Research

Our research interests include sustainability in clinical practice and in medical research operations, for example resource optimization in the laboratory. Our research field also focuses on developing innovative approaches for more sustainable health in our society.

Unsere Projekte

New Biomarkers for Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication associated with significant perinatal morbidity and mortality, affecting 2–8% of all pregnancies. Since delivery is currently the only established treatment and the clinical symptoms are both nonspecific and heterogeneous, diagnosis is particularly challenging—especially in the late-onset form (occurring after the 34th week of gestation). Biomarkers capable of predicting disease onset and assessing its progression are therefore of crucial importance. The aim of this project is to investigate the profiles of oxygenated androgens in relation to late-onset preeclampsia in order to identify new biomarkers for screening strategies, risk assessment, and clinical monitoring of affected pregnant women.
Project duration: March 2025 to December 2026
Funded by: Kulturamt der Stadt Graz, Stigergasse 2, 8020 Graz, Österreich
Contact: Sen.Scientist Priv.-Doz. Dr.scient.med. Olivia Trummer, MSc (olivia.trummer(at)medunigraz.at)

Cardiovascular health and maternal adaptation in cardiometabolic complications of pregnancy

Too little is known about the mechanisms that govern maternal cardiovascular adaptation in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive and metabolic disorders. This knowledge gap needs to be addressed urgently, as impaired vascular and endothelial responses are key drivers of both acute obstetric complications and long-term cardiovascular risk in mothers and their offspring. In this project, we investigate maternal cardiovascular health through an integrated approach that combines advanced hemodynamic phenotyping with endothelial functional and molecular profiling. By characterizing the pathways that regulate endothelial integrity and vascular function, we aim to identify early mechanisms of endothelial maladaptation that underpin cardiometabolic complications of pregnancy and to define biological signatures that may guide future cardiovascular prediction and prevention strategies.
Contact: Ass. Prof. Federica Piani, PhD (federica.piani(at)medunigraz.at)

Machine listening in the delivery room: Pilot study on the automatic evaluation of the neonatal lung status based on the first cry

The vocalisations of newborns produced immediately after birth cause that a part of the exhaled air is reflected at the largely closed vocal folds and streams back into the lungs. This so-called pendelluft flow supports the displacement of the lung fluid into the interstitium, and, thereby, plays an essential role for the achievement of a stable functional residual capacity after a few minutes of extrauterine life. Due to different states of lung development, there are reported audible differences between the first vocalisations of term and preterm newborns. This project evaluates the feasibility of standardised audio recording in the birth setting. On the basis of pilot data, a comprehensive set of acoustic characteristics of first vocalisations of term and preterm newborns shall be provided for the very first time. Moreover, the potential of artificial intelligence to estimate the newborn's gestational age at birth and, thereby, indirectly assess the neonatal lung status shall be validated.
Project duration: March 2024 to May 2026
Funded by: Country of Styria (until May 2025)
Contact: Sen. Scientist Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Florian Pokorny (florian.pokorny(at)medunigraz.at)

Pilot study on the prelinguistic verbal behaviour of infants with regulatory problems

Infants with regulatory problems are crying for at least 3 hours a day for 3 or more days a week for at least 3 weeks (‘Wessel criteria’). Studies found an increased risk for developmental and behavioural atypicalities in children who had regulatory problems in infancy compared to children without a history of regulatory problems. Currently it is not possible to predict whether an infant with regulatory problems will have developmental or behavioural atypicalities later in life; studies on the early behaviour of infants with regulatory problems are widely missing. The aim of this pilot study is to analyse and compare vocalisations of infants with and without regulatory problems at 8 to 10 weeks. The results of this study could indicate deviances in the prelinguistic verbal behaviour of children with regulatory problems. The gained insights about potentially relevant parameters could contribute in future studies to the identification of infants with increased risk for persistent regulatory problems and related developmental and behavioural deficits.
Project duration: July 2024 to December 2025
Funded by: Stadt Graz
Contact: Sen. Lecturer Mag.a Dr.in Katrin Bartl-Pokorny (katrin.bartl-pokorny(at)medunigraz.at)

We are all Multitudes: The Microchimerism, Human Health and Evolution Project

Microchimerism (MC) is the harboring of a small number of cells between two distinct individuals. This transfer of cells is well known to occur between mothers and offspring during gestation, though other avenues of transfer may be possible. The current understanding of MC is puzzling and little is known about the role microchimeric cells play in host physiology.
We hypothesize MC is much more common than previously reported and microchimeric cells play an adaptive role in host physiology, providing benefits for both mothers and offspring through transfers of stem and other cell types, and providing key immune system components and signals. However, in certain host tissues the maternal-fetal genetic interests may not align, potentially leading to disease vulnerability.
We aim to understand the role MC plays in health and disease, and understand the potential for and effects of subsequent generational transfers of microchimeric cells. We will use cutting edge technology to characterize MC cell distribution and trafficking between hosts and the effects of MC-host immune system interactions in various host tissues by creating a mouse Microchiome Atlas (Project 1), phenotyping human maternal MC (mMC) (Project 2), phenotyping human fetal MC (fMC) (Project 3), phenotyping microchimeric cells proximal and distal in terms of distance from the maternal-fetal interface as well as in various other organs (Project 4), and interrogating the context of MC and autoimmune disease in animal models (Project 5).
Project duration: December 2021 to August 2026
Funded by: John Templeton Foundation (USA)
Contact: Univ.-Ass. PD DI Dr. Thomas Kroneis (thomas.kroneis(at)medunigraz.at)

Using Citizen Science to Promote Healthy and Sustainable Nutrition in Nursing Homes: The SUNRISE Project

Nursing homes face the challenge of meeting the specific nutritional needs of older adults while also integrating principles of sustainability. The SUNRISE project explores how healthy and sustainable nutrition can be successfully implemented in everyday nursing home life and which factors support or hinder this process. Using the Photovoice method, citizen scientists (CSs) document relevant everyday situations. In addition, interviews are conducted to explore the personal experiences of residents and staff. A questionnaire on the perception of sustainable eating behavior is also adapted and implemented in collaboration with the CSs. In ThinkCamps, the collected results are jointly analyzed and transformed into a practical guideline offering concrete tips for implementing healthy and sustainable nutrition in nursing homes. A cookbook featuring favorite recipes from participants is also being created. The SUNRISE project demonstrates that citizen science can be successfully applied in nursing home settings, strengthening motivation, mutual understanding, and collaboration in everyday practice.
Project duration: June 2024 to May 2026
Funded by: Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Contact: Priv. Doz. Dr. Doris Eglseer, MSc BBSc (doris.eglseer(at)medunigraz.at)

TE(A)CHADOPT: Teaching students how children with neurodevelopmental disorders adopt and interact with technologies

Technologies are playing an increasingly significant role in the daily lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. For example, they are used for therapeutic purposes and as communication aids. However, the accessibility of technologies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders is often insufficient. At the same time, this topic is rarely addressed in the education of students who will later develop and/or use technologies in their professional lives. As part of this interdisciplinary cooperation project involving seven institutions from six countries, guidelines for evaluating the accessibility of technologies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders will be developed, and extensive teaching materials will be created, implemented, and disseminated. TE(A)CHADOPT (neonatologie.medunigraz.at/forschung/teachadopt) aims to contribute to ensuring that technologies better meet the needs and desires of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in the future.
Project duration: December 2024 to December 2027
Funded by: 0eAD-GmbH – Agency for Education and Internationalisation (EU Erasmus+)
Contact: Sen. Lecturer Mag. Dr. Katrin Bartl-Pokorny (katrin.bartl-pokorny(at)medunigraz.at)

MicroONE - Microplastic Particles: A Hazard for Human Health?

MicroONE is a research project led by CBmed (www.cbmed.at/project/microone/) with a specific focus on the health effects of micro- and nanoplastic particles on human health. The research team around Vanessa Stadlbauer-Köllner is an integral part of the project microONE.
Microplastics (MP), tiny plastic particles humans ingest at about 5 grams per week, have been detected in stool samples and may negatively impact health. Evidence suggests MPs interact with the gut microbiome, potentially reducing its diversity and altering metabolism—changes linked to chronic diseases and colorectal cancer (CRC). The MicroONE project investigates whether MPs contribute to CRC development and progression by damaging the gut microbiome or intestinal barriers and promoting tumor cell migration.
This research aims to uncover MPs’ role in disease, especially the effects on the gut microbiome and the development of colorectal cancer, and pave the way for sustainable preventive strategies.
Key Goals:
- Analyze MP presence and characteristics in stool and urine samples from patients and healthy controls.
- Study MP effects on gut microbiome composition and function using advanced sequencing and metabolomics.
- Explore probiotic strategies to aggregate MPs, reducing absorption and pathogen risks.
- Develop high-throughput MP detection methods for complex biological samples.
Funded by: Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) as a COMET module
Contact: Univ. Prof. Priv. Doz. Dr.med.univ. Vanessa Stadlbauer-Köllner, MBA (vanessa.stadlbauer(at)medunigraz.at)

Verbessertes Aktives Lernen für Medizinische Bildsegmentierung mittels Foundation Modellen

Das vom FWF geförderte Projekt BALDIS-FM (Boosting Active Learning for Deep Image Segmentation via Foundation Models) beschäftigt sich mit dem Grundlagenthema des Active Learning im Kontext der medizinischen Bildsegmentierung. Active Learning, eine Entwicklung des Maschinellen Lernens, hat das Ziel bei überwachten Lernmethoden wie es beispielsweise die Segmentierung medizinischer Bilddaten darstellt, den Annotierungsaufwand für die Expert*innen (in unserem Kontext Radiolog*innen, Biolog*innen, Patholog*innen) möglichst zu minimieren, da dieser kostenintensiv ist. Dazu untersuchen wir aktuelle Foundation Models um die Teilbereiche des Active Learning (Model Re-training, Instance Selection, GUI basiert interaktive Annotierung) zu optimieren. Projektpartner an der Med Uni Graz ist Assoz. Prof. Dr. Gerd Leitinger vom Lehrstuhl für Zellbiologie, Histologie und Embryologie.
Projektdauer: August 2024 bis Juli 2027
Gefördert von: Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds (FWF)
Kontakt: Assoz. Prof. DI Dr. techn. Martin Urschler (martin.urschler(at)medunigraz.at)

EVI-Initiative

EVI steht für "Evidenzbasierte Gesundheitsinformationen" und ist eine Initiative, die qualitativ hochwertige, wissenschaftlich fundierte und leicht verständliche Gesundheitsinformationen bereitstellt. Ziel von EVI ist es, die Nutzung solcher Informationen zu fördern, um der Bevölkerung fundierte und informierte Gesundheitsentscheidungen zu ermöglichen.
Die Sammlung von evidenzbasierten Gesundheitsinformationen in der EVI-Initiative wird kontinuierlich erweitert, und bestehende Materialien werden regelmäßig aktualisiert. Neben Inhalten zu häufigen Beratungsanlässen in der Allgemeinmedizin bietet die EVI-Website (http://www.evi.at) auch umfassende Informationen zu wichtigen Kinderthemen. EVI-Boxen mit diesen Druckbroschüren sind an verschiedenen Standorten verfügbar, die in einer Standortliste (https://evi.at/standorte/) eingesehen werden können.
EVI ist ein weiterer Schritt, um den Einsatz von evidenzbasierten Gesundheitsinformationen nachhaltig im Praxisalltag zu verankern und damit einen langfristigen Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Gesundheitskompetenz zu leisten.
Projektdauer: Seit 2018
Gefördert von: Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds (FWF)
Kontakt: Dr.in Nicole Posch, MPH (nicole.posch(at)medunigraz.at)

Gemeinsam Gut Entscheiden - Eine Initiative zur Steigerung der Qualität und Effizienz in der Patient*innenversorgung in Österreich

Ziel des Projekts „Gemeinsam gut entscheiden“ (www.gemeinsam-gut-entscheiden.at) ist es, eine mögliche medizinische Überversorgung in Österreich zu thematisieren und entsprechende evidenzbasierte Grundlagen in diagnostischen oder therapeutischen Fragen zur Verfügung zu stellen.
Dazu werden in einer Zusammenarbeit zwischen österreichischen medizinischen Fachgesellschaften und Berufsgruppen und wissenschaftlichen Arbeitsgruppen der Medizinischen Universität Graz und der Universität für Weiterbildung Krems Maßnahmen in der Gesundheitsversorgung ermittelt, die wenig bis keinen nachweisbaren Nutzen zeigen, teilweise ein erhöhtes Schadenspotenzial bergen oder hohe Kosten verursachen. Diese werden als Top-Listen veröffentlicht und enthalten evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen für Angehörige der Gesundheitsberufe. Ergänzend werden Informationsmaterialien – beispielsweise Broschüren – für Betroffene und ihre Angehörigen erstellt, um die Kommunikation und eine gemeinsame Entscheidungsfindung zu unterstützen.
Projektdauer: Mai 2019 bis März 2027
Kontakt: Dr.in Nicole Posch, MPH (nicole.posch(at)medunigraz.at)

Patient*innen- und Teambefragung in steirischen Primärversorgungseinheiten

Ziel dieses Projektes ist die Evaluation der steirischen Primärversorgungseinheiten (PVE). Mithilfe speziell entwickelter Fragebögen für Patient*innen und Teams werden ausgewählte Qualitätsindikatoren erhoben. Diese basieren auf dem österreichischen Masterevaluationskatalog für PVE und den „Evaluierungsstandards für Primärversorgungseinheiten“ des BMSGPK. Der Patient*innenfragebogen kombiniert das bundesweit eingesetzte Item-Set mit zusätzlichen Fragen zur Gesundheitskompetenz und Telemedizin sowie die psychometrisch getesteten Items des IAMEV-Fragebogens. Die Befragungen finden jeweils jährlich im Wechsel mit Qualitätsworkshops direkt in den PVE statt.
Projektdauer: 2025 bis 2028
Gefördert von: Gesundheitsfonds Steiermark
Kontakt: Karin Petschk, MPH (karin.petschk(at)medunigraz.at)

Our research achievements

Projects

Research projects conducted within the research field

Publications

Scientific publications within the research field