RNA, Recognition, Receptors, Ribosomes
A Topic Day combined with students' Methods Seminar
Following the successful launch of the Topic Days last November, the seminar series continued on May 19, 2025, titled “Immune Recognition of RNA”, at the Institute of Chemical Epigenetics (ICEM) of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). This Topic Day was designed to enhance our comprehension of the diverse RNA - immune system interactions by concentrating on molecular recognition mechanisms and their implications for therapeutic strategies.
The commencement was marked by Prof. Veit Hornung (LMU), a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2024, who introduced the frequently overlooked innate immune system as an exciting research area for RNA medicines. He emphasized the significance of nucleotide recognition mechanisms in human cells, reminding us also that certain commonly used cell lines lack these natural responses.
Following lunch, Prof. Kathrin Leppek from the University Clinic Bonn shifted the focus to the “ancient machinery of life”, the ribosome. She provided an overview of the diverse human ribosome composition and shared her research findings on these structures. A notable highlight was a brief demonstration of how RNA secondary structure optimization contributed to vaccine design.
Prof. Min Ae Lee-Kirsch from the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Technische Universität Dresden concluded the keynote series with an insightful lecture on rare diseases, emphasizing translational research and particularly the clinical manifestations of Lupus (an autoimmune disease).
The day concluded with a panel discussion with the speakers, followed by a social evening in a traditional beer garden.
On the second day, the meeting continued with a new student-organized initiative called “Methods Seminar”. This event aims to share our preferred methods and present them in an accessible manner to our peers. Each student proposed a method in advance, and three were selected for extended presentations after a vote. Additionally, a mixer event (“Methods Mixer”) was held to facilitate discussions on the other students' methods. Following the success of the first implementation, the “Methods Seminar” is now set to become a series, held twice a year.
Anna Fürst kicked-off the “Methods Seminar” by providing an overview of the fundamentals of human-induced stem cell culture. Subsequently, Noah Holzleitner introduced Google Colab, focusing on the process of making bioinformatics research shareable. Marina Sauer concluded the session with an insightful discussion on flow cytometry for the analysis of extracellular vesicles.
While these three talks were highly informative, the “Methods Mixer” facilitated a more detailed exchange and discussion with everyone. After two days of very informative activities, we were invited to visit the local labs before we went back home.
Noah Holzleitner - PhD student in the group of Prof. Julian Grünewald (Technical University of Munich)
