MED | Advancing Heart and Cancer Research: Two SFU Projects Funded by the City of Vienna

The Mayor of Vienna’s Medical and Scientific Fund has approved two new research projects in the field of human medicine for funding. The projects are dedicated to central questions of heart and cancer research and aim to develop new approaches for diagnostics and therapy.

By funding these two projects, the Medical-Scientific Fund promotes innovative research from Vienna and further strengthens scientific work in the field of human medicine at SFU.

New biomarkers for cardiac amyloidosis

A project led by Dr. Stephan Dobner, PhD, MSc investigates transthyretin-associated cardiac amyloidosis, a disease in which misfolded protein (transthyretin) accumulates in the heart. The deposition of protein aggregates between cardiac muscle cells (in the extracellular space) leads to thickening of the heart muscle, which becomes increasingly stiff, and to the development of clinical heart failure causing exercise intolerance, shortness of breath, and fluid retention in affected patients.

The aim of the project is to identify a blood biomarker that correlates with the extent of the extracellular space (ECV). To date, the expansion of the ECV can only be detected using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A corresponding blood marker offer the potential for simpler and earlier diagnosis of the disease, and could also be used to monitor disease progression under TTR-targeting therapy.

Influence of skin bacteria on melanoma cells

In this project, Dr. rer. nat. Verena Schön, in collaboration with Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. univ. Christian Posch, PhD, examines how bacteria that naturally live on human skin influence the behaviour of melanoma cells. Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ. Klaus Geissler contributed to the project’s development and implementation.

The focus is on metabolic products of certain skin bacteria – particularly staphylococci – and their potential effects on malignant melanoma (black skin cancer). The aim is to determine whether specific bacterial substances promote or inhibit tumour growth. The findings could open up new avenues for improved melanoma therapies.

 

Faculty of Medicine
Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna
Campus Prater
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1020 Vienna
T.: +43 1 90 500 70 1111
E-mail: info@med.sfu.ac.at
Web: https://med.sfu.ac.at/de/

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