12.12.2019
Federal Ministry of Education and Research funds GAIN research network / MHH with Clinical Department of Rheumatology and Immunology and biobank involved.
Our immune system is vital for survival in order to keep the constant attacks of pathogens at bay. However, if there are malfunctions, the fight is not only directed against tiny intruders such as viruses, bacteria or fungi, but also against the body itself - with serious health consequences. Even a single altered gene can trigger an autoimmune disease that can cause severe inflammation and even affect several organs. The GAIN (German multi-organ Autoimmunity Network) research network aims to gain a better understanding of the genetic and environmental factors behind the misdirected immune response.
Scientists and physicians from the university hospitals in Freiburg, Hanover, Munich and Kiel are working to investigate the causes and thus improve diagnosis, counseling and therapy for affected patients. At Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Clinical Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, headed by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Ernst Schmidt, and the Hannover Unified Biobank (HUB), headed by Prof. Dr. Thomas Illig, are involved. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project with a total of three million euros. Around 383,000 euros of this will go to the MHH.
Diagnosis of complex clinical picture is difficult
Autoimmune diseases that affect several organs are rare. Their diagnosis is all the more difficult because the clinical picture is complex. However, in order to be able to help affected patients, it is important to identify the causes as quickly as possible. This is because the earlier the disease can be treated, the more likely it is that a severe progression can be halted. "In recent years, many genes have been identified that are responsible for immunodeficiencies and misdirected immune regulation," explains Dr. Faranaz Atschekzei, who heads the GAIN sub-project at the Clinical Department of the MHH together with Prof. Dr. Schmidt. Together with her working group, the scientist wants to investigate the origin and development of immune system disorders.
A particular focus is on the so-called epigenetic factors of multi-organ diseases. These are subject to environmental influences and - unlike a mutation - do not change the actual genetic material, but rather its regulation. "These factors explain why the genetic changes in these diseases are not always noticeable and sometimes manifest themselves in different clinical pictures," says Dr. Atschekzei. As multi-organ autoimmune diseases are among the rare diseases, networking and cooperation within the research network is absolutely necessary in order to be able to examine a sufficient number of patients and make reliable statements.
Central structure for samples to be created
A biobank for multi-organ autoimmune diseases is to be created so that the few biosamples distributed across the sites are available to all researchers in the GAIN network. Professor Illig and his team will set up a central sample database for this purpose. The samples themselves will not be stored centrally in Hanover, but will remain in the biobank infrastructure of the respective locations. However, the HUB will provide the network with special registration software to record the data on sample processing and storage. This data is then transmitted to the HUB, where it is collected and managed centrally.