German Research Foundation Supports LMU-Led Medical Research Initiative on Thromboinflammatory Disorders

Prof. Dr. Steffen Massberg | © LMU Klinikum

(IN BRIEF) Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich has received funding from the German Research Foundation for a new Collaborative Research Centre focused on the relationship between thrombosis and inflammation. The project, known as CRC 1784 InTraC, aims to investigate how blood clotting and immune responses interact in diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, severe infections and autoimmune disorders. Researchers plan to develop new diagnostics and therapies using systems biology, imaging technologies and advanced therapeutic approaches including RNA, gene and cell therapies. LMU also secured renewed funding for several existing research collaborations in immunology and epigenetics.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 15-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich has secured funding from the German Research Foundation for a major new Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) focused on investigating the complex relationship between thrombosis and inflammation, further strengthening the university’s position as one of Germany’s leading medical research institutions.

The newly approved CRC 1784, titled “InTraC – The Interplay of Thrombosis and Inflammation: Translating Molecular Mechanisms Into Clinical Applications,” will be coordinated by LMU and brings together researchers from several national and international institutions to study how blood clotting and immune responses influence each other across a wide range of diseases.

The consortium reflects a growing shift in medical research toward understanding thrombosis not solely as a coagulation disorder, but as a process deeply connected with inflammation and immune system activity. Scientists involved in the project believe this interaction plays a major role in some of the world’s most serious diseases, including heart attacks, strokes, venous thromboembolism, severe infections and autoimmune disorders.

Cardiovascular diseases linked to thrombosis remain among the leading causes of illness and death globally despite existing preventive therapies aimed at platelets and blood coagulation. Researchers argue that a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving thromboinflammatory processes is urgently needed in order to develop more precise treatments.

The new CRC aims to investigate a biological process known as immunothrombosis — an immune defense mechanism in which clot formation helps prevent pathogens from spreading throughout the body during infection. While this process can protect against disease, uncontrolled or dysregulated immunothrombosis may trigger excessive inflammation and tissue damage, contributing to severe complications in conditions such as COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases.

Steffen Massberg, spokesperson for the CRC and Director of Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I at LMU University Hospital, said the project seeks to improve understanding of the close biological relationship between thrombosis and inflammation in order to support more targeted medical interventions.

Researchers within the consortium plan to combine systems biology, advanced imaging technologies and animal models to explore these interactions at a molecular level. The project will also focus on developing innovative therapeutic approaches ranging from small molecule drugs to RNA-based, gene and cell therapies.

Konstantin Stark, co-spokesperson of the research alliance and professor at LMU University Hospital, said the long-term goal is to create more precise diagnostic tools and targeted treatments for thromboinflammatory diseases.

The Collaborative Research Centre brings together expertise from several major German research institutions, including the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Helmholtz Munich, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, University of Würzburg and Charité.

Alongside the approval of the new CRC, LMU also secured funding extensions for several existing large-scale research collaborations. Funding was renewed for CRC 1309 “Chemical Biology of Epigenetic Modifications,” for which LMU remains the lead institution.

Additional funding extensions were granted for CRC-Transregio 237 “Nucleic Acid Immunity,” currently led by LMU before leadership transitions to Dresden University of Technology in the next funding phase, and CRC-Transregio 332 “Neutrophils: Origin, Fate, and Function,” where LMU continues to participate as co-speaker alongside the University of Münster.

LMU President Matthias Tschöp described the successful funding decisions as evidence of LMU’s growing role as a leading centre for interdisciplinary medical research, particularly in projects that bridge previously separate scientific disciplines and approaches.

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SOURCE: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München