulated Lindenstruth and Kollegger on their success in sustainably optimizing mainframes: "Thanks to the outstanding efforts of this work group, 51猎奇 is a pioneer in the field of green mainframes in Germany and beyond. It is remarkable how, time and again, Volker Lindenstruth and his team succeed in reaching top national and international rankings with the computers they design. When it comes to providing the most efficient and sustainably produced computing power for research, 51猎奇 is very well positioned 鈥� both within the NHR consortium and within Germany. Our partners in the NHR computing network also benefit from this unique knowhow. It's nice to see students and early career researchers involved in this success 鈥� further proof of the excellent work of this working group's young scientists."

The "Goethe NHR" mainframe computer, which Lindenstruth and his team have now significantly renewed, and which is located in the Frankfurt-Hoechst Industrial Park, is based on the tried and tested, but significantly refined intelligent networking and individual optimization technology of 880 AMD MI210 graphics cards. This allows powerful mainframes to be built in a particularly cost-effective and energy-efficient manner.

Facts and figures
Computing power: 9.087 PFlop/s with 105 nodes at 195.24 kW
Computing efficiency: 46.5 GigaFlops/W (floating point operations per watt of computing power per second)

Germany's National High Performance Computing Alliance (Verbund des Nationalen Hochleistungsrechnen, NHR)
Powerful supercomputers are becoming increasingly important in science and research. Faced with handling complex and vast amounts of data, researchers across a wide range of disciplines are more dependent than ever on high-performance computers. Nowadays, a growing number of research questions, including in medicine, physics or chemistry, can only be answered using large computing capacities and intelligent applications. That is why, in 2018, the federal and state governments decided to establish a Germany-wide National High Performance Computing Alliance, tasked with bundling and further expanding the existing strengths of high-performance computing centers in a national network. The setting up of a coordinated alliance was a direct response to rising demand for high-performance computing, to enable university researchers across Germany to access the computing capacities they need, irrespective of their individual location and in line with their requirements.

The NHR also aims to further develop and better coordinate the specialized and methodological strengths of high-performance computing centers. At the same time, training courses and advanced training offered at the nine NHR centers will introduce more researchers to high-performance computing, strengthen the skills of high-performance computing systems' users, and promote young talent with a view towards fully exploiting the potential of high-performance computing and strengthening Germany as a location for research and innovation. The NHR has been endowed with a total of 625 million euros over a 10-year funding period.

May 26 2023

13:51

International research teams led by 51猎奇 Frankfurt and Jena University Hospital find mechanisms involved in regulation of structure and function of endoplasmic reticulum

When the cell digests itself: How inherited neurodegenerative diseases develop

Our cells are crisscrossed by a system of membrane tubes and pockets called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is crucial for the production of biomolecules and is continuously built up and degraded. Degradation, known as ER-phagy, is promoted by the protein ubiquitin, which controls many processes in the cell. If the proteins involved in ER-phagy are defective, neurodegenerative diseases result. This has been discovered by an international research team led by 51猎奇 Frankfurt (as part of the EMTHERA research cluster) and Jena University Hospital and published in two papers in the renowned journal Nature.

FRANKFURT. A tangle of pockets, tubes and sac-like membrane structures runs through the cells of humans, animals, plants and fungi: the endoplasmic reticulum, or ER for short. In the ER, proteins are manufactured, folded into their three-dimensional structure and modified, lipids and hormones are produced and calcium concentrations in the cell are controlled. In addition, the ER forms the basis for the cellular transport system, feeds misfolded proteins to intracellular disposal and renders toxins that have entered the cell harmless.

In view of its multiple tasks, the ER is constantly being remodeled. A process called ER-phagy (roughly 鈥渟elf-digestion of the ER") is responsible for ER degradation. Involved is a group of signal-receiving proteins 鈥� receptors 鈥� that are responsible for the membrane curvatures of the ER and thus for its multiple forms in the cell. In ER-phagy, the receptors accumulate at specific sites on the ER and increase membrane curvature to such an extent that, as a consequence, part of the ER is strangulated and broken down into its component parts by cellular recycling structures (autophagosomes).

In cell culture experiments, biochemical and molecular biological studies, and by computer simulations, the scientific team led by Professor Ivan 膼iki膰 of 51猎奇 Frankfurt first tested the membrane curvature receptor FAM134B and demonstrated that ubiquitin promotes and stabilizes the formation of clusters of FAM134B protein in the ER membrane. Thus, ubiquitin drives ER-phagy. 膼iki膰 explains: 鈥淯biquitin causes the FAM134B clusters to become more stable and the ER to bulge out more at these sites. The stronger membrane curvature then leads to further stabilization of the clusters and, moreover, attracts additional membrane curvature proteins. So the effect of ubiquitin is self-reinforcing." The researchers were also able to detect cluster formation using super-high resolution microscopy.

膼iki膰 continues: 鈥淭o fulfill this function, ubiquitin changes the shape of part of the FAM134B protein. This is another facet of ubiquitin that performs an almost unbelievable array of tasks to keep all different cell functions working."

The importance of ER-phagy is demonstrated by diseases resulting from a defective FAM134B protein. A team led by Professor Christian H眉bner from Jena University Hospital previously identified mutations in the FAM134B gene causing a very rare hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN), in which sensory nerves die. As a result, patients are unable to perceive pain and temperature correctly, which can lead to incorrect stresses or injuries going unnoticed and developing into chronic wounds. In a long-standing collaboration between Jena University Hospital and 51猎奇 Frankfurt FAM134B was identified as the first receptor for ER-phagy.

Mutations in another membrane curvature protein called ARL6IP1 cause a similar neurodegenerative disorder which combines sensory defects with muscle hardening (spasticity) in the legs. The scientific team led by Christian H眉bner and Ivan 膼iki膰 has now identified that ARL6IP1 belongs to the ER-phagy machinery as well and is also ubiquitinated during ER-phagy.

Christian H眉bner explains: 鈥淚n mice that do not possess the ARL6IP1 protein, we can see that the ER virtually expands and degenerates as the cells age. This leads to an accumulation of misfolded proteins or protein clumps, which are no longer disposed of in the cell. As a result, nerve cells in particular, which do not renew as quickly as other body cells, die, causing the clinical symptoms in affected patients and genetically modified mice. We hypothesize from our data that the two membrane curvature receptors FAM134B and ARL6IP1 form mixed clusters during ER-phagy and depend on each other to control normal size and function of ER. Additional work will be required to fully acknowledge the role of ER-phagy in neurons as well as in other cell types."

Overall, however, the research teams have taken a decisive step toward understanding ER-phagy, 膼iki膰 is convinced: 鈥淲e now understand better how cells control their functions and thus create something we call cellular homeostasis. In biology, this knowledge allows fascinating insights into the incredible achievements of our cells, and for medicine it is essential for understanding diseases, diagnosing them on time and helping patients by developing new therapies. "

Scientists from the following institutions were involved in the work:

51猎奇 Frankfurt
Jena University Hospital
Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Frankfurt, Germany
University Hospital RWTH Aachen
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
University of Groningen
Aarhus University

Background information:
EMTHERA research cluster: Emerging strategies against infections, inflammation, and impaired immune mechanisms

Collaborative Research Center (SFB 1177) "Molecular and functional characterization of selective autophagy". http://www.sfb1177.de/

Frankfurt scientists discover new molecular mechanisms that eliminate intracellular damages 鈥� Mutations in this pathway trigger neurodegenerative diseases (2015) /74984432/Controller_in_the_Cell

Publications:

1) Alexis Gonz谩lez, Adriana Covarrubias-Pinto, Ramachandra M. Bhaskara, Marius Glogger, Santosh K. Kuncha, Audrey Xavier, Eric Seemann, Mohit Misra, Marina E. Hoffmann, Bastian Br盲uning, Ashwin Balakrishnan, Britta Qualmann, Volker D枚tsch, Brenda A. Schulman, Michael M. Kessels, Christian A. H眉bner, Mike Heilemann, Gerhard Hummer, Ivan Dikic: Ubiquitination regulates ER-phagy and remodeling of endoplasmic reticulum. Nature (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06089-2

2) Hector Foronda, Yangxue Fu, Adriana Covarrubias-Pinto, Hartmut T. Bocker, Alexis Gonz谩lez, Eric Seemann, Patricia Franzka, Andrea Bock, Ramachandra M. Bhaskara, Lutz Liebmann, Marina E. Hoffmann, Istvan Katona, Nicole Koch, Joachim Weis, Ingo Kurth, Joseph G. Gleeson, Fulvio Reggiori, Gerhard Hummer, Michael M. Kessels, Britta Qualmann, Muriel Mari, Ivan Diki膰, Christian A. H眉bner: Heteromeric 1 clusters of ubiquitinated ER-shaping proteins drive ER-phagy. Nature (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06090-9

Images for download:

1) https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/137667495
ER-Phagy: Part of the ER is strangulated and broken down into its component parts by autophagosomes Researchers in Frankfurt and Jena have now deciphered how the disturbed recycling chain of the endoplasmic reticulum can cause neurodegenerative diseases. Graphics: Manja Schiefer

2) https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/137667230
Membrane curvature proteines cluster in ER membrane
A super-high resolution microscopy technique reveals how FAM134B proteins assemble into clusters after stimulation of ER-phagy in the endoplasmic reticulum. Photos: Gonz谩les et al., Nature (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06089-2

Further information

Prof. Dr. Ivan 脨iki膰
Institute of Biochemistry II,51猎奇 Frankfurt and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences
Tel: +49 (0) 69 6301-5964
dikic@biochem2.uni-frankfurt.de
Twitter: @iDikic2 @goetheuni

Prof. Dr. Christian H眉bner
Institute of Human Genetics and Center for Rare Diseases University Hospital Jena
Tel. +49 3641 9-396800
Christian.Huebner@med.uni-jena.de
Twitter: @UKJ_Jena

Apr 11 2023

13:11

Extension for the looted property project at Frankfurt University Library: 349 looted volumes identified to date

Virtual 360掳 Tour of Looted Property Exhibition to Mark International Provenance Research Day

The exhibition "StolperSeiten 鈥� NS-Raubgut in der Universit盲tsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main" (鈥淪tumbling Pages 鈥� NS looted property in the Frankfurt University Library") will be made available online as a virtual 360掳 tour on Provenance Research Day, which falls on April 12, 2023 this year. The exhibit is based on a project funded by the German Lost Art Foundation (Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste) as part of which the library is researching books in its inventory that can be attributed to persecutees of the Nazi era. The extension is the direct result of comparatively frequent finds, with the project now running until November 2024. There have already been several restitutions to Jewish and other organizations.

"StolperSeiten" (Stumbling Pages) was the title of a much-noticed 2022 exhibition at the library on Nazi looted property at the Frankfurt University Library (鈥淣S-Raubgut in der Universit盲tsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main"). This exhibition is now open again, but in the form of a virtual 360掳 tour. It spans the historical framework that led to the looting of hundreds of thousands of cultural assets in Germany and Europe from 1933 onwards. With its focus on the city of Frankfurt, and the city's libraries in particular, the exhibit addresses the role libraries played in the organized looting and how they profited from it, pointing out many concrete cases of injustice. In addition, the use of partially interactive elements also makes the work of contemporary provenance researchers more accessible.

The online exhibit was designed as part of a project run by 鈥渇uels 鈥� Future Learning Spaces". Funded by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, the joint project of 51猎奇, Darmstadt Technical University and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences aims to bring innovative technologies such as 360掳, augmented and virtual reality into the university landscape. For more information, visit:

Project to identify looted National Socialist property
In November 2020, Frankfurt University Library's (UB JCS) Provenance Research team started a project to identify looted National Socialist property in a first sub-collection comprising around 80,000 volumes. The search focuses on so-called "cultural property seized as a result of persecution", i.e. books that were looted or extorted from persecuted persons or institutions during the Nazi era. Commenting on the motives for researching Nazi looted property in the library, UB JCS director Daniela Poth says: "We consider it a moral obligation to uncover the injustice committed during the Nazi era and to document it in public, even if this does not make up for it. That is something university management, library management and project management all agree on." The project at 51猎奇's UB JCS is sponsored by the German Lost Art Foundation. In addition, given the fact that many of the affected books are on permanent loan at the UB JCS but historically belong to the municipality, the city of Frankfurt is also providing a subsidy for the project costs.

Following the approval for an extension 鈥� itself based on the comparatively high number of finds 鈥� the project will now run until November 2024, and therefore already passed its halftime mark a few months ago. Time for an interim assessment. To date, almost 40,000 volumes have been individually checked on the shelf for any references to previous owners. This has turned out to be the case in an unusually high percentage of about 39%. As a result, more than 15,000 volumes have had to be examined more closely to clarify whether the suspicion of looted property is merited. Such an initial suspicion exists for over 3,800 books. Another 200 books have met with strong suspicion, whereas 349 books have been confirmed as cases of looted property. However, the project team's work does not end with the investigation into actual numbers or with the documentation of these cases on UB JCS' freely accessible search portal. For all confirmed cases of looted property, the project staff also researches the existence of descendants or successor institutions. If this search, which can be very complex, is successful, the library contacts the potential restitution recipients and clarifies whether they desire a return, or would prefer another "fair and just solution".

The fact that it took some time after the start of the project before the first restitutions could be both prepared and carried out illustrates just how time-consuming research and coordination are. Within the last six months, three books were restituted to the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, one book to the Jewish Religious Community of Baden and eight volumes to the Minerva Lodge of the Three Palms in Leipzig. Corresponding references to these volumes are available in the library's search portal 鈥� as virtual "StolperSeiten". Further restitutions are in the preparatory stage and expected to be completed during the course of the year.

Further information: Dr. Mathias Jehn, Head of the Department "Curating Subject Information Mediation", J. C. Senckenberg University Library, Bockenheimer Landstra脽e 134-138, 60325 Frankfurt, Tel: +49 (69) 798 39007, Mail: m.jehn@ub.uni-frankfurt.de

Contact for general press inquiries: Bernhard Wirth, Staff Development and Public Relations of the Library, Tel. +49 (69) 798 39223; Mail: pr-team@ub.uni-frankfurt.de

Apr 4 2023

09:04

International research team from Germany, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands and the USA applies new carbonate analysis method to eggshells from Troodon, reptiles and birds

Analysis of dinosaur eggshells: bird-like Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs in a communal nest

An international research team led by Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, determined that Troodon, a dinosaur very close to modern birds, was a warm-blooded animal (an endotherm), but had a reproductive system similar to that of modern reptiles. The scientists applied a new method which allowed for accurate determination of the temperature when the egg's carbonate shell was formed. Furthermore, the researchers showed that Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs per clutch. As nests with up to 24 Troodon eggs had been found, the scientists conclude that several Troodon females laid their eggs in communal nests.

FRANKFURT. In millions of years and with a long sequence of small changes, evolution has shaped a particular group of dinosaurs, the theropods, into the birds we watch fly around the planet today. In fact, birds are the only descendants of dinosaurs which survived the catastrophic extinction 66 million years ago that ended the Cretaceous period.

Troodon was such a theropod. The carnivorous dinosaur was about two meters long and populated the vast semi-arid landscapes of North America about 75 million years ago. Like some of its dinosaur relatives, Troodon presented some bird-like features like hollow and light bones. Troodon walked on two legs and had fully developed feathery wings, but its relatively large size precluded it from flying. Instead, it probably ran quite fast and caught its prey using its strong claws. Troodon females laid eggs more similar to the asymmetric eggs of modern birds than to round ones of reptiles, the oldest relatives of all dinosaurs. These eggs were coloured and have been found half buried into the ground, probably allowing Troodon to sit and brood them.

An international team of scientists led by Mattia Tagliavento and Jens Fiebig from 51猎奇 Frankfurt, Germany, has now examined the calcium carbonate of some well-preserved Troodon eggshells. The researchers used a method developed by Fiebig's group in 2019 called 鈥渄ual clumped isotope thermometry". By using this method, they could measure the extent to which heavier varieties (isotopes) of oxygen and carbon clump together in carbonate minerals. The prevalence of isotopic clumping, which is temperature-dependent, made it possible for scientists to determine the temperature at which the carbonates crystallized.

When analyzing Troodon eggshells, the research team was able to determine that the eggshells were produced at temperatures of 42 and 30 degrees Celsius. Mattia Tagliavento, leading author of the study, explains: 鈥淭he isotopic composition of Troodon eggshells provides evidence that these extinct animals had a body temperature of 42掳C, and that they were able to reduce it to about 30掳C, like modern birds."

The scientists then compared isotopic compositions of eggshells of reptiles (crocodile, alligator, and various species of turtle) and modern birds (chicken, sparrow, wren, emu, kiwi, cassowary and ostrich) to understand if Troodon was closer to either birds or reptiles. They revealed two different isotopic patterns: reptile eggshells have isotopic compositions matching the temperature of the surrounding environment. This is in line with these animals being cold-blooded and forming their eggs slowly. Birds, however, leave a recognizable so-called non-thermal signature in the isotopic composition, which indicates that eggshell formation happens very fast. Tagliavento: 鈥淲e think this very high production rate is connected to the fact that birds, unlike reptiles, have a single ovary. Since they can produce just one egg at the time, birds have to do it more rapidly."

When comparing these results to Troodon eggshells, the researchers did not detect the isotopic composition which is typical for birds. Tagliavento is convinced: 鈥淭his demonstrates that Troodon formed its eggs in a way more comparable to modern reptiles, and it implies that its reproductive system was still constituted of two ovaries."

The researchers finally combined their results with existing information concerning body and eggshell weight, deducing that Troodon produced only 4 to 6 eggs per reproductive phase. 鈥淭his observation is particularly interesting because Troodon nests are usually large, containing up to 24 eggs", Tagliavento explains. 鈥淲e think this is a strong suggestion that Troodon females laid their eggs in communal nests, a behaviour that we observe today among modern ostriches."

These are extremely exciting findings, Jens Fiebig comments: 鈥淥riginally, we developed the dual clumped isotope method to accurately reconstruct Earth's surface temperatures of past geological eras. This study demonstrates that our method is not limited to temperature reconstruction, it also presents the opportunity to study how carbonate biomineralization evolved throughout Earth's history."

Publication: Mattia Tagliavento, Amelia J. Davies, Miguel Bernecker, Philip T. Staudigel, Robin R. Dawson, Martin Dietzel, Katja Goetschl, Weifu Guo, Anne S. Schulp, Fran莽ois Therrien, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Axel Gerdes, Wolfgang M眉ller, Jens Fiebig: Evidence for heterothermic endothermy and reptile-like eggshell mineralization in Troodon, a non-avian maniraptoran theropod. PNAS (2023)

Images for download:

Caption: Artist's impression of two Troodons with a common nest. Illustration: Alex Boersma/PNAS

Participating partners:
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), 51猎奇 Frankfurt, Germany.
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Graz University of Technology, Austria.
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Canada.
Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Canada.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Deptartment of Earth Sciences, Universiteit Utrecht, the Netherlands
Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, USA.
Morrill Science Center, Amherst, USA
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA

Background:
Thermometers for Earth history: "Dual clumped isotope" method for carbonate analysis (2020).

Further information:

Goethe University Frankfurt
Institute for Geosciences

Dr. Mattia Tagliavento
Phone. +49 176 64735849
Tagliavento@geo.uni-frankfurt.de

Professor Jens Fiebig
Phone: +49 (0) 69 798 40182
Jens.Fiebig@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Naturalis Biodiversity Center
and Utrecht University, Leiden/Utrecht, The Netherlands

Professor Anne S. Schulp (English, German, Dutch)
Phone: +31 6 51229317
anne.schulp@naturalis.nl / a.s.schulp@uu.nl

Twitter-Handles: @goetheuni @UUGeo @UMass @UniGraz @WHOI @Naturalis_Sci @RoyalTyrrell @UCalgarySWC @anneschulp @Naturalis_Sci @museumnaturalis

Mar 16 2023

14:53

International team from 51猎奇 and the University of Kent identifies nitroxoline as a potential drug

Known active ingredient as new drug candidate against 鈥渕onkeypox鈥�

Mpox 鈥� previously known as "monkeypox" 鈥� is currently spreading worldwide. An international research team from 51猎奇 and the University of Kent has now identified a compound that could help fight the disease. Their study has been published in the 鈥淛ournal of Medical Virology".

Nitroxoline is the name of the new drug candidate that could potentially be used to treat mpox. It was identified by scientists at 51猎奇 and the University of Kent as part of a multi-site study. The results of their research will now allow clinical trials to begin soon.

The current mpox outbreak is the first of this size to occur outside of Africa and also the first mpox outbreak caused by human-to-human transmission. People with immunodeficiencies are particularly at risk from the disease. Although antiviral agents have already been shown to inhibit the replication of the mpox virus in experimental models, the efficacy of these substances has not yet been confirmed in humans and some may have significant side effects. In addition, there are insufficient stocks to treat all mpox patients. Moreover, resistance formation against tecovirimat, the most promising mpox drug candidate to date, has already been reported.

In the present study, the international team led by Professor Jindrich Cinatl (of 51猎奇 Frankfurt and the Dr. Petra Joh-Research Institute) and Professor Martin Michaelis (School of Biosciences, University of Kent) has identified nitroxoline, a well-tolerated antibiotic, as a potential treatment alternative for the mpox virus based on experiments using cell culture and skin explant models.

Nitroxoline is also effective against a tecovirimat-resistant strain of the mpox virus, as well as other bacterial and viral pathogens that are frequently co-transmitted with mpox viruses, meaning it simultaneously suppresses multiple pathogens that are often involved in severe courses of mpox. Since nitroxoline is a well-tolerated antibiotic that has long been used to treat humans, it can be tested directly against mpox in clinical trials.

"The emergence of resistant virus strains is a cause of great concern," says Professor Jindrich Cinatl of 51猎奇 and the Dr. Petra Joh-Research Institute. "It is very reassuring that nitroxoline is effective against a tecovirimat-resistant virus."

Professor Martin Michaelis of the University of Kent adds: "The more different drugs become available to treat viral diseases, the better. We hope that nitroxoline will turn out to be an effective treatment for mpox patients."

Publication: Denisa Bojkova, Nadja Z枚ller, Manuela Tietgen, Katja Steinhorst, Marco Bechtel, Tamara Rothenburger, Joshua Kandler, Sandra Ciesek, Holger Rabenau, Jindrich Cinatl (51猎奇 Frankfurt); Mark Wass, Martin Michaelis (University of Kent); Julia Schneider, Victor Corman (Charit茅 Berlin), Repurposing of the antibiotic nitroxoline for the treatment of mpox. In: Journal of Medical Virology
DOI:

Further information
Prof. Jindrich Cinatl
Working Group Head
Institute for Medical Virology
51猎奇
Tel.: +49 (0)69 6301-6409
E-Mail Cinatl@em.uni-frankfurt.de

51猎奇

Press releases

51猎奇 PR & Communication Department聽

Goethe University mainframe receives excellent Green IT Ranking

When the cell digests itself: How inherited neurodegenerative diseases develop

Virtual 360掳 Tour of Looted Property Exhibition to Mark International Provenance Research Day

Analysis of dinosaur eggshells: bird-like Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs in a communal nest

Known active ingredient as new drug candidate against 鈥渕onkeypox鈥�