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A team of researchers at the Medical University of Vienna has discovered that dormant tumor cells surviving chemotherapy can be targeted through the inhibition of a specific protein called P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This discovery opens up new possibilities for delaying relapse and is particularly relevant for aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), for which there are currently few effective treatments.

Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 15 percent of all diagnosed lung cancers and is still associated with a high mortality rate. SCLC tumours often develop resistance to chemotherapy and thus poor prognosis is due to tumour recurrence which occurs within only five to 14 months after initial diagnosis.

Autoimmune diseases are complex illnesses, the causes of which are diverse and have not yet been fully explained. A research team at MedUni Vienna has now discovered an immunoregulatory protein that could be linked to the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The identified component of the immune system is called "Rinl", which could provide a new target for the development of immunomodulatory therapies.

People who are treated with TNF-α inhibitors for their autoimmune disease such as Crohn's disease or rheumatoid arthritis lose their vaccination protection significantly earlier than average. The mechanism underlying the early decrease in antibody levels has now been eludicated by a scientific team from MedUni Vienna.

T cells are an essential component of the immune system - they fight foreign structures such as bacteria and viruses or cancer-related changes in cells. This defense reaction requires energy. Scientists led by the St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, MedUni Vienna and the Marmara University Istanbul have now shown for the first time that a defect in the gene for the transcription factor NFATC1 leads to an immune defect with a disruption of metabolism in T lymphocytes.

Patients with localised prostate cancer have a good chance of survival, but mortality rates among those with advanced, metastatic forms of the condition remain high. Until now, the precise mechanism behind the spread of the tumour has not been fully explained. But an international research team headed by MedUni Vienna has succeeded in decoding the underlying cellular signal pathway and has carried out research using a common diabetes medication that could provide a new treatment option.

Scientists at Medical University Vienna/St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute and the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen have shown that immunotherapy after stem cell transplantation effectively combats certain nerve tumors in children. Crucially, stem cells from a parent provide children with a new immune system that responds much better to immunotherapies.

Breakthrough achieved in elucidating the "gating" process of Kir2 potassium channels Ion channels play a crucial role in many cellular processes, including neuronal communication, muscle contraction or cell proliferation. Most multi subunit ion channels exist in two functional states, either closed or open.

A research group led by Giulio Superti-Furga of the Institute of Pharmacology at the Medical University and the CeMM Research Center has developed a new method that makes it possible to specifically inhibit important lactate transporters associated with cancer and numerous other diseases. This could provide a new starting point for the treatment of cancer in particular.

Scientists from the Giulio Superti-Furga Lab at CeMM, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, have developed a new method that allows the discovery of specific inhibitors of a lactate transporter associated with cancer and other disease areas. The compound identified in the assay system could provide a new starting point for cancer treatments.

Inflammations of the peritoneum (peritonitis) are as frequent as they are feared complications in peritoneal dialysis, a form of kidney replacement therapy for independent use at home. The bacteria responsible for the life-threatening infections are becoming increasingly resistant to many antibiotics.

Since its introduction in 2015, a prediction tool developed by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) has been providing support worldwide in the assessment of the clinical benefits of new cancer therapies. However, previously available versions proved unsuitable for use with malignant diseases of the blood, such as different types of leukaemias or lymphomas.

A study from the University of Vienna shows a positive effect of vaccination even in patients requiring oxygen. Previous studies have shown that the mortality rate of Corona patients hospitalized and requiring oxygen therapy is similar no matter if they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

A recent study involving MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has identified a significant advance in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The results of the randomised Phase III CLL13 (GAIA) study show that a time-limited and targeted therapy with venetoclax and obinutuzumab is more effective than chemoimmunotherapy in patients without comorbidities.

Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic primary immunodeficiency in humans. Patients suffer from recurrent infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract but many of them also develop more severe symptoms such as granulomas, lymphomas and autoimmune diseases. An international team of researchers led by MedUni Vienna has now discovered why some CVID patients develop an autoimmune disease and others do not.

A global study led by Gerald Prager of the Department of Medicine I and the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Vienna, a joint MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna facility, and co-workers has demonstrated that the prognosis for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer can be significantly improved.

Faecal incontinence is a major taboo subject and, if left untreated, usually restricts the quality of life of those severely affected. Under the leadership of surgeon Stefan Riss from the Department of General Surgery at MedUni Vienna and the University Hospital Vienna, a study has been launched into a new surgical treatment method.

A long-term analysis designed by Christian Gerges and Irene Lang at the Department of Medicine II of the University Hospital Vienna and MedUni Vienna indicates that one third of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) also have left heart disease. In the past, the possibility of overlap between these two conditions had not been considered in the diagnosis and treatment of CTEPH patients.

Patients suffering from Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder, develop painful constrictions in the bowel. Due to a lack of methods until now, these complications cannot be characterised with sufficient precision to initiate targeted treatment. An interdisciplinary research group at MedUni Vienna has investigated a new imaging technique that can improve the treatment of intestinal strictures.

Medicine & Science A team of researchers at MedUni Vienna has newly appraised the immunosuppressive effect of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and identified a previously unknown mode of action. The new findings on ATG, which are used for induction therapy prior to organ transplantations and for the treatment of T-cell mediated rejection reactions, provide a new approach for further improvements in transplantation medicine.