The annual Research Festival for Life Sciences took place after a three-year corona break on 18 January 2024 in its 17th edition at the Study Centre of the Faculty of Medicine in Leipzig. An expert jury awarded doctoral candidate Jonas Naumann from the research group “Biotechnology and Biomedicine” headed by Professor Mareike Zink from the Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics for the best poster and short presentation in the category “Biophysics | Biomaterials | Translational Regenerative Medicine”.
His poster entitled “Mechanical properties of the premature lung” presented published research results from the Zink lab, in which physicists, in cooperation with the neonatology research group at Leipzig University Hospital, sheds light on the physical properties of premature lungs important during mechanical ventilation of young neonates. The research focused on the impact of hydrostatic pressure on cell behaviour in combination with premature lung tissue mechanics for a better understanding of tissue properties important for lung function. This knowledge should improve ventilation strategies to avoide serious side effects of mechanical ventilation in premature babies.
The Research Festival for Life Sciences serves as a forum for interdisciplinary exchange and interdisciplinary networking. Young scientists are given the opportunity to present their research findings to a broad scientific audience. The organisation of this annual conference is made possible by various supporters from the Leipzig scientific community.