Lichtgedanken 03

Rubrik 6 Biomarkers for healthy food Junior research group »Nutritional Concepts« is developing plans for different dietary types and has received federal government funding of some 2.7 million euros Healing chronic wounds Research group »InflammAging« aims to achieve better wound healing using nanocellulose—700,000 euros funding by the federal state Vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian—people nowadays follow many different diets. However, anyone who shuns particular foods runs the risk of suffering from a deficiency in important nutrients. Al- though there is plenty of advice avai- lable regarding various diets, for most approaches a valid scientific database is missing. Nutritionists in Jena want to change this. Over the next five years, the junior research group »Nutritional Concepts« aims to develop specific nu- tritional plans for a variety of diets. The- se concepts will be validated by human intervention studies. The group is integrated within the Com- petence Cluster for Nutrition and Car- diovascular Research (nutriCARD) of the Universities of Jena, Halle and Leip- zig, and is being supported by around 2.7 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Re- search (BMBF). »Our aim is to develop nutritional plans or concepts for healthy people with various different dietary habits, which ensure an adequate intake of all essen- tial nutrients,« explains Dr Christine Dawczynski, who leads the new junior research group. In order to give nutrition-related stu- dies greater and lasting value, the group focuses on identifying and validating biomarkers that reliably reflect specific nutritional patterns and thus reveal con- nections between the intake of nutrients and an individual’s state of health. Scientists can already detect omega-3 fatty acids of marine origin in the blood, for example, and the objective of the ju- nior research group is to establish and validate biomarkers that reflect, for example, the consumption of cereals, meat, dairy products, chocolate, fast food or fruit, and vegetables. sh The interdisciplinary research group »InflammAging« at the University of Jena has being funded for three years by the Free State of Thuringia with 700,000 euros from the European Soci- al Fund. The research consortium aims to develop new therapeutic approaches for treating chronic wounds—especial- ly for older people. The team, bringing together researchers from pharmacy, nutrition sciences and medicine, is pursuing its aim using a combination of bioactive natural products and an innovative carrier material made from bacterial nanocellulose. The idea is to develop innovative wound dressings based on this material—created through biotechnology research—in order to treat chronic inflamed wounds more effectively. In Germany, some 400,000 people a year develop a form of decubitus that requi- res treatment. Decubitus ulcers, also called bedsores or pressure sores, occur in response to damage to the skin and the underlying tissue that can develop into a »silent« inflammation. »Anti-in- flammatory strategies for the preventi- on and treatment of such inflammatory conditions are therefore an important field of research,« explains the coordi- nator of the new research group, Prof. Stefan Lorkowski. Wounds are treated using bioactive natural products, such as triterpene acids from frankincense, which are anti-inflammatory. AB Researchers aim to pack anti-inflammatory molecules into wound dressings made from nanocellulose to treat chronic wounds more effectively.