Paper alert by the group of Aleksandra Trifunovic! Congratulations to all authors for this great collaborative work with Riemer Lab and Hoppe Lab!
Mitochondria-originated redox signalling regulates KLF-1 to promote longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
 

Congrats to Lena Pernas to be selected as Young Investigator by EMBO_YIP and beeing awarded with 2022 Binder Innovation Prize! We are very proud to have you with us!

Paper alert by the group of Thorsten Hoppe! Congratulations to all authors!
Reprograming of proteasomal degradation by branched chain amino acid metabolism

From 19 through 23 September 2022 CRC1218 together with CECAD Research Center,  MPI AGE and University of Cologne offered a podcast series in German language around the topic of mitochondrial diseases, in support of the World Mitochondrial Disease Week (18.-24.09.2022).

Complete Playlist ► https://soundcloud.com/university-of-cologne/sets/mito-krankheiten-und-was

List of topics:
►Monday 19.09.22, chapter 1: Life before the disease
►Tuesday 20.09.22, chapter 2: The diagnosis
►Wednesday 21.09.22, chapter 3: Life ‚afterwards’
►Thursday 22.09.22, chapter 4: How to get new courage
►Friday 23.09.22, chapter 5: The science behind it- What is our motivation?

We thank everyone for contribution and awareness for the World Mitochondrial Disease Week!

CECAD, press release (19.09.2022)

Great story! New publication out by the group of Thomas Langer! Congratulations!
OMA1-mediated integrated stress response protects against ferroptosis in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy

Paper alert by the group of Thorsten Hoppe! Congratulations!
A Dimer-Monomer Switch Controls CHIP-Dependent Substrate Ubiquitylation and Processing

University of Cologne, press release (26.08.2022): 

Molecular Switch Controls Life Expectancy: A Single Protein Controls Aging Signals More Effectively Than In A Team
Scientists have found that the protein CHIP can control life-prolonging signals in the cell better alone than in pairs / Publication in ‘Molecular Cell’. Read more

New publication by the group of Thomas Langer!  Congratulations to all authors!
Regulation of mitochondrial proteostasis by the proton gradient

New publication by the group of Jan Riemer!  Congratulations to all authors!
AIFM1 is a component of the mitochondrial disulfide relay that drives complex I assembly through efficient import of NDUFS5

New publication by the group of Elena I. Rugarli!  Congratulations to all authors!
CLUH controls astrin-1 expression to couple mitochondrial metabolism to cell cycle progression

Paper alert! New publication by the group of Aleksandra Trifunovic!
CLPP deficiency ameliorates neurodegeneration caused by impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis

Congratulations to all authors!
 

CECAD, press release (04.03.2022): 

Mitochondrial diseases: Loss of a protein opens up new therapeutic options

A Cologne research team has demonstrated in an animal model that the loss of the protein CLPP alleviates mitochondrial diseases. Targeted inhibition of CLPP could be a new therapeutic approach for these diseases / publication in ‘Brain’. Read more

Paper alert! New publication by the group of Matteo Bergami!
Metabolic control of adult neural stem cell self-renewal by the mitochondrial protease YME1L

Congratulations to all authors!
 

University of Cologne, press release (15.02.2022): 

How a protein controls the production of nerve cells in the brain

Researchers at the University of Cologne have discovered that the protein YME1L regulates the production of new nerve cells and the maintenance of neural stem cells in the adult brain. This holds great potential for regenerative treatments after brain injuries and other diseases / publication in 'Cell Reports'. Read more

New publication by the group of Jan Riemer!
Spatial and temporal control of mitochondrial H2O2 release in intact human cells

Congratulations to all authors! Special thanks to Aleksandra Trifunovic!

We are excited to welcome Dr. Elisa Motori (Motori Lab) who has started as a new Research Group Leader at CRC1218!  Elisa started her lab in January 2022 in the Institute for Biochemistry and in her project she will focus on the almost unique architecture of Purkinje neurons to dissect the mutual regulation of mitochondrial motility and compartment-specific synaptic functions.

Mitochondria shed their outer membrane in response to infection-induced stress (Science 2022)

An interesting publication which shows that mitochondria shed their "SPOTs" both in response to parasite-induced and infection-independent OMM stress.
Congratulations to all authors @PernasLab (project B09)!

CECAD, press release (13.01.2022): 

Mitochondria are known as energy suppliers for our cells, but they also play an important role in the defense against pathogens. They can initiate immune responses, and deprive pathogens of the nutrients they need to grow. A
research team led by Lena Pernas has now shown that pathogens can turn off mitochondrial defense mechanisms by hijacking a normal cellular response to stress. Read more

Hector Flores Romero from GARCÍA-SÁEZ LAB (project A09) was awarded the CRC1218 Advanced Postdoc Grant! Congratulations!

BCL-2-family protein tBID can act as a BAX-like effector of apoptosis
Congratulations to this great collaborative effort! @ GARCÍA-SÁEZ LAB (project A09)

CECAD, press release (21.12.2021): 
Scientists have discovered a new function of the protein tBID, which until now had only been associated with its regulatory role in cell death and cancer. However, tBID can also directly mediate controlled cell death (apoptosis). This opens up a new approach in cancer therapy / publication in ‘The EMBO Journal’. Read more

Check out our new CRC1218 collaborative effort by the groups of Sabine Eming, Alexandra Trifunovic, Jens Brüning and Thomas Langer.
Mitochondrial metabolism coordinates stage-specific repair processes in macrophages during wound healing (Cell Metabolism 2021)

University of Cologne, press release (22.09.2021): 
On Saturday, 25 September, Collaborative Research Center 1218, which studies Mitochondrial Regulation of Cellular Function, and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research will participate in the worldwide campaign ‘Light Up for Mito’. Starting at 8 p.m., the CECAD Research Center will light up green. Read more

We are excited to announce that Dr. Mauro Corrado (Corrado Lab) has started as a new Research Group Leader at CRC1218!  Welcome!

May • Four more years: Collaborative Research Centre 1218 enters its second funding phase!

29.05.2020
We are very happy to announce that the German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund the CRC 1218 for another 4 years! „We are very happy for this recognition. During the last four years, our collaborative research has increased the visibility of Cologne as a hub for mitochondrial research. Mitochondria have been in the focus of research for many years, and are known as the powerhouse of the cell. Our CRC investigates how mitochondria communicate and signal to the cells to adapt their function to changing physiological conditions. Understanding this novel and dynamic aspect of mitochondrial function is crucial to unravel how these organelles affect several disease conditions. The strength of our consortium is that it brings together scientists with different backgrounds and technical expertise. We are very excited to be able to continue our studies and explore new hypotheses in the next four years“ says Elena Rugarli, spokesperson of CRC 1218. In addition to the University of Cologne, the Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Aging, the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research and a project at the University of Bonn are involved. The funding for the next four years amounts to approx. 9 M€.
Links:
Press relase DFG
Press release, University of Cologne

January • Interview with Thomas Langer (A01)

Kölnische Rundschau, 3. Jan 2019: "Die Mitos und die Geheimnisse des Alterns"

February • New associated CRC 1218-project by Ulrich Brandt

International Faculty: Ulrich Brandt, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen
We are pleased to announce that the group of Prof. Ulrich Brandt is associated to our CRC 1218. We are looking forward to a lot of scientific interactions! Ulrich Brandt is an expert in the assembly of respiratory complexes. More information on Ulrich Brandt and his project "Structure, function and dynamics of mitochondrial complexes" can be found here.

January • Thomas Langer (A01) became director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing. New Coordinator of the CRC 1218 is Elena Rugarli (A05)

MPI for Biology of Ageing, press release (05.02.2018):
Just in time for the new year Dr. Thomas Langer starts his ageing research at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne
As one of the leading scientists in mitochondrial research Dr. Thomas Langer was selected as the fourth director starting in January 2018; thus filling the last open position as director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing. The scientist from southern Germany is already well known in the field of ageing research and has been working in close contact with the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne for several years. Read more

CECAD Research Center, press release of 09.06.2017:
Individual excellence is at the core of scientific progress and must be rewarded – that is why the University of Cologne awards Research Prizes to excellent researchers. This year, Prof. Thomas Langer of the Cluster of Excellence CECAD receives the Max Delbrück Prize in the life and natural sciences.

Thomas Langer conducts research on mitochondria, the energy suppliers of our cells. With increasing age, their function decreases, which causes problems in tissue with high energy consumption like muscles or the brain. The team around Thomas Langer is working on quality control and regulation during the aging process. Read more

CECAD Research Center, press release (02.06.2017):
EUROMIT is the most important scientific conference on mitochondrial disease research. This year’s meeting will take place in Cologne from 11 to 15 June.
A team of researchers headed by Aleksandra Trifunovic and Elena Rugarli from the CECAD Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research at the University of Cologne is hosting this year’s EUROMIT conference. Read more

EUROMIT 2017 | International Conference on Mitochondrial Pathology, Cologne, June 11-15, 2017
website

CECAD Research Center, press release of 07.06.2016:
Mitochondria play an important role in cells for the production of energy. Latest findings suggest that their role is more complex than previously thought. Therefore, their physiological integration in the surrounding of cells is explored in greater detail. At this point, the new Collaborative Research Centre (SFB 1218) named „Mitochondrial regulation of cellular function“ comes in. The aim is to study how mitochondria influence activity, differentiation and survival of the cell. Read more

German Research Foundation, press release No. 20 of 27.05.2016:
Topics range from hepatitis viral infections and quantum systems to the adaptability of plants / Around 174 million euros in funding for initial four-year period

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish 20 new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs). This was decided by the responsible Grants Committee during its spring session in Bonn. The new CRCs will receive a total of 174 million euros in funding. There will also be a 22 percent programme allowance for indirect project costs. Six of the 20 networks are CRC/Transregios (TRR), spread across multiple research sites. All of the new CRCs will be funded for an initial four-year period, starting on 1 July 2016. Read more