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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.

A research team involving the Medical University of Vienna has summarised the novel findings on the immunomodulatory effect of tick saliva in a review paper. The work, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, shows how bioactive molecules in tick saliva influence the host's immune system, facilitate disease transmission and at the same time offer potential for novel therapeutic applications.

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.

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 recent study led by the Medical University of Vienna shows that the haematocrit value, i.e. the proportion of red blood cells in blood volume, has a direct influence on blood sugar levels. The researchers were able to show that an increase in the number of red blood cells directly causes a decrease in blood sugar.

A temporary bacterial infection of the skin can cause long-lasting changes in the immune system and increase allergic inflammation. This is the result of a study led by the Medical University of Vienna and the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine, which has just been published in the leading journal "Science Immunology".

Phosphorylation serves as a key on-and-off switch in cell signaling, such as in the Akt pathway, which regulates cell growth and is often upregulated in cancer. Master students Tarik Husremovic and Vanessa Meier from the Leonard lab at the Max Perutz Labs now reveal, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), that the phosphatases PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 - previously believed to dephosphorylate Akt and suppress tumor growth - are neither phosphatases nor tumor suppressors.

A recent study on fish allergies has gained new insights into the reactivity to parvalbumins, the main allergens in fish. A research team from Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences and the Medical University of Vienna, together with international colleagues, examined the IgE reactivity to parvalbumins from 12 different freshwater fish species from Austria.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a severe, chronic disease that predominantly affects people at an advanced age. Since there are currently no specific treatments, lung transplantation often remains the only option to prolong the patient's life. A research team from MedUni Vienna has now discovered that an ageing immune system plays a significant role in the development and progression of the disease.

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 from MedUni Vienna has gained new insights into the role of the immune system in allergic asthma. The study examined the molecular regulation of certain immune cells, known as pathogenic Th2 cells, which are involved in the development of allergic diseases and are responsible for persistent inflammation of the respiratory tract.

Although persons with haemophilia have nowadays reached a similar life expectancy as the general population in regions of the world with access to safe and effective therapies, little is known about the biological ageing process in the people with this congenital bleeding disorder. In a study recently published in the journal "Haematologica", researchers from the MedUni Vienna have now shown that people with haemophilia have a significantly increased biological age.

People who later experienced persistent shortness of breath or fatigue after a SARS-CoV-2 infection were already taking significantly fewer steps per day and had a higher resting heart rate before contracting the virus, according to a study by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) published in npj Digital Medicine.

A research team from the Medical University of Vienna has made further progress in the treatment of intestinal inflammation. A study shows that the semi-synthetic bile acid NorUDCA inhibits in the intestine the formation of pro-inflammatory T helper 17 cells (TH17) and at the same time promotes the generation of anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells.

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.

There is evidence that media reports of individuals who talk about successfully overcoming a suicidal crisis can have a preventive effect on other people in a similar situation. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have now been able to show that this effect, also known as "Papageno effect", also applies to posts on Instagram and other social media platforms.