INFINITE About
"INFINITE"
The abbreviation "INFINITE" is based on a letter composition derived from the title of the research unit:
"Immune cells in the function of the normal and diseased testis and epididymis".
What is INFINITE?
A DFG funded research unit
INFINITE is a collaborative alliance of outstanding scientists funded by the "Research Unit" program of the German Research Foundation (DFG).
A work alliance
As Research Unit (FOR) 5644 25 funded researchers from 7 research groups, 7 institutes, and X academic disciplines will work closely togehter on six individual projects at five universities from 2024 to 2027.
What do the six INFINITE research projects aim to achieve together?
The funded INFINITE research projects aim to better understand the function of immune cells in the testis and epididymis.
The practical relevance...
... of this research focus arises from the fact that up to 12% of men worldwide are currently affected by infertility, and this percentage has been steadily increasing in recent years. To counteract this trend, INFINITE aims to identify factors through basic research that could serve as therapeutic targets.
INFINITE hypothesizes that ...
... organ-specific immunity is regulated by various factors such as the ontogeny of cells, organ-specific cell composition, niche-specific microenvironment, and the gut microbiome. Dramatic changes in the composition of immune cells in the testes and epididymis during infectious and sterile inflammations, testicular cancer, or aging have a negative impact on the organ's homeostasis.
To analyze large project-specific datasets,...
...the five funded INFINITE research projects are supported by the Z-Project, which provides assistance in utilizing modern methods such as scRNA-seq analysis and CODEX analysis.