In his dissertation, titled "Transmission Electron Microscopy of Ciliary Ultrastructure in Adults with Clinical Suspicion of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Inconclusive Genetic Findings," Dr. Staar focused on improving diagnostics for the rare disease Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). His research was supervised by BREATH Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Felix C. Ringshausen from the Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Hannover Medical School (MHH).

PCD is a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired function of motile cilia—microscopic, hair-like structures found in many organs, including the upper and lower airways, embryonic tissues, the brain, and reproductive organs. Since PCD affects all motile cilia in the body, it can present with a wide range of symptoms such as chronic respiratory infections, infertility, or congenital organ positioning anomalies like situs inversus. Due to the complexity of symptoms and often inconclusive genetic results, diagnosing PCD remains a clinical challenge.

In his study, Dr. Staar demonstrated that transmission electron microscopy (TEM) holds high diagnostic value in a cohort of adult patients with clinical suspicion of PCD and negative or inconclusive genetic testing. In a relevant number of cases, typical ultrastructural abnormalities of motile cilia were identified—particularly defects of the outer and/or inner dynein arms and, more rarely, anomalies of the central microtubule apparatus. These findings enabled a definitive diagnosis of PCD in several patients despite negative or ambiguous genetic results. The study highlights the importance of TEM as an integral component of multimodal PCD diagnostics, especially in adult patients with subtle or atypical clinical presentation.

The German Lung Foundation honors this dissertation with the 2025 Dissertation Award in Pneumology for the best clinical work. The award ceremony took place during the 2025 DGP Congress in Leipzig, where Dr. Staar also presented his research to a broad expert audience. “Ben Ole Staar has shown exceptional dedication to a highly relevant diagnostic question. This award is a well-deserved recognition of his work and demonstrates what can be achieved when scientific curiosity meets clinical relevance,” says Prof. Ringshausen in praise of his doctoral student.

The entire BREATH community warmly congratulates Dr. Staar on this achievement and looks forward to his future contributions to research.
 

Text: BREATH/ AB

Photo: © Mike Auerbach