Haass Lab

Oxygen-free metabolism in the bird inner retina supported by the pecten - Nature While the photoreceptor outer segments in the bird outer retina have access to oxygen, the inner retina operates under chronic anoxia, supported by anaerobic glycolysis in the retinal neurons.

Birds have a thick retina devoid of blood vessels - so how do they ensure sufficient oxygen availability?
They don't - neurons rely on glycolysis, metabolizing glucose released from the pecten.

Insane new study that includes comparative data on lizards and crocs.🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ageing promotes microglial accumulation of slow-degrading synaptic proteins @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Brain-derived tau for monitoring brain injury in acute ischemic stroke Brain-derived tau in plasma reflects the extent of brain injury in acute ischemic stroke, predicts functional outcomes, and detects treatment effects.

Monitoring markers of tau protein in the blood can predict functional outcomes in patients recovering from ischemic stroke better than MRI, according to a comprehensive study of more than 1200 patients in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine. https://scim.ag/49TTWTQ

A minimally invasive dried blood spot biomarker test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease pathology
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natmed.nature.com @nicholasashton.bsky.social @bannerhealth.bsky.social @wagnersbrum.bsky.social

Oh wow: Cryo-EM structure of #TAF15 filaments from postmortem #FTLD brains by the group of Ben Ryskeldi-Falcon at the @mrclmb.bsky.social. What an amazing tour-de-force!! 🤯

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Neuronal subtype governs #amyloid structure, cellular response, and cognitive outcome in genetically targeted APP mouse models

Gabriella A. Perez, Zoe Lai...Joanna L. Jankowsky
@bcmhouston.bsky.social @washumedicine.bsky.social #AlzheimersDisease #GABAergic

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity Microglia adopt diverse states throughout life. Whether these represent fixed lineages or reversible plasticity remains unclear. Hamagami and Kapadia et al. show that reactive microglia switch states through reprogramming of histone modifications at state-specific enhancers and associated transcription factors, linking developmental, aging, and disease phenotypes within a unified dynamic framework.

Online now: State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity

Postdoc: Genomic resilience against neurodegeneration Postdoctoral role in Leuven studying resilience to neurodegeneration using multi omics data from cognitively healthy centenarian brain samples.

Postdoc opportunity in the Holstege lab in Leuven analysing multi omics brain data to uncover protective mechanisms against ageing and neurodegeneration. Closing date: 4th March

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/postdoc-...

Michel Goedert, sat in front of a computer screen which displays filament fold structures

Excellent opportunity for a #postdoc to join Michel Goedert’s group, investigating the mechanisms which cause the formation of amyloid filaments in neurodegenerative diseases, in collaboration with @sjorsscheres.bsky.social’s group.
More details: www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Closes 04 JAN

Marine benthos in the Eastern Weddell Sea (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Tomas Lundalv) The aim of the expedition is to lay the foundation for long-term observations of biodiversity in a possible future marine protected area. The research voyage will take place from December 15, 2025, to February 2, 2026, and marks the fieldwork phase of the EU joint project “Weddell Sea Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change” (WOBEC), which is supported by eleven partner institutions and national funders from Europe and the USA under the umbrella of the European Partnership for Biodiversity Biodiversa+. The expedition will also supply the German Antarctic station Neumayer III, which is maintained by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).

Marine Benthos in eastern Weddell Sea (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Tomas Lundalv) The EU project WOBEC is coordinated by the AWI and investigates how biodiversity and ecosystem functions are changing in this ice-rich region. The Weddell Sea is a biodiversity hotspot: it is home to sponge and coral gardens, as well as huge swarms of krill. The area is also a habitat for bottom-dwelling fish, whales, and ice-dependent organisms, including Weddell seals and emperor penguins. “The Weddell Sea is one of the last largely untouched marine areas on our planet. It serves as a refuge for many cold-loving species in times of man-made climate change,” explains Dr. Hauke Flores, marine biologist at the AWI and coordinator of WOBEC. “With WOBEC, we are laying the foundation for early detection of changes and the development of effective protection strategies for a potential marine protected area.”

Crabeater Seal (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Tim Kalvelage) Setting off for one of the last largely untouched ecosystems on Eart. Under the scientific direction of Dr. Heike Link from the University of Rostock, the 46-member team will carry out research along the Prime Meridian and in the eastern Weddell Sea over the coming weeks. On board the research vessel operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the researchers plan to conduct investigations around the seamount Maud Rise where unique current conditions result in a highly productive and biodiverse community, and continue earlier work on the species-rich communities on the shelf region off Kapp Norvegia, west of the German Antarctic station Neumayer III. Both modern autonomous observation systems and classic oceanographic measurement methods will be used. “We want to understand how this unique ecosystem is developing and what effects the decline in Antarctic sea ice is having on the communities,” says expedition leader and marine ecologist at the University of Rostock, Heike Link. “The expedition is a crucial test for our joint observation concept, which we are setting up for the coming years.”

Emperor penguins on the sea ice of the Weddell Sea (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / Mario Hoppmann) Data for tomorrow – knowledge for protecting the Southern Ocean During the expedition, scientists will collect new biological, chemical, and physical data and also make historical data sets available to the general public. This is based on close cooperation with international partners and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). With the Polarstern setting sail today, WOBEC's fieldwork begins – an important step towards a better understanding of one of the most sensitive and valuable ecosystems on Earth. This news item was first published by the University of Rostock.

Research icebreaker Polarstern sets sail for the Antarctic Weddell Sea.
An international research team led by the University of Rostock is investigating the impact of climate change on biodiversity in Antarctica. @awi.de @helmholtz.de
www.uni-rostock.de/en/

New paper out today at @natneuro.nature.com in collab. with DichgansLab @isd-research.bsky.social @lmumuenchen.bsky.social: We developed a fully #iPSC-derived human model of the #BBB #blood-brain-barrier and applied it to study neurovascular disease (NVD)! #OA PDF here: rdcu.be/eUIl3 Thread👇 1/10

Chimeric human organoid and mouse brain slice co-cultures to study microglial function Panagiotakopoulou et al. developed a co-culture system combining human cerebral organoids and mouse brain slices. The model supports long-term study of human microglia, enhances cortical marker expres...

Human – mouse chimeric cultures to study microglia and amyloid pathology; This is a very exciting approach with lots of potential. Congratulations to Vasiliki Panagiotakopoulou! Cell Reports www.cell.com/cell-reports...

That’s a wrap on Connectome 2025! 👏

Today has been another fantastic day, with special thanks to our keynote Prof Christian Haas, and Charles Sabine OBE who gave a powerful talk about his lived experience of Huntington's disease.

Thank you to everyone who made it such a great event!

In vivo CRISPR screen reveals regulation of macrophage states in neuroinflammation A research team led by Martin Kerschensteiner has developed an experimental platform that helps uncover the signals that instruct immune cells in neuroinflammatory disease.

🧬 Researchers at the #BMC #Munich have developed an in vivo #CRISPR screening method to study how #macrophages are regulated during #neuroinflammation.

➡️ www.med.lmu.de/bmc/en/news/...

#multiplesclerosis #MS #biomedical #research #Munich #Germany

Check out our latest publication! 👇

Microglia replacement halts the progression of microgliopathy in mice and humans Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) is primarily expressed in microglia. Its monoallelic mutation causes CSF1R-associated microgliopathy (CAMP), a major form of adult-onset leukoencephalopath...

Microglia replacement halts the progression of microgliopathy in mice and humans @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

GitHub - lmu-osc/safeguar.de-hackathon Contribute to lmu-osc/safeguar.de-hackathon development by creating an account on GitHub.

​Hackathon: Data Under Threat/Data Rescuing in #München

The LMU OSC runs a hackathon to support the #SciOp #SafeguardingResearch initiative: Rescuing research data that is deleted by the Trump administration.
📅 07/08/25 from 16 – 19 (only in-person)
👉 Details and signup: github.com/lmu-osc/safe...

Photo of ceremony.

Photo of ceremony.

Congratulations to Christian Haass (@haasslab.bsky.social)! He receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Eastern Finland for 30+ years of groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research on beta-amyloid proteins and new therapeutic approaches. 📸: UFE/Raija Törrönen & UFE/Niko Jouhkimainen

A word cloud made from flagged terms in terminated NIH grant proposals. The most prominent words in large font include “trans,” “diverse,” “diversity,” “minority,” “sex,” “expression,” “mental health,” “gender,” and “women.” Other visible terms include “LGBTQ,” “racial,” “underrepresented,” “disability,” “barriers,” “black,” “equity,” “health equity,” “vaccine,” “bias,” and “intersectionality.” The word cloud highlights terms related to identity, inclusion, and marginalized communities.

HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈

Under Trump, research using terms like “Trans,” “LGBTQ,” & “Gender identity” is being defunded. These terms reflect real people who deserve science that includes them.

Stand with us to protect LGBTQ+ science from political erasure.
grant-watch.us/nih-data.html
@rcmedphys.bsky.social

How does APOE change your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease? At least partially by changing the function of immune cells in your brain 🧠🧬

New paper out in @natcomms.nature.com today: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@ukdri.ac.uk @kingsioppn.bsky.social @imperialbrains.bsky.social

Map of Germany with the Clusters of Excellence

The #ClustersOfExcellence have been selected: today, the Excellence Commission approved 70 projects for funding. 45 clusters will continue and 25 will be newly established. Funding starts on 1 Jan 2026 for 7 years, with €539 million per year. The full list: www.dfg.de/resource/blo... 1/3

🎉 Major achievement for #LMU in the Excellence Strategy: All seven proposed Clusters of Excellence have successfully passed the review process and will be funded for seven years as of 2026. An outstanding result! 🎉 #ExcellenceCluster #LMUMunich #research Read more here: www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...

💭 Our PhD & Postdoc reps initiated visits to our Technology Hubs for our researchers and kicked off with a visit to our Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptome Hubs last week.

👋 Thanks Arek Kendirli, Janos Groh, Clara de la Rosa del Val, and Simon Frerich for hosting the first event of the series!

We've been studying mechanisms of resilience that protect lysosomes from damage and wrote a review on the topic. We consider lysosomal stress and damage on a spectrum. Please help me share as this is my first post 😀 and I don't have many followers! 🙏 Open Access: www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

Excited to share our latest work with Denali Therapeutics as Deep Piction. Using our proprietary clearing & imaging, we’ve mapped the full targeting profile of brain-penetrating transport vehicles (ATVs) in both whole mouse bodies and monkey brains. nature.com/articles/s41...

Physiological shedding and C-terminal proteolytic processing of TMEM106B Genetic variants in TMEM106B, coding for a transmembrane protein of unknown function, have been identified as critical genetic modulators in various n…

Our new paper on the proteolytic processing of TMEM106B is out in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! TMEM106B undergoesphysiological shedding and additional C-terminal trimming. The new luminal-domain antibody is commercially available!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We did it and now it is published: A highly Lewy-fold selective and quantitative Synuclein Aggregate Amplification Assay (SAA). Huge thanks to the amazing teams at MODAG GmbH, LMU Munich, and Bologna University!
rdcu.be/eaISM

👋 Meet our PhD and Postdoc Representatives

💭 The voice of our PhD students and Postdocs. A point of contact for feedback, questions, criticism, and improvements. And they organize extracurricular activities! Meet @angelikadannert.bsky.social, Clara, Lis and Nathalie.

🔗 Read more: lnkd.in/dKtzshqr

Microglia degrade Alzheimer’s amyloid-beta deposits extracellularly via digestive exophagy Jacquet et al. shows that microglia use digestive exophagy to engage large Aβ deposits that cannot be phagocytosed, forming acidic extracellular compartments on the aggregates into which lysosomal enz...

This is really interesting. Known for a long time lysosomal enzymes are secreted- it’s the principle of cross correction for lysosomal
Storage diseases. However the idea lysosomes are released or degrading plaques extracellularly is 🤯. Do they differ from EVs/EPs?

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Big congrats to the winners, including Marvin Reich, PhD student co-supervised by our lab in a nice collab with @haasslab.bsky.social