The Hessian research funding program LOEWE is supporting two ILH/DZL projects in its 18th funding round with more than four million euros. Funding will go to a project led by Prof. Dr. Rajkumar Savai, which focuses on the relevance of lipids in the development of diseases, and to a project by Prof. Dr. Paolo Panza aimed at developing lung organoids.
LOEWE Research Focus “Lipid Space – Temporally and Spatially Resolved Regulation of Tissue Homeostasis by Lipids in the Micro- and Nanoenvironment”
Lead institution: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Partners: Justus Liebig University Giessen (Prof. Dr. Rajkumar Savai), Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim
LOEWE funding: approx. €4.3 million
Many diseases are linked to disruptions in lipid metabolism. As biomolecules with low water solubility, fats (lipids) form ordered structures. Numerous molecular reactions take place at lipid membranes, and some lipids serve as signaling molecules for essential cellular processes. Lipids are of high pharmacological relevance, which is why some of the most important drug classes target proteins that build or modify lipids. However, the structural and functional diversity as well as the distribution of lipids are still poorly understood. This is partly because lipids are difficult to study due to their poor water solubility. Researchers suspect, however, that within the diversity and distribution of lipids in the human body, there are additional important therapeutic targets for major human diseases yet to be discovered. The LOEWE research focus “Lipid Space” aims to identify these targets by exploring lipid compartments in cells and tissues – so-called lipid spaces – that have so far been difficult to access and therefore underexplored, through the development and application of novel key technologies. In addition to studying cardiovascular, oncological, and neurological diseases, “Lipid Space” also seeks to generate technological advances.
LOEWE Exploration: BLOOM – Biotechnologically Manufactured Lung Organoids with Optimized Microvascular Compartment
Applicant: Prof. Dr. Paolo Panza, Justus Liebig University Giessen
LOEWE funding: approx. €287,000
Acute and chronic lung diseases such as viral infections or pulmonary fibrosis impede the regeneration of airway cells. To understand this process and develop treatments, so-called “mini-lungs” or organoids can be used to model disease in a cell culture dish. These organoids are promising tools because they can be produced from a patient’s own cells. However, their potential is still limited, as most of their cells remain immature outside the body. The BLOOM project will test new methods to improve the maturation of lung organoids. In particular, molecular signals and blood vessels will be incorporated that resemble those in the alveoli, where gas exchange takes place. This research could lead to models for screening personalized therapeutics against acute and chronic lung diseases.
