TRR 369:  DIONE Degeneration of bone induced by inflammation

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 501752319

Inflammation is a key precipitator for local and systemic bone disease. Bone loss and fractures are highly prevalent in a wide range of chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and periodontitis. By exploiting technological and conceptual advances, DIONE aims to define novel pathways that control bone remodeling during inflammation. DIONE comprises three main research sections: (A) The characterization of systemic regulatory immune signals that determine the function of bone-resorbing and bone-forming cells. (B) The identification of microenvironmental factors that determine the bone resorptive niche. (C) The investigation of cell-intrinsic factors that regulate osteoclast function and metabolism and thereby contribute to bone loss. The three sections will be supported by a central clinical project, allowing fast translation of our research using the databases and bio-samples of Erlangen and Dresden. Moreover, an infrastructure project will manage the data of our research initiative and allow a FAIR handling as well as fast and secure transfer of the data between the participants to strengthen transparency and foster collaboration. This strategy will push innovation and create new insights into the mechanisms and therapeutic approaches to ameliorate inflammatory bone loss.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios

Current projects

• A01 - Regulatory mechanisms linking chronic gut inflammation and bone loss (Project Heads Wielockx, Ph.D., Ben ;  Zaiss, Mario M. )
• A02 - Inflammation-induced intestinal epithelial regulated necrosis as a novel modulator of bone resorption (Project Heads Bozec, Ph.D., Aline ;  Günther, Claudia )
• A03 - Consequences of gut-imprinted immune cell trafficking for bone homeostasis (Project Heads Salbach-Hirsch, Juliane ;  Zundler, Sebastian )
• A04 - Cross talk between skin and joints impairs bone homeostasis in psoriatic arthritis (Project Heads Günther, Claudia ;  Ramming, Andreas )
• A05 - The role of the iron regulator transferrin receptor 2 in infection and bone (Project Heads Baschant, Ulrike ;  Scholtysek, Carina )
• B01 - Defining the regulation and role of bone marrow adipocytes during inflammatory bone loss (Project Head Rauner, Martina )
• B02 - The impact of neutrophils and NET formation on osteoclastogenesis and bone homeostasis during inflammation (Project Head Steffen, Ulrike )
• B03 - The protective role of eosinophils against inflammatory bone loss (Project Head Andreev, Darja )
• B04 - Tissue-level definition of the inflammatory osteoclastogenic niche (Project Heads Gölz, Lina ;  Uderhardt, Stefan )
• B05 - Arginine supplementation as new therapeutic option against inflammatory bone loss (Project Heads Bozec, Ph.D., Aline ;  Schleicher, Ulrike )
• B06 - Cell-specific activation of glucocorticoids resolves inflammatory arthritis and prevents bone resorption (Project Heads Baschant, Ulrike ;  Tuckermann, Jan )
• C01 - Regulation of autoantibody in-duced bone inflammation and osteoclastogenesis via the C-type lectin receptor Mincle (Project Head Nimmerjahn, Falk )
• C02 - Role for the c-type lectin receptor Dectin-1 (Clec7a) in inflammatory bone disease (Project Heads Grötsch, Bettina ;  Weber, Manuel )
• C03 - Innate immune training-mediated regulation of osteoclasts and inflammatory bone loss (Project Heads Chavakis, Triantafyllos ;  Kalafati, Ph.D., Lydia )
• C04 - Differentiation and fate of osteoclasts during health and disease (Project Heads Grüneboom, Anika ;  Krönke, Gerhard )
• C05 - Defining the role of osteomorphs in inflammatory bone loss (Project Heads Hofbauer, Lorenz C. ;  Mirtschink, Peter )
• C06 - Role of type I interferon in inflammatory bone disease (Project Heads Lee-Kirsch, Min Ae ;  Schett, Georg )
• INF - Information Infrastructure for the CRC/TRR 369 (Project Heads Müller-Pfefferkorn, Ralph ;  Rauner, Martina )
• Z01 - Comprehensive characterization of patients with inflammatory bone disease with serological profiling and imaging (Project Heads Hofbauer, Lorenz C. ;  Mirtschink, Peter ;  Schett, Georg ;  Tsourdi, Elena )
• Z02 - Central Management Project (Project Head Bozec, Ph.D., Aline )

• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Co-Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
• Participating University: Universität Ulm
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften -ISAS- e.V.
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Aline Bozec, Ph.D.