news

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.

A recent study led by MedUni Vienna provides new insights into the mechanisms of coagulation in persons with haemophilia A, the most common form of haemophilia. The research team was able to show that saliva contains special vesicles that trigger rapid coagulation of the blood of haemophilic patients.

Researchers from the Vienna Lung Transplant Program of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna have published the first prospective, randomized and controlled study on the use of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in lung transplantation in the renowned European Respiratory Journal. The findings could significantly change the standard procedure for rejection reactions after lung transplants.

Diabetic neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes, manifests itself in the loss of sensation in the feet leading to chronic pain and ulcers, in severe cases even to amputations. While previous interventions have aimed to alleviate the symptoms, the non-invasive neuroprosthesis developed by an international research team led by Stanisa Raspopovic from MedUni Vienna addresses the cause.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a very rare neurodegenerative disease that is fatal within a few months and still poses many questions to scientists. To date, no specific symptoms are known that precede the onset of the disease. A suspected diagnosis can usually be made on the basis of a particular combination of symptoms and examination findings, but can only be confirmed after the death of the affected person.

A MedUni Vienna study has identified a new approach to the drug treatment of metabolic liver diseases. In an experimental study, pharmacological inhibition of an enzyme that plays a central role in fat metabolism promoted liver health reduced liver fat, inflammation and fibrotic remodeling (connective tissue scarring).

As much as targeted therapy using so-called EGFR inhibitors has proven its worth for various types of tumours, possible side effects can be very stressful for patients. Scarring alopecia - permanent hair loss that can only be delayed but not reversed - is particularly cause for concern. Researchers at MedUni Vienna have now identified JAK inhibitors as active substances that can reactivate hair growth.

Advanced liver disease is the second most common cause of lost working years, as it disproportionately affects young patients. Possible complications of these diseases can often be traced back to high blood pressure in the blood circulation of the liver - portal hypertension. Under the leadership of Mattias Mandorfer from the Clinical Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, the NICER model has now been developed, which can calculate the percentage probability of the presence of portal hypertension without an invasive procedure.

Secondary lymphoid organs are specialised structures in the body in which immune cells multiply and develop to respond to new pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. An international team led by Kaan Boztug (St. Anna Children's Cancer Research, MedUni Vienna, CeMM) has now been able to identify a completely new form of a rare disease that provides a better understanding of the importance of these structures for the human immune system.

Researchers at the University of Vienna develop gut-stable oxytocin analogues for targeted pain treatment of chronic abdominal pain A research team at the University of Vienna, led by medicinal chemist Markus Muttenthaler, has developed a new class of oral peptide therapeutic leads for treating chronic abdominal pain.

Disruption of the microbial community favours pathogens in the gut In a groundbreaking new study, conducted within the framework of the FWF-funded Cluster of Excellence "Microbiomes drive Planetary Health", scientists from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, Aalborg University and Boston University, have revealed that the widely prescribed Parkinson's disease drug entacapone significantly disrupts the human gut microbiome by inducing iron deficiency.