In this year’s application round, Dr. Jannik Ruwisch with his submitted project was selected for the three-year support. The aim of his project is to develop a deeper understanding of the intra- and intercellular signaling pathways of lungs with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The latest research was able to reveal already, using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq),  aberrant epithelial cell plasticity in the IPF. This seems to also be connected with a fibrotic expansion of the interstitium, which appear in the IPF in the form of bronchiolarized air spaces and honeycomb cysts. Using scRNAseq and other cutting-edge technologies such as µCT and stationary transcriptome and ultrastructure analysis, Ruwisch and his mentors want to identify cell and sub-cell types in distinct fibrotic disease phenotypes, which can provide a therapeutic starting point for the up to now irreversible progress of fibrotic diseases.

„I would like to use the first 1½ years of the program to further develop my clinical skills in the outpatient clinic for interstitial pulmonary diseases with my mentor, Prof. Dr. Antje Prasse. I will use the second phase of the program totally for the experimental phase and data analysis and expand my range of methods further in a stay abroad“, says Ruwisch who, parallel to his specialist medical training has also taken up the master study course in biomedical data science, in order to become qualified in the evaluation of large amounts of data in biomedical research (Big Data).

We wish Dr. Ruwisch every success for his project and will follow his scientific career with great interest.

The places in the last Clinician Scientist Program at the MHH sponsored by BREATH were awarded to  Dr. Da-Hee Park and Dr. Jan-Christopher Kamp. For places in the next PRACTIS Program, those interested can still submit their applications before 04.01.2024. All information can be found on the PRACTIS Homepage.

Text: BREATH/AB

Photo: private