DFG Funding for “Mechanisms of mitochondrial release of reactive oxygen species for macrophage activation and polarization in different disease stages of acute lung injury”

The research project “Mechanisms of mitochondrial release of reactive oxygen species for macrophage activation and polarization in different disease stages of acute lung injury”, led by Prof. Dr. Natascha Sommer and PD Dr. Ulrich Matt, has been awarded funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Acute lung injury and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are frequently caused by pulmonary bacterial infections or the aspiration of gastric contents. Despite their substantial clinical burden, no specific therapy is currently available to modulate the inflammatory response or promote its resolution. Alveolar macrophages are central to bacterial clearance, inflammatory regulation and the restoration of pulmonary tissue homeostasis.

The project will investigate how mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 isoform 2 (Cox4i2) regulate metabolic reprogramming and the release of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) in alveolar macrophages. The researchers will examine how these mechanisms control macrophage activation and polarization during different disease stages. They will also characterize the molecular interplay between UCP2 and Cox4i2 and identify relevant downstream targets.

The team will use complementary experimental models of sterile and infectious lung injury, combining advanced mitochondrial analyses, including Raman spectroscopy, with histological and functional assays as well as ex vivo metabolic flux measurements. Based on the identified signalling pathways, the researchers aim to develop disease-stage-specific therapeutic strategies that enhance bacterial clearance or promote inflammatory resolution.

Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Natascha Sommer, PD Dr. Ulrich Matt and the entire project team on this successful collaborative DFG funding!