friedrich

The expansion of the digital infrastructure in Germany is progressing slowly. This raises the question: does rural areas need 5G at all?

At FAU, scientists from a wide variety of fields of research are studying signalling pathways on the cellular and molecular level that are still far from being fully understood, and hope to create the basis for new types of treatment as a result.

A group of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Christoph Becker, Professor of Molecular Gastroenterology at FAU are investigating the fundamental processes behind abnormal communication between intestinal flora, the epithelium and immune cells.

The immune systems of patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) function abnormally. This results in symptoms ranging from painful inflammation to joint stiffness. A team from FAU led by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Krönke is investigating the causes of this incorrect programming of the immune system in rheumatoid arthritis as part of the PANDORA project.

Prof. Dr. Ralf Enz, professor of biochemistry and medical molecular biology at FAU, and his team are investigating the interaction between proteins in the central nervous system, for example in the retina in the eye, and the cochlea, the part of the inner ear that picks up auditory signals and passes them on to the brain.

Pilgrimages are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. But has there been a change in what motivates people today compared to those in Medieval times?

The road to completing an undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral degree can be long and winding. However, there are sure to be some funny moments along the way which brighten the journey for at least a little while.

This year´s issue deals with all things hidden

Many different things are hidden in many different ways. In this edition of friedrich, we would like to invite you to join our researchers in taking a closer look and shining a light on what has until now remained hidden. Read the editorial by Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger.

Just because we can't see something doesn’t mean it's not there. A lot is hidden to the naked eye – molecular structures, for example. We have only been able to gain an insight into these, the smallest of structures, since microscopes were invented. Sometimes, the images researchers see through a microscope could almost be classed as modern art.