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A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown role for the epigenetic regulator HDAC1 in chronic viral infections by using animal models. The study shows that HDAC1 specifically supports the generation of certain immune cells, which play an important role for actively fighting viruses despite chronic infection.

Aortic valve narrowing (aortic stenosis) with concomitant cardiac amyloidosis is a severe heart disease of old age that is associated with a high risk of death. Until now, treatment has consisted of valve replacement, while the deposits in the heart muscle, known as amyloidosis, often remain untreated.

Leptomeningeal metastatic disease (LMD) is a serious complication of advanced solid tumours, particularly breast and lung cancer. Due to the currently limited treatment options, the spread of cancer cells to the meninges leads to death within a short period of time. An international research team led by MedUni Vienna and the University Hospital Vienna has now tested the drug patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd) in patients with LMD for the first time in a clinical trial.

KRAS mutations are among the most common genetic alterations in cancer and are considered particularly difficult to treat. In colon cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death, such mutations severely limit therapeutic options. The results of a study led by the Center for Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna, recently published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, now raise a previously little-considered strategy: the targeted blockade of the EGFR signaling pathway - even in the presence of a KRAS mutation.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening complication in children with serious underlying conditions such as heart defects or cancer. Treatment or prevention of thrombosis poses an additional challenge in everyday clinical practice. A therapy using the active ingredient rivaroxaban specifically tailored to children was successfully tested for the first time in 2020.

In a recent study, a research team from the Medical University of Vienna has gained new insights into post-COVID syndrome (PCS) and the relevance of a healthy gastrointestinal tract. The study, which was recently published in the journal Allergy, shows that PCS patients have altered inflammatory markers and a disturbed intestinal barrier, which could contribute to the development of post-viral fatigue.

The novel glycopeptide saarvienin A is highly effective against resistant pathogens An international team of researchers, led by the University of Vienna and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, has discovered saarvienin A , a new type of glycopeptide antibiotic. Their findings, now published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition , introduce a compound with strong activity against highly resistant bacterial strains.

Brain metastases often occur as a result of advanced cancer and, despite medical innovations, are still associated with a poor prognosis. Now, an international expert committee led by the Medical University of Vienna and the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital (LMU) in Munich has taken an important step towards improving diagnostics and therapy monitoring.

An international team of scientists led by the Medical University of Vienna has identified similarities in the mechanisms of diabetes and cancer: as the researchers show, the protein PPAR', which is central to the regulation of metabolic processes, can also influence the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Oral mucositis (OM) is an inflammation of the oral mucosa and is a common complication in patients following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Although the percentage of those affected is around 76 percent, there are currently no strategies for risk assessment. A research team at MedUni Vienna has now comprehensively and systematically analysed the already known link between oral health and the risk of OM for the first time.

A research team from the Medical University of Vienna has investigated structural changes in kidneys of patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The results show that high blood pressure can lead to abnormalities in the podocytes, specialised cells in the renal filter, even without other pre-existing conditions such as diabetes.

A research team led by MedUni Vienna has discovered that the protein AF1q is increasingly detectable in rectal carcinomas after short-term radiotherapy. The results of the study show that AF1q could play a role in influencing tumour behaviour and the effect of radiotherapy and open up a promising new option for improving therapy and developing new treatment strategies.

Recently published analyses led by Josef Smolen of MedUni Vienna provide new insights into how certain blood values can influence the effectiveness of medications for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results are based on an evaluation of the large-scale international EXXELERATE study and a supplementary investigation that offers further insights into the role of rheumatoid factor and other biomarkers.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare form of blood cancer, the advanced stages of which are associated with a poor prognosis. A new study by MedUni Vienna, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center has identified the protein CD74 as a promising target for innovative treatments.

A study led by the Medical University of Vienna has for the first time investigated the frequency of new persistent opioid use after surgery in Austria. The results show that 1.7% of patients continue to take opioids for at least three to six months after surgery, i.e. beyond a period when acute postoperative pain has usually subsided.

Monocytes, the sentinel cells of the innate immune system, form the first line of defence against viral infections. A team of researchers from MedUni Vienna has now discovered a previously unknown mechanism that enables these cells to fight SARS-COV-2. The study results, recently published in the journal "Frontiers in Immunology", open up new possibilities for the treatment of particularly severe cases of COVID-19.

A research team from the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna is breaking new ground in precision medicine: it has developed an innovative method for analyzing metabolic profiles from finger sweat. The results of a pilot study just published in the renowned EPMA Journal show that this non-invasive method can be used in breast cancer patients to obtain information about the course of the disease, the effects of therapy and individual lifestyle habits.

Basal cell carcinomas, the most common form of skin cancer, occur in chronically sun-exposed areas such as the face. Locally advanced tumours in particular can be difficult to treat surgically. A research team from MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has now investigated the effectiveness of a new type of therapy and achieved promising results: The active substance TVEC led to a reduction in the size of the basal cell carcinoma in all study participants, which not only improved surgical removal, but also led to a complete regression of the tumour in some of the patients.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna led by Maria Sibilia has investigated a new combination therapy against cancer. This therapy employs systemic administration of the tissue hormone interferon-I combined with local application of Imiquimod. This combination showed promising results in topically accessible tumors like melanoma and breast cancer models: The therapy led to the death of tumor cells at the treated sites and simultaneously activated the adaptive immune system to fight even distant metastases.

Researchers at CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna have developed an innovative microscopy-based approach that could predict the best approved drug to treat individual rheumatoid arthritis patients using samples of their blood. Published in the Lancet group journal EBioMedicine the study demonstrates the feasibility of precision medicine to significantly enhance treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and likely other autoimmune diseases.