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Three recent studies conducted by the Clinical Division of Rheumatology at MedUni Vienna's Department of Internal Medicine III exemplify a research approach that consistently puts patients at the centre. They specifically address questions that arise from everyday clinical practice: What information do doctors lack in their everyday work, what concerns do patients have, and what data is crucial for improving treatment decisions?

Defending the body against pathogens is a feat of strength that must be performed with great precision and speed. A research team from MedUni Vienna and CeMM, led by Christoph Bock and Matthias Farlik, has investigated how immune cells accomplish this task. Their study, published in the journal Cell Systems, provides an analysis of the molecular processes in the 'scavenger cells' (macrophages) of our immune system as they fight various pathogens.

Completely abstaining from alcohol can improve the prognosis of patients with predominantly alcohol-related liver disease. Even a regression of liver-related complications appears possible through abstinence - even after the progression to cirrhosis. However, whether these clinical improvements are also accompanied by an improvement in portal hypertension - a key trigger for complications - had remained unclear.

Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the Medical University of Vienna have developed an advanced imaging technique called "O2E" that allows clinics to detect cancerous lesions in the esophagus with unprecedented precision. Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the study demonstrates that this innovative endoscopy technology reveals even the smallest pathological tissue changes, significantly improving early detection and diagnosis.

Alveolar echinococcosis is a rare but potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by the fox tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis). In most European countries, the disease is notifiable - yet current data show that many cases are not detected or officially registered. As part of a review with significant involvement from MedUni Vienna, the number of cases of this disease across Europe has now been determined for the first time.

Although the respiratory system is one of the main entry points for microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) from the air into the body, little is known about the effects of these tiny particles on the lungs. Researchers at MedUni Vienna have now demonstrated for the first time that MNPs can trigger malignant changes in lung cells that are associated with the development of cancer.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has developed a blood test that allows the identification of individuals at risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) with a high degree of certainty years before the onset of symptoms. As a result, in the future, diagnostic and therapeutic measures could be taken early enough to delay or even prevent the onset of the disease.

An international research team led by scientists from SickKids Hospital in Toronto, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dalhousie University, the University of Exeter (UK) and the Medical University of Vienna has uncovered a previously unknown protective strategy of cells. The study, published in the top journal Science, shows how two cell compartments - mitochondria and peroxisomes - work directly together to defend themselves against so-called "oxidative stress factors".

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has systematically described the safety and efficacy of targeted immunotherapy in refractory idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) for the first time.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna led by Dietmar Herndler-Brandstetter has investigated how bone marrow niches orchestrate immune cell development and promote long-term survival and function of mature immune cells. The study reveals that stromal cell subtypes have a different capacity to produce the survival cytokine interleukin 15 (IL-15) and thereby differently regulate the development and survival of immune cells.

Levosimendan is an established drug in cardiology that strengthens the contractile force of the heart muscle and is used in certain forms of acute heart failure. A study has now investigated whether levosimendan can also help to prevent undetected but measurable cardiac stress after major non-cardiac surgery.

The Medical University of Vienna, under the leadership of Kareem Elsayad from the Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, has been instrumental in the development and publication of the world's first consensus statement on Brillouin scattering microscopy for biomedical applications. The article, published in Nature Photonics, marks a significant step towards standardization and clinical translation of this innovative technology.

A recent study led by Philipp Starkl from MedUni Vienna shows that mast cells can influence the behaviour of macrophages in a previously unknown way. The research provides new insights into the interactions of these immune cells in inflammatory processes and immune defence, and lays the foundation for the development of new immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies.

An interdisciplinary research team from the Medical University of Vienna, in collaboration with the University of Vienna, found that targeted modification of a single protein in certain immune cells reduces intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of colitis. The study, currently published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, focuses on the protein filamin A, whose structure can be modified by so-called RNA editing.

An international study involving MedUni Vienna and the University Hospital Vienna shows that additional immunotherapy with pembrolizumab significantly prolongs disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced, resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The results, currently published in the top journal The New England Journal of Medicine, pave the way for approval of the therapy, which could become the new standard treatment for this common cancer.

Researchers around the world are investigating the causes and treatment of Parkinson's disease, ADHD, and addiction. One key aspect of this research is the dopamine transporter DAT. In an international research project, scientists from Johannes Kepler University Linz, the Medical University of Vienna, and the NIH (National Institutes of Health, USA) have now investigated this protein in more detail and discovered previously unknown mechanisms.

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.

A new study by the Medical University of Vienna shows that many medical laboratories in Austria do not use age-appropriate reference ranges for children. This can lead to pathological blood values in children being considered inconspicuous - with possible consequences for the early detection of rare diseases.

Epilepsy is primarily treated symptomatically - that is, the majority of the available medications aim to suppress seizures without influencing the underlying causes of the disease. A research team from the Medical University of Vienna has now identified a molecular mechanism that may play a role in the development of seizures.

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.