Wir überwinden Grenzen

German network led by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg continues its work / The aim is to research rare and difficult-to-treat autoimmune diseases that affect several organs / New epidemiological study

Since May 2019, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been funding the "German genetic multi-organ Auto-Immunity Network" (GAIN) with 3.8 million euros. It has now been decided that the BMBF will extend its funding by an additional 2.5 million euros for three years from January 2023. The physicians and scientists from Freiburg, Munich, Hanover and, most recently, Dresden are researching the causes and therapies of autoimmune diseases that affect multiple organs in ten sub-projects. Such diseases are extremely rare, which is why it often takes a long time for patients to receive the correct diagnosis. "With GAIN, we want to better understand the genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors of these serious hereditary diseases. This will enable us to facilitate the diagnosis and counseling of affected families and improve therapies," says Prof. Dr. Bodo Grimbacher from the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and GAIN project leader.

Inflammation of the intestines, lungs, kidneys and skin

Patients typically have inflammation of several organs, for example the bone marrow, intestines, lungs, kidneys, skin and central nervous system. Research in recent years has shown that multi-organ autoimmune diseases can be caused by genetic mutations in a single gene. "However, not all mutation carriers become ill and when they do, the same organs are not always affected. Our goal in GAIN is to shed light on these connections," says Grimbacher.

"People with rare immune diseases need partners who understand these diseases from the ground up and want to develop a therapy from them. With its unique combination of basic and applied research, university medicine is particularly committed to these patients. I am very pleased that we at the Medical Center of Freiburg can make an important contribution to this," says Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg and member of the Board of Directors of the Medical Center of Freiburg.

At GAIN, five research teams are each focusing on a known genetic cause of multi-organ autoimmune diseases in order to decipher the underlying dysregulation. Another team is clarifying the possible epigenetic regulation that leads to the onset of multi-organ autoimmunity.

These six research teams are supported by the state-of-the-art Germany-wide GAIN biomaterial bank with samples from these rare patients, in which around 4,000 samples from 270 patients have already been stored. In addition, genetic, clinical and laboratory data as well as data on therapy and quality of life in multi-organ autoimmune diseases are documented in the GAIN patient registry with more than 400 entries. Thanks to this information, sufficient patients have been recruited for an accompanying clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of a drug. The clinical trial will be completed in April 2023. "For us physicians, the investigation of such rare disorders that can be traced back to a single gene is very instructive. They also offer us the opportunity to decipher more common autoimmune diseases in which several genes are disrupted," says Grimbacher. In January 2023, GAIN will launch an epidemiological study to improve the disease management and quality of life of people with multi-organ autoimmune diseases. Patients will also be involved in this study via the registry.

Further information can be found at www.g-a-i-n.de

About the CCI

The Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of immunodeficiencies and research into the immune system. The special feature of the CCI is that it brings together experts from the fields of immunology, infectious immunology, immunobiology, rheumatology, hematology, cell and gene therapy under one roof. From infants to the elderly, patients are treated in two specialized outpatient clinics - the paediatric and adult outpatient clinic. They suffer from congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies, frequent infections, unusual infections, unclear inflammations, autoimmune diseases or HIV diseases. Under the motto "Recognize - understand - treat immunodeficiency", the CCI helps people who suffer from rare and sometimes life-threatening disorders of the immune system. It has become the most important point of contact in Germany for patients with immune disorders.

Caption: Prof. Dr. Bodo Grimbacher talking to a patient
Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg / Britt Schilling

Contact
Julia Andris
Public Relations Officer
Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-77695
julia.andris@uniklinik-freiburg.de