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Gerrit Bredeck was awarded the Rudolf Buchheim Prize of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT) for his work on the health effects of Saharan dust. He conducted his research as doctoral student in the working group of Dr. Roel Schins at the IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine and is doing his doctorate at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. The prize was presented at the annual meeting of the DGPT on March 14, 2024 in Munich.
Who hasn’t experienced it, the annoying desert dust that settles on cars from time to time? The current desertification trends, also driven by climate change, are raising concerns about its impact on global air quality. But what about the actual health effects? Various studies show that respiratory diseases occur more frequently during desert dust episodes. At a molecular level, inflammatory processes and oxidative stress have been identified in this context. It has also been suggested that the multiprotein complex NLRP3 is involved in the activation of inflammatory reactions.
Desert dust can originate from different regions and, in addition to quartz, consists of (traces of) various metals, sulphates, silica, as well as microbial components (e.g. endotoxins). Furthermore, it may pick up other components along the way. More than 50 percent of the world’s desert dust comes from the Sahara. Nevertheless, there are only a few studies on the health hazards of Saharan dust. This is where the research project DUSTRISK comes into play, which is being carried out jointly by several Leibniz institutes and partners from Cabo Verde, where the dust was also collected. Within this project, two studies were published in the scientific journals Environment International and Particle and Fibre Toxicology, for which Gerrit Bredeck, PhD student in the working group of Dr. Roel Schins at the IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, has now been honored by the DGPT as first author. In addition to the increasing importance of Saharan dust, his work was chosen because it provides insights into the mechanisms of the inflammatory response that Saharan dust triggers. Thus, he contributes to toxicology and builds a bridge from experimental to clinical research, as the mechanisms are highly relevant to lung diseases.
In the first study liquid cell cultures with individual cell types (lung and immune cells), to which the Saharan dust was added, were investigated. For the second study, a model of both cell types was established at the air-liquid interface. This allowed a more realistic exposure: the cells form a surface film of surfactants and can be exposed to the dust from the air. In addition, the two cell types can interact. The studies show that the microbial components of Saharan dust contribute to its damaging effect on the cells. Inflammation-promoting molecular messengers, so-called cytokines, are upregulated. The reactions are mediated via the NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1β axis, which will be the subject of further research. “I am delighted to receive the DGPT award and would like to thank everyone who has supported me in my work,” says award winner Gerrit Bredeck. “As Saharan dust cannot be regulated, we would like to contribute to improving risk assessment and identifying strategies for health protection.”
About the person
The award winner, Gerrit Bredeck, is doing his doctorate at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at HHU and conducted his research at the IUF from 2020 to 2024. Bredeck studied Pharmaceutical Chemistry in Cologne (Bachelor 2016) and Toxicology at HHU (Master 2019).
The prize
The Rudolf Buchheim Prize is awarded by the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT) to recognize special achievements of young scientists in experimental pharmacological and toxicological as well as clinical pharmacological basic research, applied drug research and the transfer of results into practice and to promote their further development. The prize is named after Rudolf Buchheim, a German physician and experimental pharmacologist who founded pharmacology as an independent medical-biological discipline. The prize is endowed with 1000 euros.
The project
The work on the health effects of Saharan dust is being carried out as part of the DUSTRISK project (A risk index for health effects of mineral dust and associated microbes) and is funded by the Leibniz Association in the Leibniz Competition in the funding line “Cooperative Excellence”. Involved in the project are: The IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Düsseldorf, the TROPOS - Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research in Leipzig, the Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Lung Center and the Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures in Braunschweig. Further cooperation partners are the IUTA - Institute for Environment & Energy, Technology & Analytics in Duisburg and various institutions from the Republic Cabo Verde off the west coast of Africa, where the Saharan dust was collected for the investigations.
Link: https://www.tropos.de/en/research/projects-infrastructures-technology/joint-rese...
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About the IUF
The central research mission of the IUF is the targeted and personalized prevention of environmentally induced aging and associated diseases. To this end, the IUF is investigating the role of environmental factors in diseases, the underlying mechanisms, how they interact, who is particularly affected and how we can counteract the negative effects of environmental factors in detail. The work focuses on the effects of solar radiation, air pollution, selected chemicals and the interaction with climate factors - on the lung, the skin, the central nervous system and the immune system.
More information: https://iuf-duesseldorf.de/en/
The IUF is part of the Leibniz Association: https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/
Contact
Christiane Klasen, Scientific Assistance
IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine
IUF – Leibniz-Institut für umweltmedizinische Forschung GmbH
Auf’m Hennekamp 50
40225 Düsseldorf
Germany
Email: info@IUF-Duesseldorf.de
Phone: +49 211 3389 216
Bredeck G, Busch M, Rossi A, Stahlmecke B, Fomba KW, Herrmann H, Schins RPF: Inhalable Saharan dust induces oxidative stress, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and inflammatory cytokine release. Environ Int 172: 107732, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107732
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023000053
Bredeck G, Dobner J, Stahlmecke B, Fomba KW, Herrmann H, Rossi A, Schins RPF: Saharan dust induces NLRP3-dependent inflammatory cytokines in an alveolar air-liquid interface co-culture model. Part Fibre Toxicol 20(1): 39, 2023. doi: 10.1186/s12989-023-00550-w
Link: https://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12989-023...
Prof. Roland Seifert (left in the picture) presents the Rudolf Buchheim Prize of the DGPT to Gerrit ...
DGPT
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Prof. Roland Seifert (left in the picture) presents the Rudolf Buchheim Prize of the DGPT to Gerrit ...
DGPT
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