Studying bacterial communities, known as microbiomes, is a complex task, which often leads to bias. This can affect the accuracy and validity of scientific and clinical knowledge. Researchers at the chair for environmental medicine at the Faculty of Medicine have now developed a standardised procedure to address this problem.

Similar to a digital route planner, specific programmes support doctors in their everyday clinical work by selecting diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The MIDAS study, led by Augsburg University Medicine, examined the effectiveness of such clinical decision-making aids for medical imaging in a multicentre, randomised study.

An international team with the significant involvement of Augsburg University Medicine has made progress in the risk assessment and treatment of extracranial malign rhabdoid tumours. Recently published in the renowned journal ¡°Clinical Cancer Research,¡±?the study shows how clinical and molecular factors can influence disease progression.

Together with around 400 guests, the University of Augsburg celebrated a new milestone in the university¡¯s history: the opening of the new teaching building for the Faculty of Medicine and its growing number of young medical students. This marked the opening of Augsburg¡¯s new medical campus. Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, Markus Blume, and the founding dean of the Faculty of Medicine (2017-2019), Prof Guido Adler, gave keynote addresses.

To mark World Heart Day on the 29th of September, Prof Philip Raake, Chair of Internal Medicine with a Focus on Cardiology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Augsburg and Director of the I. Medical Clinic at Augsburg University Hospital, gave an interview about current trends in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. He explains what is being researched in Augsburg when it comes to heart health and provides some tips for a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Liquid biopsy is a very precise method by which to diagnose cancer, which is much less invasive than conventional tissue sampling. The course of cancer treatment and its success can be comprehensively monitored using this method and tumours treated more accurately. A long-term clinical study at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Augsburg is now focusing on the question of how liquid biopsy can be used in everyday clinical practice. Initial results have been published in the Journal of Laboratory Medicine.

A heat action plan for the University Hospital Augsburg is being developed by researchers at the Chair for Regional Climate Change and Health at the Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with the Centre for Occupational Medicine at the University Hospital Augsburg. Over the next two years, researchers in the recently started ¡°ProTect¡± project will analyse heat stress, develop measures to address it, and then evaluate the measures in order to help the hospital cope with heatwaves.

How people move around cities will change in future. The use of electric cars and improved public transport could protect people¡¯s health and improve air quality. A new study led by Professor Christoph Knote from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Augsburg is looking at the effects that changed mobility behavior in Augsburg and the surrounding region will have on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. ?

Researchers at Augsburg University Medicine have discovered a possible early detection method of the rare Borna virus. Their results have been published in the highly renowned medical journal ¡°The Lancet.¡± In humans the virus triggers inflammation in the brain which is almost always deadly and is transmitted to humans by shrews.?

On March 11, 2024, the inauguration of the expanded safety laboratory in Augsburg marked a milestone within the EU-funded "PerForM-REACT" project, aimed at enhancing pandemic preparedness. Equipped with high-tech infrastructure, this facility enables advanced research capabilities. A collaborative effort between Helmholtz Munich and the University Hospital Augsburg, the project not only boosters the efficacy of pandemic prevention but also fosters interdisciplinary cooperation in health research.

Many cancer patients develop severe dermatitis during radiotherapy. Which factors increase the risk of such radiodermatitis has only been partially understood up until now. A pilot study at the University of Augsburg, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Helmholtz Munich now points to the important role played by skin bacteria. Breast cancer patients whose skin flora was severely disturbed all developed severe dermatitis during radiotherapy. The results give hope of a test that is able to provide early identification of at-risk groups. The results have been published in the renowned medical journal JAMA Oncology.

Scientists from Augsburg's Faculty of Medicine have had a new article published in the internationally renowned journal Molecular Cancer. The authors, Dr Tatjana Sauerer, Giuliano Filippini Vel¨¢zquez, and Prof. Dr Christoph Schmid, describe the mechanisms by which leukaemia cells evade immune system control, causing relapses even after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. They also present new individualised therapy options.

One of the most frequent and difficult complications following breast cancer surgery is the development of seromas, namely the accumulation of fluid in areas surrounding the wound. Led by Prof. Dr Nina Ditsch, a new study at the Chair for Gynaecology and the Breast Centre at the Augsburg University Hospital aims to find out which groups of patients have a higher risk of developing seromas. The results of the study could help avoid postoperative complications.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neural developmental disorder that occurs among children and young people, which in two thirds of cases carries over into adulthood. It is estimated to affect around 5 percent of children and young people and about 2.5 percent of adults worldwide. A recently published study by the Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Augsburg in the renowned journal BMJ Mental Health shows that ADHD often occurs in association with severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, the eating disorder Anorexia nervosa, as well as attempted suicide.

The digiBRAVE research project, which is dedicated to the early detection, prevention and treatment of depression, is being funded with 1.3 million euros from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care. Minister of State Holetschek handed over the funding cheque yesterday. digiBRAVE is a joint project of the Medical Faculty of the University of Augsburg and Augsburg University Hospital.

As part of its commitment to transparent and proactive communication about animal experiments and experimental animal research, the University of Augsburg together with Augsburg University Hospital has been awarded a seal of quality approval by ¡°Understanding Animal Experiments,¡± an initiative of the Alliance of Science Organisations.?

Together with Munich, Augsburg is home to a new site of the German Centre for Mental Health. The aim of the new centre is interdisciplinary research into the development and progress of mental illnesses across the lifespan. The Augsburg site of the new centre will focus on researching treatments for depression. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the new centre (DZPG) consists of five research sites in addition to Munich/Augsburg.

Scientists at the University of Augsburg and Helmholtz Munich have made an important breakthrough in better understanding early processes in the development of type 2 diabetes by identifying a previously unknown transmission of messenger substances from adipose tissue to the pancreas.

University medicine at Augsburg belongs to a network of four university hospitals, including W¨¹rzburg, Erlangen, and Regensburg (WERA), which have joined forces for the first time to form a new Bavarian site for the National Centre for Tumor Diseases (NCT) as part of the German Cancer Research Centre (DZKF).

In Germany, 1.5 million people suffer from psoriasis. A new study by researchers from the Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Augsburg shows that one cause of the occurrence of the disease may be the presence of a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The results have been published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

People with asthma often develop gastrointestinal disorders during their lifetime. Researchers at the University of Augsburg have now found evidence of a causal relationship. According to the research, childhood asthma increases the risk of a number of conditions. The study published in the journal BMC Medicine is based on the analysis of data from several hundred thousand Europeans.

While the university's medical campus is still under construction, the research operations of the new university medicine chairs are already underway. In order to provide the professors with the appropriate infrastructure until this is completed, a total of around 6,300 m? of research space has been rented at four locations.

A study by the Augsburg pathologist Dr Tina Schaller from the University Hospital of Augsburg, together with an interdisciplinary medical team, shows that the lung tissue of deceased COVID-19 patients is irreversibly damaged. The cause of the damage was the virus, the genetic make-up of which could still be detected in the respiratory tract.

As part of the High-Tech Agenda, the University of Augsburg has received two new professorships from the Free State of Bavaria in the field of artificial intelligence. This is a great success for the university and complements the existing interdisciplinary research areas - especially in relation to medicine. The new professorship for robot-assisted surgery and intelligent systems is intended to investigate the integration of modern robotics and intelligent, data-supported assistance systems into everyday clinical practice.