Universität Bonn

Institut für Physiologie

de
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© Serradas ML
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© Castro-Gomez

Our Research

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Castro-Gomez S. Immunity 2024

Mission

Our goal is to study, educate and investigate on molecular and cellular mediators of acute and chronic neuroinflammation in different neurological disorders using innovative experimental models for neurodegeneration after brain injury and in the context of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies.

Vision

By integrating advanced imaging, molecular profiling, and targeted delivery systems, our vision is to translate mechanistic insights into effective therapies that can mitigate neuroinflammation, protect neuronal integrity, and slow or prevent disease progression in patients affected by brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders.

Experimetal aproches

Among our experimental approaches, we use intravital microscopy (2-photon and confocal laser imaging), viral vector technologies, behavioral tests, histopathological and molecular techniques, combined with bioinformatic analyses to study preclinical treatments of neuroinflammation in brain injury and Alzheimer’s Disease models. 

Our Team

Junior Group Leader

Sergio Castro-Gomez MD-PhD
sergio.Castro-Gomez@ukbonn.de
Tel.:0228 287-53217 

Sergio is currently a clinician scientist, lecturer and neurology resident at the Center for Neurology and at the Institute for Physiology II from the University Hospital Bonn. He studied human medicine at the University of Antioquia (Medellín, Colombia) and at Hamburg University. He additionally received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg. He has worked in general medicine, neurology, and basic neuroscience with special emphasis on molecular mechanisms of learning and memory and neurodegenerative diseases. His current research focus is on biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases and neuro-immunological mechanisms after brain injury and neurodegeneration.

Linkedln 

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© JI Muñoz

Doctoral researcher

Yingying Ding MD 
yingying.ding@ukbonn.de
Tel.:0228287-53239


Yingying (Crystal) Ding studied medicine at Yanbian University in China. She received her Master’s degree in Anesthesiology from Fudan University in 2018 in Shanghai, China. She has worked in the department of anesthesiology and also intensive care unit and ended her residency in 2023. Yingying is currently a PhD student at the University of Bonn. Her project focuses on environmental factors that influence neuroinflammation in tau pathology.

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© Ding Y

Doctoral researcher

Ida Kulińska MSc
Ida.Kulinska@ukbonn.de
Tel.: 0228 287-53239


Ida holds a bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics from the University of Gdańsk, Poland. She pursued research master’s in molecular and clinical neuroscience at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, where she focused on exploring aging and neuroinflammation, especially within the context of Alzheimer’s Disease. Currently, she works on preclinical studies exploring therapeutic interventions targeting innate immune system in traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s Disease.  

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© Kulinska I

Funding

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© Funding

Alumni

Tao Li – Medical doctoral researcher

Maria L. Serradas – Master student

Punsa Natsinee Kitt – Medical doctoral researcher

Publications

Cognitive capacity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: the value of diagnostic markers in cerebrospinal fluid and the influence of nutrition and pulmonary function.
Wölfel SM, Widmann CN, Castro-Gomez S, Weydt P, Tacik P, Heneka MT.
Brain Commun. 2025 Apr 8;7(2):fcaf137. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf137

  • Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer disease.
    Heneka MT, van der Flier WM, Jessen F, Hoozemanns J, Thal DR, Boche D, Brosseron F, Teunissen C, Zetterberg H, Jacobs AH, Edison P, Ramirez A, Cruchaga C, Lambert JC, Laza AR, Sanchez-Mut JV, Fischer A, Castro-Gomez S, Stein TD, Kleineidam L, Wagner M, Neher JJ, Cunningham C, Singhrao SK, Prinz M, Glass CK, Schlachetzki JCM, Butovsky O, Kleemann K, De Jaeger PL, Scheiblich H, Brown GC, Landreth G, Moutinho M, Grutzendler J, Gomez-Nicola D, McManus RM, Andreasson K, Ising C, Karabag D, Baker DJ, Liddelow SA, Verkhratsky A, Tansey M, Monsonego A, Aigner L, Dorothée G, Nave KA, Simons M, Constantin G, Rosenzweig N, Pascual A, Petzold GC, Kipnis J, Venegas C, Colonna M, Walter J, Tenner AJ, O'Banion MK, Steinert JR, Feinstein DL, Sastre M, Bhaskar K, Hong S, Schafer DP, Golde T, Ransohoff RM, Morgan D, Breitner J, Mancuso R, Riechers SP.  Nat Rev Immunol. 2024 Dec 9. doi: 10.1038/s41577-024-01104-7.

  • Therapeutic Targets in Innate Immunity to Tackle Alzheimer's Disease.
    Serradas ML, Ding Y, Martorell PV, Kulińska I, Castro-Gomez S.
    Cells. 2024 Aug 26;13(17):1426. doi: 10.3390/cells13171426.
  • Microglia rescue neurons from aggregate-induced neuronal dysfunction and death through tunneling nanotubes.
    Scheiblich H, Eikens F, Wischhof L, Opitz S, Jüngling K, Cserép C, Schmidt SV, Lambertz J, Bellande T, Pósfai B, Geck C, Spitzer J, Odainic A, Castro-Gomez S, Schwartz S, Boussaad I, Krüger R, Glaab E, Di Monte DA, Bano D, Dénes Á, Latz E, Melki R, Pape HC, Heneka MT.Neuron. 2024 Sep 25;112(18):3106-3125.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.06.029.
  • Next-generation phenotyping integrated in a national framework for patients with ultrarare disorders improves genetic diagnostics and yields new molecular findings.
    Schmidt A, Danyel M, Grundmann K, Brunet T, Klinkhammer H, Hsieh TC, Engels H, Peters S, Knaus A, Moosa S, Averdunk L, Boschann F, Sczakiel HL, Schwartzmann S, Mensah MA, Pantel JT, Holtgrewe M, Bösch A, Weiß C, Weinhold N, Suter AA, Stoltenburg C, Neugebauer J, Kallinich T, Kaindl AM, Holzhauer S, Bührer C, Bufler P, Kornak U, Ott CE, Schülke M, Nguyen HHP, Hoffjan S, Grasemann C, Rothoeft T, Brinkmann F, Matar N, Sivalingam S, Perne C, Mangold E, Kreiss M, Cremer K, Betz RC, Mücke M, Grigull L, Klockgether T, Spier I, Heimbach A, Bender T, Brand F, Stieber C, Morawiec AM, Karakostas P, Schäfer VS, Bernsen S, Weydt P, Castro-Gomez S, Aziz A, Grobe-Einsler M, Kimmich O, Kobeleva X, Önder D, Lesmann H, Kumar S, Tacik P, Basin MA, Incardona P, Lee-Kirsch MA, Berner R, Schuetz C, Körholz J, Kretschmer T, Di Donato N, Schröck E, Heinen A, Reuner U, Hanßke AM, Kaiser FJ, Manka E, Munteanu M, Kuechler A, Cordula K, Hirtz R, Schlapakow E, Schlein C, Lisfeld J, Kubisch C, Herget T, Hempel M, Weiler-Normann C, Ullrich K, Schramm C, Rudolph C, Rillig F, Groffmann M, Muntau A, Tibelius A, Schwaibold EMC, Schaaf CP, Zawada M, Kaufmann L, Hinderhofer K, Okun PM, Kotzaeridou U, Hoffmann GF, Cho…See abstract for full author list ➔
    Nat Genet. 2024 Aug;56(8):1644-1653. doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01836-1. 
  • Cardiac troponin T as a serum biomarker of respiratory impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Koch T, Fabian R, Weinhold L, Koch FW, Barakat S, Castro-Gomez S, Grehl T, Bernsen S, Weydt P. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2024 Aug;11(8):2063-2072. doi: 10.1002/acn3.52126.

  •  Innate immune activation in neurodegenerative diseases.
    Castro-Gomez S, Heneka MT.
    Immunity. 2024 Apr 9;57(4):790-814. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.03.010.
  • Creatine Kinase MB Isoenzyme Is a Complementary Biomarker in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Kittipeerapat N, Fabian R, Bernsen S, Weydt P, Castro-Gomez S.
    Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 20;24(14):11682. doi: 10.3390/ijms241411682.

  • Current State and Future Directions in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
    Vidovic M, Müschen LH, Brakemeier S, Machetanz G, Naumann M, Castro-Gomez S.
    Cells. 2023 Feb 24;12(5):736. doi: 10.3390/cells12050736.
  • CNS Superficial Siderosis Mimicking a Motor Neuron Disease.
    Castro-Gomez S, Binder J, Schievelkamp AH, Heneka MT.
    Brain Sci. 2022 Nov 16;12(11):1558. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12111558.
  • Teaching an old dog new tricks: serum troponin T as a biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Castro-Gomez S, Radermacher B, Tacik P, Mirandola SR, Heneka MT, Weydt P.
    Brain Commun. 2021 Nov 17;3(4):fcab274. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab274.

  • Interrelations of Alzheimer´s disease candidate biomarkers neurogranin, fatty acid-binding protein 3 and ferritin to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.Brosseron F, Kleemann K, Kolbe CC, Santarelli F, Castro-Gomez S, Tacik P, Latz E, Jessen F, Heneka MT.J Neurochem. 2021 Jun;157(6):2210-2224. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15175
  • Multicenter Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease immune biomarker verification study. Brosseron F, Kolbe CC, Santarelli F, Carvalho S, Antonell A, Castro-Gomez S, Tacik P, Namasivayam AA, Mangone G, Schneider R, Latz E, Wüllner U, Svenningsson P, Sánchez-Valle R, Molinuevo JL, Corvol JC, Heneka MT; AETIONOMY study group.Alzheimers Dement. 2020 Feb;16(2):292-304. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2019.07.018.

  • Disturbed Prefrontal Cortex Activity in the Absence of Schizophrenia-Like Behavioral Dysfunction in Arc/Arg3.1 Deficient Mice.
    Gao X, Grendel J, Muhia M, Castro-Gomez S, Süsens U, Isbrandt D, Kneussel M, Kuhl D, Ohana O.J Neurosci. 2019 Oct 9;39(41):8149-8163. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0623-19.2019.

  • Neuroinflammation as motor of Alzheimer's disease.
    Castro-Gomez S, Binder J, Heneka MT.
    Nervenarzt. 2019 Sep;90(9):898-906. doi: 10.1007/s00115-019-0778-3.
  • Arc/Arg3.1 mediates a critical period for spatial learning and hippocampal networks.
    Gao X, Castro-Gomez S, Grendel J, Graf S, Süsens U, Binkle L, Mensching D, Isbrandt D, Kuhl D, Ohana O.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Dec 4;115(49):12531-12536. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1810125115. Epub 2018 Nov 15.PMID: 30442670
  • Targeting Neuroinflammation to Treat Alzheimer's Disease.
    Ardura-Fabregat A, Boddeke EWGM, Boza-Serrano A, Brioschi S, Castro-Gomez S, Ceyzériat K, Dansokho C, Dierkes T, Gelders G, Heneka MT, Hoeijmakers L, Hoffmann A, Iaccarino L, Jahnert S, Kuhbandner K, Landreth G, Lonnemann N, Löschmann PA, McManus RM, Paulus A, Reemst K, Sanchez-Caro JM, Tiberi A, Van der Perren A, Vautheny A, Venegas C, Webers A, Weydt P, Wijasa TS, Xiang X, Yang Y.
    CNS Drugs. 2017 Dec;31(12):1057-1082. doi: 10.1007/s40263-017-0483-3.PMID: 29260466Aufklapp-Text

2013

Specific de-SUMOylation triggered by acquisition of spatial learning is related to epigenetic changes in the rat hippocampus.Castro-Gomez S, Barrera-Ocampo A, Machado-Rodriguez G, Castro-Alvarez JF, Glatzel M, Giraldo M, Sepulveda-Falla D.Neuroreport. 2013 Dec 4;24(17):976-81. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000025.