51

Press releases

Whether it is new and groundbreaking research results, university topics or events – in our press releases you can find everything you need to know about the happenings at 51. To subscribe, just send an email to ott@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de

51 PR & Communication Department 

Theodor-W.-Adorno Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt 
presse@uni-frankfurt.de


 

Sep 17 2024
10:00

Award recognizes the discovery of a fundamental signaling pathway of innate immunity 

Andrea Ablasser, Glen Barber, and Zhijian J. Chen will be awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2025 

Physician Andrea Ablasser from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, virologist Glen Barber from Ohio State University and biochemist Zhijian 'James' Chen from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas will receive the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2025, the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation announced today. The award honors the prizewinners' discovery of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, i.e. the alarm system that sounds when, in the event of infection, cancer or cellular stress, DNA enters a cell's plasma. Once this happens, the police of the innate immune system is immediately called into action. Drugs interfering with this signaling pathway are currently under development.

FRANKFURT. It is extremely dangerous when, in response to either viral intruders or damage within the cell itself, DNA appears in the cytoplasm of a cell. Our immune system is then called upon to react immediately and initiate defensive measures. Just how it manages to do this is what the prizewinners researched and learned between 2008 and 2013 and have since been able to clarify more and more comprehensively. What they discovered are the stations and signals of an intracellular alarm system without which we could not survive. "The cGAS-STING signaling pathway is a foundation of our innate immune defense that has long been sought after," explains Prof. Thomas Boehm, chairman of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation's Scientific Council. "With their discovery, the award winners have opened up the possibility for medicine to treat infections, cancer and inflammatory diseases more effectively than before."

Ilya Mechnikov had already reported that nucleic acids such as DNA can trigger an immune reaction in 1908, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine, which he shared with Paul Ehrlich. How this reaction takes place at the molecular-biological level only began to be clarified one hundred years later, in 2008, when Glen Barber and his team discovered a protein, that he called STING. This protein is anchored in the membrane of the cell's extensive tubular system, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Once an infection with DNA viruses occurs, STING commands certain genes in the cell nucleus to immediately start producing interferons. It is therefore, as the abbreviation says, a STimulator of INterferon Genes. The interferons are distributed in the surrounding tissue and stimulate the production of phagocytes and natural killer cells as well as other immune messengers.

How STING learned that DNA has appeared in the cytoplasm remained a mystery until 2012, when Zhijian 'James' Chen and his team solved it. With extraordinary biochemical sophistication, Chen isolated and identified a small ring-shaped molecule – cyclic guanosine monophosphate adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) –, which consists of two nucleotides and is capable of activating STING, and later succeeded at doing the same for the enzyme cGAS, which catalyzes the formation of cGAMP. In 2013, Andrea Ablasser characterized cGAMP in detail and showed that its production and structure differ chemically from those of other dinucleotides. Ablasser was awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award 2014 for this achievement. 

The prizewinners' discoveries provide the following overall picture: The enzyme cGAS acts as a sensor for DNA in the cytoplasm. It clasps the DNA strands. Thereby it is enabled to change its conformation in such a way that it can produce the chemically unique messenger substance cGAMP from the molecules GTP and ATP, which are abundant in the cell's interior. cGAMP in turn triggers the transducer STING, which then brings other signal molecules into the alarm chain. The target of this relay is the genes in the cell nucleus, according to whose plan interferons and other immune messengers are produced.

Over the past decade, the three prizewinners have mapped the branches of the signaling pathway they discovered in ever greater detail, paying particular attention to the fact that the cGAS sensor does not differentiate between foreign and own DNA. This makes sense, considering that the cell's own DNA normally only occurs in the cell nucleus and in the mitochondria. If it leaks into the cytoplasm, as in cancer cells for example, cGAS has to kick in and switch on the immune defense. However, this is also risky because it can lead to unfounded immune attacks on the body – something against which our cells have effective protective mechanisms. However, the older we get, the more likely these mechanisms are to fail. This explains the rising incidence of non-infectious inflammations, also known as sterile inflammations, which are the basis of classic autoimmune, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's. Sterile inflammations are characterized by an overactive cGAS-STING signaling pathway.

Substances that inhibit this signaling pathway therefore have great therapeutic potential and play an important role in the research of many pharmaceutical companies. Andrea Ablasser succeeded in synthesizing the first STING inhibitor in 2018.Agonists of this signaling pathway are not only being tested in vaccine development, but also as cancer drugs, and show strong preclinical antitumor effects in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. 

Andrea Ablasser, born 1983, is Professor of Food Science at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.  

Glen Barber, born 1962, is Professor in the Department of Surgery and Director of the Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation, Pelonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. 

Zhijian J. Chen, born 1966, is George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science, Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas' Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, USA.  

Photos of the award winners are available for use and can be downloaded at .

Detailed background information "When DNA triggers an alarm" is available at

The prize will be awarded on March 14, 2025 at 5 p.m. by the Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. We kindly ask you to take this into account when planning your schedule. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Further information
Press Office Paul Ehrlich Foundation
Joachim Pietzsch
Phone: +49 (0)69 36007188
E-mail: j.pietzsch@wissenswort.com


Editorial office: Joachim Pietzsch / Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Communication Officer, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel. +49 (0)69 798-12498, Fax +49 (0)69 798-763-12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de

 

Sep 16 2024
14:38

Science network makes its debut at upcoming science festival held on Frankfurt’s central Roßmarkt square, promising amazement, questions, discussions and exchange

Setting the stage for the “Frankfurt Alliance”

FRANKFURT. In January 2024, 16 Frankfurt-based research institutions joined forces to set up the “Frankfurt Alliance”, made up of 51 Frankfurt and several non-university research institutions. With the aim of visualizing at an event held in the heart of the Main metropolis both the strength and the diversity of research conducted in the science city of Frankfurt and the larger Rhine-Main region, including its importance for society, the alliance invites you to the first “Science Festival”, held

on Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
at Roßmarkt
in downtown Frankfurt.

The big and colorful family festival will bring science to life in multiple tents as well as on stage. Its diverse program ranges from science slams to debates on current socio-political topics and hands-on activities all the way to short lectures and musical performances. Researchers from different 51 faculties as well as the research-intensive institutes of Max Planck Society, Leibniz Association, Fraunhofer Society, Helmholtz Association, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the German Cancer Consortium will be providing insights into their research and will be on hand to answer questions and engage in discussion.

The program on stage will kick off with a panel discussion on the topic of (educational) justice, joined by DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education. The discussion will focus not only on the connection between educational opportunities and social background, but also on social mobility and the important roles played by politics and research in decision-making processes. A comprehensive AI quiz in the form of a prompt battle, a talk and comedy interludes by the two quirky “professors” Dr. KNOW and Dr. HOW are also part of the program. Together with biologists and equipped with a magnifying glass, you can explore Roßmarkt’s nooks and crannies, and discover what exactly is growing between the pavement joints and wall cracks. Wrapping up the festival will be a rap by Coodiny, aka Nikita Kudakov and his live band. Kudakov has been making music since he was a teenager and is now a doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, where he is researching the interaction between rappers and their audience. The stage program will be moderated by Stephan Hübner from hr Info, the festival's media partner.

Accompanying the program on stage, each of the alliance’s member institutions will have their own pagoda tent, offering insights into respective research activities. To name a few examples: In a joint tent, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research and 51 Frankfurt will be presenting a walk-in model of the human heart, a central research object of the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI) cluster of excellence, which is dedicated to diseases of the cardiovascular system. The adjacent 51 tent will feature colorful flowers in bloom, as well as open studios for experimenting, painting and solving puzzles. In addition, scholars from the humanities, social and natural sciences will be presenting their own favorite topics as part of the series “Research close to my heart”. Visitors to the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research’s tent will be able to travel around the world and evaluate camera traps from Bolivia and South Africa, while the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) will use the festival to collect visitors’ ideas for peace. As part of its “Dive into the cell” activity, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics is providing VR glasses that enable visitors to experience the building blocks of life from the inside, while two hands-on experiments from GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung show how particle accelerators work.

The festival invites passersby of all ages to not only be curious, but to join in the conversations, ask questions and learn more about science. Catering to visitors’ culinary tastes will be food trucks serving regional specialties, while numerous deckchairs and seats invite passersby to stay and linger. The festival starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Admission is free. 

The full program and further information is available at:

Further information:
frankfurtalliance@uni-frankfurt.de 


Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de 

 

Sep 4 2024
14:08

Alleviating the long-term effects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection

Post-COVID Syndrome: Government-funded drug study gets underway

An innovative study for the treatment of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) is starting under the direction of Frankfurt University Hospital’s Department of Infectious Diseases. The research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will investigate new ways of alleviating the long-term effects of COVID-19, including fatigue and cognitive impairment. The first patient has been enrolled in the study this week.

“There is still an urgent need for the treatment of post-COVID and associated symptoms,” says Prof. Dr. Maria Vehreschild, who heads the study and oversees Frankfurt University Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Department. “That is why we are pleased to conduct RAPID_REVIVE, the first adaptive clinical study within the Network of University Medicine.” The German Network of University Medicine (NUM) was set up in 2020 as part of the country’s COVID-19 pandemic crisis management to coordinate clinical COVID-19 research at German university hospitals. 

RAPID_REVIVE (Randomized Adaptive Assessment of Post COVID Syndrome Treatments_Reducing Inflammatory Activity in Patients with Post COVID Syndrome) is a phase 2, adaptive, randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind clinical trial sponsored by 51 Frankfurt and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of NUM. The structural conditions required to commence the study were created as part of the NUM project “NAPKON Therapeutic Intervention Platform” (NAPKON-TIP). A total of 376 patients at eleven different NAPKON locations will be included in the study.

Post-COVID Syndrome
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that most people who have had COVID-19 recover fully. However, after overcoming the infection, a subset of those affected suffer long-term effects, known as post-COVID syndrome (PCS). PCS is defined by symptoms that remain even three months after the onset of COVID-19, that continue for at least two months thereafter and that cannot be explained by another diagnosis. While the symptoms are diverse, those affected by PCS often suffer from pronounced fatigue, shortness of breath as well as cognitive impairments. 

The RAPID_REVIVE study examines changes in the physical functions of participants, which are recorded at different points in time using questionnaires and tests. Beyond that, the study also looks at general mental and physical health, fatigue, cognitive functions, the severity of mental health impairments, shortness of breath and physical resilience. The study also seeks to identify prognostic biomarkers that provide information about the individual progression of PCS, which should pave the way for the selection of a treatment strategy tailored to the individual patient.

Vidofludimus calcium: Testing a promising drug candidate
Study participants will receive either the drug vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) or a placebo. The decision as to who receives which preparation is randomly made (blinded 1:1 randomization). Once 150 patients have been included in the study, the allocation will be adjusted in accordance with the study’s interim evaluations. Vidofludimus calcium is a novel drug candidate that activates the neuroprotective transcription factor Nurr1, a novel target for neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the drug inhibits the enzyme DHODH, thereby blocking the production of pyrimidines, which cells rely on primarily for RNA synthesis. It is particularly effective in highly activated immune cells as well as virus-infected cells, which have a high demand for pyrimidines. Administering vidofludimus calcium could also help in treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, since the drug reduces excessive inflammation and prevents viral infection and reactivation. 

Vidofludimus calcium showed promising results in an earlier clinical trial involving COVID-19 patients: Those who received the drug recovered faster and suffered less long-term fatigue compared to those who received a placebo. The treatment was well tolerated with few side effects. Vidofludimus calcium could thus not only help with the acute treatment of COVID-19, but also alleviate long-term symptoms.

“We hope the RAPID_REVIVE study will constitute a significant advance in the treatment of post-COVID syndrome. Thanks to the successful implementation within the NAPKON-TIP structures, the platform should provide an established structure available to NUM and external parties for future adaptive studies – which will enable us to react flexibly to new findings and ensure the best possible patient care,” says Prof. Dr. Maria Vehreschild, adding: “We look forward to receiving the results of this groundbreaking study and evaluating its potential impact on future therapeutic approaches.” 

Links:
Study at German Network of University Medicine (NUM) (in German)

German Network of University Medicine (NUM)

WHO information on post-COVID 19 condition (long COVID):

Further information 
Prof. Dr. Maria Vehreschild
Medical Clinic 2
Head of the Infectious Diseases Department
Frankfurt University Hospital 
Tel: +49 69 63 01 – 66 08
E-Mail: maria.vehreschild@ukffm.de 


Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de 

 

Aug 30 2024
13:01

Worldwide survey by 51 Frankfurt reveals possible explanations for the knowledge gaps of future environmental experts

Biodiversity loss: Many students of environment-related subjects are partly unaware of the causes

As far as the causes of global biodiversity loss are concerned, there are evidently perception gaps among students of environment-related subjects worldwide, as a survey conducted by 51 Frankfurt with over 4,000 students from 37 countries has now shown. The gaps vary from country to country: In some countries, climate change tends to be underestimated as one of the causes of biodiversity loss, in others it is invasive species, and in yet others it is pollution. The survey also shows that country-specific indicators greatly influence the students’ perception.

FRANKFURT. Of the estimated 10 million, mostly still undiscovered species of flora and fauna on Earth, one million could become extinct in the next decades. This loss of biodiversity would have dramatic consequences, as animals and plants are providers of multiple services: They maintain ecosystems, ensure a more balanced climate on our planet, and supply us with food and active substances for medical drugs. Put bluntly: Without biodiversity, we humans will not survive. 

That is why there is an urgent need for resolute political measures to counter the “sixth mass extinction” in Earth’s history. One group of people who are particularly important are today’s students of environment-related subjects. Many of them will foreseeably occupy influential positions in environmental policy and business in the future – and play a key role in deciding whether the global decline in biodiversity is combated effectively.

But just how knowledgeable are the decision-makers of tomorrow? Are they capable of identifying the main causes of biodiversity for what they are – and distinguish them from factors that have no influence whatsoever on biodiversity? “Our study is the first to have examined these questions scientifically at the global level,” says Dr. Matthias Kleespies from the Department of Didactics in the Biological Sciences at 51 Frankfurt.

Together with other researchers in Frankfurt, Kleespies conducted an online survey among around 4,400 students on environment-related degree programs in 37 countries, who were given a questionnaire listing eight drivers of global biodiversity loss. These included the five actual causes: climate change (more and more droughts as well as other consequences of global warming), overexploitation (such as overfishing), habitat loss (for example through deforestation), displacement by invasive species, and pollution (air pollution, plastic waste, oil spills). The questionnaire additionally listed three factors that have little or no impact on biodiversity: electrosmog, factory and traffic noise, and the internet. The interviewees were asked to indicate the extent to which they thought the eight factors were responsible for the decline in biodiversity. The scale ranged from 1 (minor influence) to 5 (major influence).

To analyze the completed questionnaires, the researchers used a special method that recognizes patterns in data. The outcome was eight different groups with clusters of specific, easily distinguishable response types. Kleespies explains: “In response type 1, for example, all the main causes are recognized except for climate change. The students underestimate its influence on the decline in biodiversity.” In type 2, on the other hand, pollution plays a subordinate role, and in type 7 invasive species. Type 3 is a special form in which all the main causes are underestimated and not even distinguished from irrelevant factors such as noise. “Fortunately, the number of such responses was comparatively low,” says Kleespies. Overall, the eight response types occur with varying frequency in the countries under study.

In the next step of the evaluation, the research team examined the background to the responses: What induces the different response types? Here, the researchers incorporated country-specific indicators: the country’s CO2 emissions as well as prosperity, environment and biodiversity indicators. Kleespies: “We found that these indicators substantially influence student perception in the respective country.”

In response type 1, for example, climate change is underestimated as a driver. In countries with very high CO2 emissions – such as Russia, China and Saudi Arabia – type 1 occurs far more frequently. “Although our data cannot explain why this is the case, we suspect that the students in question in these countries are less aware. They do not learn at university that climate change, too, exacerbates biodiversity loss.” Furthermore, it has to do with their own country’s contribution to climate change. Perhaps people are not so ready to admit how extensive it is. 

In response type 2 – pollution as an underestimated factor – a correlation between the students’ perception and country-specific indicators is also recognizable, but in a different form. In affluent countries with healthier ecosystems – such as Australia, Sweden and Germany – the students underestimate the pollution factor more frequently. Pollution is presumably not generally perceived as a problem in these countries, assumes Kleespies, and therefore also not seen to be one of the main causes of global biodiversity loss. Response type 7, on the other hand, which greatly underestimates the influence of invasive species, is more widespread in countries such as Nigeria and Kenya, where such species are less common. In Australia and Spain, by contrast, type 7 is rare – although it is precisely there that invasive species present a major problem.  

What conclusions does Kleespies draw from the study? “It shows for the first time the vast gaps in perception among the next generation of decision-makers in the environmental sector as far as biodiversity loss and its causes are concerned. We need to close these gaps.” This is where today’s decision-makers at universities and in politics come into play. They must create the overall framework so that all the causes of this complex problem are treated in environmental studies at universities in the respective country. “Biodiversity loss affects us all; it is a global problem. That is why students on environment-related degree programs need to think globally, regardless of their country of origin.” The study is an appeal in this direction.

Publication: Matthias Winfried Kleespies, Max Hahn-Klimroth, Paul Wilhelm Dierkes: Perceptions of biodiversity loss among future decision-makers in 37 countries. npj Biodiversity (2024)

Picture download:

Caption: If invasive species – such as the lionfish in the Atlantic – are not a major problem in the respondents' countries, the respondents tended to underestimate their significance for biodiversity loss. Graphics: Matthias Kleespeis, Goethe University Frankfurt

Further Information: 
Department of Didactics in the Biological Sciences and Zoo Biology
51 Frankfurt
Dr. Matthias Kleespies
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-42276
kleespies@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Professor Paul W. Dierkes
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-42273
dierkes@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

Homepage:
Twitter/X: @goetheuni


Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de 

 

Aug 26 2024
10:43

How does the mobility of care workers influence politics and society in their home countries?  

The senior care market as a European system

Five million people in Germany are in need of care, and their number is expected to rise to more than 7 million by 2050. Without labor migration, the system would have collapsed long ago. But how is transnational care organized? What impact does it have on the care workers' countries of origin? In what ways do national policies address it? These questions are at the center of an international research project coordinated by 51 Frankfurt’s Faculty of Social Sciences. 

FRANKFURT. An increasingly older population also means the number of people in need of care is increasing. Germany’s huge demand for nursing staff can long since only be met by migrant workers. Given the economic disparity, this system has been working well for years: care workers, especially women, from Eastern Europe come to Germany, where they earn more than in their home country. But how does the mobility of female Polish care workers, for example, affect the situation in Poland? This is what researchers are investigating as part of “Researching the Transnational Organization of Senior Care, Labour and Mobility in Central and Eastern Europe” – a project endowed with €1.5 million by the Volkswagen Foundation as part of its “Challenges and Potentials in Europe” program. 

The research project titled “CareOrg”, which also involves teams in Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and the Netherlands, investigates transnational senior care work both from and within Central and Eastern Europe. The focus is on understanding and theorizing emerging transnational care markets and finding solutions for sustainable and decent care and care work in Europe. Engaged and empirical research will map and analyze the current and future patterns of commercialization, marketization, transnationalization, professionalization and digitalization of senior care.

Care workers are in the job for an average of eight years. Many are unable to endure the high psychological and physical stress with moderate recognition and low salaries for longer. Created as an illegal emergency solution to care for relatives, so-called live-ins have long since become established, legalized and formalized in Germany: There are agencies that place care workers with those requiring care. These care workers not only commute, they also rotate with colleagues from home country. The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock for this system: from one day to the next, this cross border mobility was no longer possible and the system threatened to collapse. This is no sustainable practice, says Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck, who heads the project, adding that precarious internal European migration cannot be the solution. After all, the populations in the care workers’ home countries are also getting older and need care.

“In the care workers' countries of origin, family members remain the primary providers of care – work that is usually done by women, who retire earlier as a result, and pay correspondingly little into the pension scheme,” Palenga-Möllenbeck explains, adding that the fact that governments and politicians in these countries are not facing up to the problem comes on the backs of these women. There is a kind of cascade, she says, pointing out that while many Polish women go to Germany to work as live-in carers, Ukrainian women come to Poland to provide care – and usually do so without having any proper contractual basis. “Many of them are really exploited and only earn as much as to be able to cover their living expenses,” Palenga-Möllenbeck explains.  

In addition to shining a light on the situation, her research also emphasizes the need for action. In Switzerland, for example, care workers arriving from abroad often receive training on their rights and obligations organized by trade unions. There is an urgent need for proper employment contracts throughout Europe, Palenga-Möllenbeck says, adding that this also applies to Germany, where many care workers are employed on the basis of less advantageous contracts under private law.

CareOrg is an international and interdisciplinary research team composed of scientists specialized in work, mobility and ageing studies. Dr. Palenga-Möllenbeck (51 Frankfurt) serves in a dual role as both project head and project coordinator. The other participating institutions are Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), the Center for Social Sciences in Budapest (Hungary), Babeș-Bolyai-University in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), the Institute for Systemic Alternatives in Kyiv (Ukraine) and the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). Based on a cross-thematic and cross-country comparative research design, CareOrg uses a mix of methods, including comparative policy analysis and five country-specific and topic-oriented in-depth case studies on care drain, care situation as a result of war and flight in and from Ukraine, care mediated via agencies and digital platforms, qualifications and requirements for international caregivers and much more.

The project is part of Volkswagen Foundation's “Challenges and Potentials for Europe” program, in which 51 is involved with a total of five projects, making it the program's most involved university in Germany. Starting Wednesday, September 4, a three-day symposium will take place at Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover, in which 21 international research projects will participate and present their findings on many highly relevant social issues such as intergenerational relationships, ageing, migration, populism and COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck from 51's Institute of Sociology is responsible for organizing the symposium. 

Further information
Dr. Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck
Head and Coordinator of the “Researching the Transnational Organization of Senior Care, Labour and Mobility in Central and Eastern Europe” project (https://careorg.eu)
Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 6
E-Mail  e.pm@em.uni-frankfurt.de

About the program:

About the symposium:


Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de