Funding success for interdisciplinary research consortium ‘i-HEAD’
 

MPIPZ scientists Jane Parker, Ruben Garrido-Oter and Paul Schulze-Lefert, together with researchers from the University of Cologne, will form an interdisciplinary research consortium to explore the regulatory functions of metabolic signals and bioactive metabolites within immune systems. Speaker of the project ‘Immunometabolism in Health and Disease’ (i-HEAD) will be Alga Zuccaro from the University of Cologne.

The overall aim of i-HEAD is to establish the field of immunometabolism as an emerging field of research in host-microbe interactions. The researchers propose that immunometabolism represents a fundamental characteristic of immune systems spanning various life kingdoms, leading to the evolution of both shared and kingdom-specific signaling molecules.

The focus of this initiative holds the promise of being a frontrunner in the investigation of immune metabolism and its significance in the context of both health and disease.

Out of a total of 57 applications submitted, a jury selected a total of 10 applications, receiving a total of 27 million euros in funding from the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science over the next 3 years. Last Friday, Minister Ina Brandes handed over the award and approval letter to the consortium initiators in Düsseldorf.