Student Speaker
We are pleased to present you the 8 selected student speakers whose abstracts were chosen for a short talk at the EUREKA! Symposium 2026
Christina Ottemeier
Biomedicine - Prof. Andreas Brunschweiger
Wednesday, October 7th, 10 am
Targeting the MYCN-Aurora A-CDK 12 axis in Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, with MYCN amplification associated with aggressive disease and poor outcome. In S phase, Aurora A forms a complex with MYCN and activates CDK12, promoting the recruitment of transcription termination complexes. The described mechanism plays an important role in protecting cancer cells from transcription-replication conflicts. Aurora A inhibition induces replication stress and compensatory ATR activation. Since single agent therapies often lead to resistance due to the high tumour heterogeneity and the activation of alternative pathways, our aim is to characterize the impact of targeting the MYCN-Aurora-A-CDK12 axis comparing single-agent treatment and combination therapies.
We investigated the effect of combinatorial Aurora A and CDK 12 inhibition on cell viability and cytotoxicity using the Aurora-A inhibitor TAS119 and the CDK12 inhibitor CT7439. We identified drug concentrations that caused minimal general cytotoxicity individually but showed additive effects on MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cell viability. To determine whether combinatorial inhibition affects apoptosis and cell cycle progression, we performed flow cytometry analysis. BrdU/PI assays showed that combinatorial treatment caused a redistribution of cell cycle populations. This suggested a disruption of S phase progression, potentially leading to S phase arrest, along with increased cell death, reflected by an enlarged sub-G1 population. Using Annexin-V/PI assays, we detected that combinatorial treatment induces higher levels of apoptosis than single-agent-treatment.
To further assess DNA damage induced by combinatorial treatment, we will analyse different DNA damage markers using immunoblotting. To characterize the molecular consequences of the combinatorial treatment, we will assess the accumulation of RNA-DNA hybrid structures and perform proximity ligation assays investigating transcription regulation. In parallel, we will assess how these interventions affect phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain, a key regulator for productive transcriptional elongation and transcription termination.
Although previous studies have demonstrated the effects of the individual inhibitors, this study aims to establish whether combinatorial targeting Aurora A, CDK12 and ATR provides a promising therapeutic strategy for aggressive, MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.
Shaliya Hashardeen
Biomedicine - Prof. Hermann Schindelin
Wednesday, October 7th, 10.15 am
ONE ENZYME, TWO FATES: DUAL SPECIFICITY OF UBA6 IN LUNG CANCER
UBA6 is a unique E1 activating enzyme with dual specificity for ubiquitin and the ubiquitin-like modifier FAT10, yet whether and how this bifunctionality contributes to cancer remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate UBA6-mediated ubiquitylation and FATylation as functional dependencies in non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Using endogenous depletion of UBA6, and FAT10[1], we demonstrate that a representative panel of lung cancer cell lines show pronounced dependence on this pathway for cellular fitness, positioning UBA6 as a regulator of tumor maintenance. To delineate the relative contribution of ubiquitylation versus FATylation, we established a genetic complementation system where the endogenous UBA6 locus is disrupted using intron-specific sgRNAs and replaced it with exogenous UBA6 variants selectively defective in either ubiquitin or FAT10 activation [2]. Comparative analysis revealed that UBA6-mediated ubiquitylation and FATylation contribute to different biological processes in tumor. In parallel, we identified candidate oncogenic substrates modified by FAT10, linking FATylation to altered protein stability and tumor-relevant signaling pathways.
Together, our findings support UBA6 as a critical node, integrating ubiquitin and FAT10 pathways in lung cancer and reveal exploitable vulnerabilities arising from its dual enzymatic activity.
References
[1] Aichem, A. et al. Nat Commun. 9. (2018)
[2] Truongvan, N. et al. Nat Commun 13. (2022)
Annika Köhler
Clinical Sciences - Prof. Dr. Alexander Hann
Wednesday, October 7th, 10.30 am
Evaluation of a VR Simulator to Train Gastric Bleeding Treatment with Argon Plasma Coagulation and Injection
Introduction:
Gastric bleeding has potentially severe consequences for the patient. While training its treatment is therefore crucial, opportunities for hands-on practice are limited. A virtual reality (VR) application provides a risk-free and accessible solution. This study evaluates a VR training simulator for gastric epinephrine injection and argon plasma coagulation (APC).
Methods:
A VR training simulator was developed to virtually train the treatment of gastrointestinal emergencies by operating a conventional endoscope tracked by sensors. In a user study, 20 participants completed task one, treating an angiodysplasia via APC, and task two, treating a bleeding angiodysplasia via submucosal injection followed by APC. Participants assessed the simulator based on workload (raw NASA-TLX), usability (System Usability Scale, SUS), cybersickness, immersion, face and content validity (5-point Likert scale: 1 strongly disagree, 5 strongly agree), and gave free-text feedback. The simulator further provided measurements on task duration, percentage of treated angiodysplasia area, and successful hemostasis. Reported were means (M) and medians (Mdn), and the results of subgroup analyses.
Results:
Participants rated the VR training simulator as especially useful for novices, prior to first patient intervention, and favored its adoption into endoscopy training (all Mdn = 5). They further perceived the simulator as helpful for training APC and injection (all Mdn = 4). Participants additionally rated the stomach anatomy (Mdn = 5), the stomach texture, endoscope footage and movement, the application of APC, and the instruments as highly realistic (all Mdn = 4). In general, the simulator had good usability (SUS M = 73.63) and was associated with low workload (NASA-TLX M = 35.63) and almost no cybersickness (Mdn = 1). More experienced endoscopists had shorter intervention times than less experienced endoscopists for both task one (M = 50.8s vs 107.0s, p = .008) and task two (M = 96.2s vs 245.7s, p = .012). Participants further achieved higher scores for area treatment in task one than in task two (M = 66.9% vs 55.2%). Among the 20 participants, 95% achieved successful hemostatic control.
Conclusion:
The results of this study suggest the VR simulator’s potential as a training tool for the treatment of gastric bleeding via APC and injection therapy. Such a simulator enables risk-free practice while reducing animal-based training.
Johanna Ott
Biology - Prof. Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
Wednesday, October 7th, 11.45 am
Beyond Bombus terrestris: Wild bumblebee species are more sensitive to commonly used pesticide than model species
Agrochemicals are among the most important drivers of pollinator declines. Both lethal and sublethal effects can severely impact individuals and for social bees, colony development. A harsh decline in numbers has also been observed for bumblebees, an important group of pollinators in European landscapes.
Most ecotoxicological studies on bumblebees focus on the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris due to easy access to commercial colonies and convenient colony rearing. With signs accumulating that this species is not always representative of others, a wider range of species needs to be tested to assess the impact of agrochemicals.
For this reason, we conducted the first ecotoxicological assay on two common, yet understudied bumblebee species, Bombus pascuorum and Bombus sylvarum. Following official OECD guidelines, we assessed lethal endpoints to Chlorantraniliprole, a commonly used insecticide. We further investigated whether field-realistic concentrations of this compound impacted sublethal behaviors such as feeding and locomotion.
We found that B. pascuorum and B. sylvarum are more sensitive to Chlorantraniliprole than previous records of B. terrestris and that field-realistic concentrations suffice to impair feeding and movement patterns. This study is the first to conduct ecotoxicological assays on those two bumblebee species and it suggests that current risk assessment procedures underestimate the impact of agrochemicals on wild bumblebee species.
Hanwei Liu
Neuroscience - Muthuraman Muthuraman
Thursday, October 8th, 4.00 pm
A Containerized Toolbox for Directed Connectivity in Multimodal Neuroscience
Understanding how information propagates through brain networks requires reliable estimates of directed interactions among neural populations. However, the inferred network topology is shaped not only by the underlying neural dynamics, but also by the choice of connectivity estimator, preprocessing strategy, and software environment. These dependencies complicate comparisons across methods and limit reproducibility, particularly when signals from different recording modalities are integrated.
In this talk, we present a reproducible, containerized toolbox for estimating and benchmarking directed connectivity in multivariate neural time series. The workflow combines BIDS-compatible data handling, modality-aware preprocessing, version-pinned computational environments, automated pipeline execution, standardized source–target conventions, and statistical validation. It integrates complementary estimator families, including conditional Granger causality, directed transfer function, partial directed coherence, phase-slope index, and transfer entropy, while retaining undirected association measures as comparative controls.
We benchmark these methods on linear and nonlinear simulated networks with known directed topology and quantify network recovery using complementary performance metrics. The analyses show that inferred topology and estimator performance vary across network dynamics and methodological assumptions, emphasizing the value of comparing convergent and divergent evidence across measures rather than interpreting a single connectivity matrix in isolation. We further apply the workflow to simultaneous MEG and subthalamic local field potential recordings from people with Parkinson’s disease to investigate beta-band interactions between motor cortex and the subthalamic nucleus across medication and motor conditions. By connecting controlled network reconstruction with real-world multimodal analysis, this framework provides a practical route towards reproducible and interpretable studies of directed information processing in brain networks.
Anagha Rajeevalochana
Infection & Immunity - Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kastenmüller
Thursday, Ocotber 8th, 9.30 am
Soluble chemokine gradients direct splenic type 1 dendritic cell migration along perivascular tracks
Migration of dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for their ability to relay antigenic information from peripheral tissues and instruct antigen-specific T cells within lymphoid organs. DC migration is driven by CCR7-dependent haptotaxis along immobilized CCL21 gradients toward lymphatic vessels, enabling transport to draining lymph nodes. How DC migration is organized within the spleen, an organ specialized in blood surveillance, has remained unclear. Here, using high-resolution confocal microscopy and functional perturbations, we show that splenic cDC1 migrate from the red pulp to the white pulp by following perivascular tracks surrounding arterioles – the same pathways used by lymphocytes entering from the bloodstream. Strikingly, this migration is guided not by immobilized chemokine cues but by long-range gradients of soluble CCL19 and cleaved CCL21. Although these chemokines are produced within the white pulp, they are distributed along perivascular spaces toward the venous sinuses of the red pulp establishing a directional chemotactic gradient. Thus, splenic DC migration operates through a paradigm fundamentally distinct from lymphatic DC trafficking, relying on chemotaxis rather than haptotaxis. Together, our findings define the anatomical pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying DC migration within the spleen and reveal how vascular organization shapes immune cell positioning.
Kumari Monika
Biomedicine - Prof. Andreas Brunschweiger
Thursday, October 8th, 9.45 am
SnRK1 dependent transcription factors controlling Arabidopsis seedling germination and establishment
The onset of plant life is characterised by a major phase transition. During early heterotrophic seedling establishment, seed storage reserves fuel metabolic demands, enabling the subsequent transition to an autotrophic lifestyle. Whereas metabolic pathways leading to storage compound mobilization are well-described, the regulatory circuits remain largely unresolved. Using an inducible knockdown approach of the evolutionarily conserved energy master regulator SnRK1 (Snf1-RELATED-PROTEIN- KINASE1), transcriptomic studies reveal its crucial function in Arabidopsis seedling establishment (1). The downstream C/S1 bZIP (BASIC LEUCINE ZIPPER) transcription factor network (2) controls gene expression leading to amino acid catabolism to support energy-demanding processes. Moreover, they directly regulate cyPPDK (cytosolic PYRUVATE ORTHOPHOSPHATE DIKINASE encoding an important bottleneck enzyme to fuel gluconeogenesis (1). Based on transcriptome studies using SnRK1 knockdown approaches, we identified the SnRK1-dependent bZIP transcription factors DHP1/2 (DARK HYPOCOTYL PHENOTYPE1/2). Using knockout approaches, we confirmed their metabolic function in lipid catabolism, e.g., regulating the ACX4 (ACYL-COENZYME A OXIDASE4 (ACX4) gene. Whereas higher-order C/S1 bZIP factor mutants did not show phenotypical effects on germination and seedling establishment, we observed retarded germination and partially impaired hypocotyl elongation during etiolated growth of dhp1/2. Phenotypical and functional analyses are presented.
References-
(1) Henninger M et al. 2021. Plant Cell 34:616-532.
(2) Dröge-Laser W and Weiste C 2018. TIPS 23:422-433
Aybaran Olca Kebabci
Biomedicine - Prof. Dr. Anna Lippert
Thursday, October 8th, 10.00 am
Actin conformation dynamics precede force generation in cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are cells of the adaptive immune system that are able to recognise and kill cancerous or virally infected target cells. The biochemical basis of CTL-mediated killing has been examined in great detail. Recent work has underscored the importance of physical forces in T cell function too, but how CTLs sense and exert force during migration and killing is not fully understood. Here, by expressing actin conformation probes based on the CH domain of utrophin, we directly visualize regions of altered F-actin conformation in primary CTLs during migration and killing. By combining these probes with traction force microscopy, we correlate external force with the internal cytoskeleton. We find strong, forward-directed traction forces at the leading edge of migrating CTLs that correlate with regions dominated by a lamellipodium-enriched actin conformation, and show that inhibition of non-muscle myosin IIa, Arp2/3, or formins disrupts force production without disrupting this biased actin conformation, indicating that conformation is regulated upstream of force. At the cytotoxic immune synapse, force exertion peaks 50-100 seconds after an early, force-associated actin conformation dominates the synapse, with this pattern conserved in physiological CTL-target cell conjugates. We show that actin conformation is regulated upstream of force production, and that force exertion at the cytotoxic immune synapse temporally follows actin conformation dynamics. Our work offers insight into the relationship between cellular force production and F-actin conformation in important primary immune cells.
Please note, that the best student talks will be honoured at the EUREKA! Symposium and speakers will automatically take part in this competition.
