Freie Universität Berlin is contributing around one million euros to the nationwide joint project “ONEMuc – Respiratory Mucus as a One Health Interface.” The five-year project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with a total of 4.5 million euros and is part of the funding line “Pandemic Prevention and Response as Part of a One Health Approach”.

The aim of the project is to understand in detail the mucus layer of the respiratory tract as a natural protective barrier against viral infections and to develop new approaches for the prevention and risk assessment of future pandemics. The Berlin subproject focuses on mucins, the central glycoproteins of the respiratory mucus. The study investigates how their composition, structure and specific sugar structures influence the attachment, movement and inactivation of respiratory viruses – especially influenza viruses.

The team, led by Junior Professor Dr. Daniel Lauster from the Institute of Pharmacy at Freie Universität Berlin, considers the respiratory mucus to be an active, regulable biological barrier and an interface between humans, animals, and the environment. So far, it is not sufficiently known which molecular parameters control barrier function and how it varies between host species, individuals or under different environmental conditions. The new findings are intended to enable early detection of virus transmissions and support the development of targeted preventive barrier concepts.

The Berlin subproject combines biophysical methods for the quantitative analysis of virus particle movements with biochemical and analytical methods. The high-resolution characterization of mucing glycosylation is carried out in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Kevin Pagel from the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Freie Universität Berlin, who contributes mass spectrometry and glycomics. Other partners are the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) with Dr. Julia Port, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the Robert Koch Institute and the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Georesearch.

The molecular and biophysical data obtained will be incorporated into functional transmission tests at the HZI and will be used to develop new models for the assessment of zoonotic risks. In the long term, diagnostic platforms, preventive barrier preparations and synthetic mucus models are to be developed.

The overall project “ONEMuc” is coordinated by HZI Professor Christian Sieben and brings together partners from Berlin, Braunschweig, Greifswald and Potsdam. Freie Universität Berlin is supported in transfer activities by FUB Innovation.

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