The visit of PD Dr. med. Olaf Penack from Berlin was the occasion for a gathering of an expert team from the Competence Center for Ocular Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) at the University Hospital of Cologne. The center’s accomplishments motivated Dr. Penack to contact the University Eye Hospital of Cologne, leading […]

The DFG research unit FOR 2240 at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne hosted hematologist PD Dr. Olaf Penack from Berlin on the 18th of August, 2016. He met with the Speaker of FOR 2240 (Prof. Dr. Claus Cursiefen) and the Principle Investigators of central project 1 (PD Dr. […]

Twenty-six members of the DFG Research Unit FOR 2240 met from 8-9 July, 2016 in the Salvatorian Monastery of Steinfeld (Kloster Steinfeld). It was a chance for a rich exchange of ideas and opinions concerning work in progress and strategic planning for the future. The scientists also enjoyed renewing their […]

On June 15th 2016, Francisco Ambrosio (PhD) gave a guest lecture as a Visiting Scientist of the DFG research unit FOR 2240 “Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in inflammatory diseases of the eye” at the Dept. of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne. Dr. Ambrosio is Group Leader of the Retinal Dysfunction and Neuro-inflammation […]

“We need more Gerok positions”! This is one of the conclusions that Prof. Dr. Robert Thimme noted in a section (p.11)  on the need for more freedom and space for research in medical qualification phases (German title: “Qualifizierungsphase: Freiraum gefragt”). This appeared in a special volume of duz, a German […]

Cooperation between specialists is clearly crucial for gaining excellent results in the laboratory, and without these, there is no foundation for meaningful change in patient care. However, a deep and connected understanding of all the entities involved and the ability to communicate this understanding are also crucial in the process […]

A collaboration of FOR 2240 project 6 „Microglia in AMD“ (Principal Investigator Prof.  Thomas Langmann) and the Bayer-University of Cologne Graduate Program of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (PhD student Anika Lückoff), together with neuro-immunology experts from Freiburg (Prof. Marco Prinz) and Hannover (Prof. Ulrich Kalinke), identified a novel role of […]

On April 26th, 2016, the DFG research unit FOR 2240 hosted Dr. Bruce Ksander (center) from Massachusetts at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne. Dr. Ksander received his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Illinois while studying the immune response to herpes keratitis in the laboratory of Dr. […]

Heping Xu (MD, PhD) is Professor of Ocular Immunology in the Centre for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He was trained as an ophthalmologist and together with his former teacher and colleague John Forrester, he developed the concept of para-inflammation, a predisposing condition for many age-related diseases of […]