Two new grants for LIV junior research group leader Dr. Dr. Ulrike Lange
Dr. Dr. Ulrike Lange, head of the Junior Research Group Genomics of Retroviral Infections at the Leibniz Institute of Virology, has successfully acquired two grants: an individual grant from the Werner Otto Foundation and a project grant as part of the PROFI Transfer Plus program in cooperation with the Hamburg-based biotechnology company PROVIREX Genome Editing Therapies GmbH.
Immunomodulation by proviruses in HIV-1 infections
With the support of the Werner Otto Foundation, a one-year research project on the immunomodulatory effect of proviruses in HIV-1 infections was launched on July 1, 2025. The project is being funded with 72,000 euros. The aim is to investigate the influence of integrated viral genomes on the gene regulation of infected T cells - a field with great therapeutic potential that has been little researched to date.
TheraImmun: Innovative gene therapy against HTLV-1
In cooperation with the Hamburg-based biotechnology company PROVIREX Genome Editing Therapies GmbH, another research project will start in August 2025 as part of the PROFI Transfer Plus funding program supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and IFB Hamburg. The focus is on the development of a modular gene therapy platform for the targeted modification of immune cells. The first application of this platform is the treatment of HTLV-1 infections. HTLV-1 is a retrovirus that is associated with serious diseases such as T-cell leukemia or neurological disorders and for which no specific therapy exists to date.
The TheraImmun project is being funded with a total of 1.7 million euros, of which 680,000 euros will go to the LIV. The project is being developed in close collaboration with PROVIREX. The therapeutic approach is based on a so-called designer recombinase (RecHTLV), which specifically removes viral genetic material integrated in immune cells. The approach is complemented by an innovative nanobody technology for targeted addressing of the affected cells.
“HTLV-1 is often underestimated as a global health threat,” explains Ulrike Lange. “The collaboration with PROVIREX gives us the opportunity to translate our basic research directly into the development of novel therapies.”
Dr. Carsten Lohmann, Head of Innovation Promotion, IFB Hamburg: “We wish the participating project partners PROVIREX and LIV every success with this technologically demanding ‘lighthouse project’ and are pleased that we can further advance Hamburg as a life sciences location with our funding.”
For preclinical studies, 3D organoid models are used - tissue-like systems that allow a realistic assessment of efficacy and enable animal-free research.
Contact
Head of Junior Research Group
Phone: +49 (0)40 48051-261
Email: ulrike.lange@leibniz-liv.de
