Group leader: Prof. Dr. Claudia Fournier

Whilst  cancer is generally considered the main late consequence of radiation exposure, recent studies focus on the role of inflammation, a common side effect in radiotherapy and also a promoter in the progression of many cancers. However, radiation at low doses has an anti-inflammatory effect, which is indeed exploited in the therapy of chronic inflammatory diseases. In recent activities, our group focuses on the balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory response following exposure to densely (heavy ions and a-particles) vs. sparsely (X-rays) ionizing radiation.

Main research topics

• Impact of low dose radon exposure on the organism
  • GREWIS / GREWIS-alpha Consortium
  • Research activities
• Immunogenicity and immunomodulation of radiation
• Radiation response of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
• Space radiation induced neuroinflammation
• Heavy ion induced late effects in tissue

• TU Darmstadt (Prof. P. Laube, Prof. G. Thiel, Prof. C. Cardoso, Prof. M. Löbrich, PD Dr. T. Meckel, Dr. M. Saul)
• Darmstadt Clinic (PD Dr. M. Podda, M. Kovacs)
• Forschungszentrum Jülich (Dr. R. Kriehuber)
• University of Erlangen (Dr. B. Frey, Prof. Dr. U. Gaipl)
• University of Frankfurt am Main (Prof. F. Rödel, Prof. C. Rödel, Prof. E. Ullrich, Prof. H. Bönig)
• University of Leipzig, Institute of Anatomy (Prof. Ingo Bechmann, Dr. Sonja Kallendrusch)
• University of Rostock (S. Freiesleben)
• University of Ulm (Prof. Dr. L. Wiesmüller, PD Dr. P. Fischer-Posovsky)
• TRON, Mainz (Dr. F. Vascotto, Dr. N. Salomon)
• Agaplesion Markus Hospital, Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (Prof. S. Rehart)
• Medical Practice for Cardiology, Bad Steben (Dr. G. Klein)
• Gastein Research Institute (FOI), Austria (Dr. M. Gaisberger)
• University of Caen, France (Dr. Carine Laurent, Francois Sichel)
• NIRS-QST, Chiba, Japan (Dr. T. Shimokawa)
• University of Groningen, Netherlands (Prof. R. Coppes, Dr. Peter van Luijk)
• Stanford Medicine, Stanford, USA (Prof. M. Diehn)
• University Parthenope, Napoli, Italy (Dr. P. Simoniello)
• iThemba LABS, South Africa (Prof. Newman, Dr. Van de Voorde)
• Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA (Prof. S. Formenti, Prof. S. Demaria)

• BMBF, joint research project GREWIS-alpha Genetische Risiken und entzündungshemmende Wirkung von dicht-ionisierender alpha-Strahlung, Teilprojekt A. Funding code 02NUK050A, 01/08/2017 - 31/01/2023
• BMBF, joint research project GREWIS Genetische Risiken und entzündungshemmende Wirkung von dicht-ionisierender Strahlung: Vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Wirkung von Radon in Zell- und Tier-Modellen und in Radon-Patienten; Teilprojekt A. Funding code 02NUK017A, 01/02/2012 - 31/07/2018
• BMWi, Einfluss von Schwerelosigkeit und Strahlenexposition auf Genomstabilität und Alterungsprozesse in menschlichen hämatopoetischen Stamm- und Progenitorzellen (GestAlt_HSPC). Funding code 50WB1716, 01/09/2017 - 31/05/2022
• BMWi, Wirkung von (Weltraum-)Strahlung auf Mikroglia und Blutgefäße in organotypischen Hippocampus- Slicekulturen (space_brain). Funding code 50WB1837, 01/10/2018 - 29/02/2020
• BMWi, Einfluss von physikalischen und biologischen Maßnahmen auf Strahlungs-induzierte Veränderungen des zentralen Nervensystems (ZNS) in Mäusen (space_PRICE). Funding code 50WB2025, 01/03/2020 - 28/02/2023
• EURADON - European Association radon spas eV, project number 01/2019, 2019-2021
• EURADON - European Association radon spas eV, project number 02/2016, 2016-2018
• FOI Bad Gastein, project funding code FOI-15/08-031WIE, 01/01/2016 - 31/12/2016
• ESA/DLR, Fidelity of DNA double-strand break repair, manifestation of genetic instabilities and carcinogenesis risk in irradiated human hematopoietic stem cells, project funding code 50WB1225, 01/04/2012 - 30/06/2015
• DFG, GRK1657 (Graduate College: Molecular and cellular responses to ionizing Radiation), 01/04/2011 - 31/03/2017
• HGS-HIRe (Helmholtz Graduate School for Hadron and Ion Research)