Professor Dr Stephanie Kath-Schorr: Research is shaping plant protection

1. What role has transfer played in your career so far?

Before I transferred to the University of Cologne, it didn’t play a very big role in my research. Since 2020, however, it has become a key element of my research focus. The high visibility of transfer activities at the University of Cologne, the support of the Gateway Start-up Center and the close cooperation with the Research Management Division have all played a decisive role in promoting and accelerating my transfer activities. These conditions gave me the courage to move beyond basic research and more strongly towards applied research.

2. Which of your transfer activities would you like to report on, and what can you tell us about them?

One area of focus is the development of new immunostimulatory molecules for plant protection. New EU regulations mean that many of the pesticides currently used will no longer be available. Our approach is therefore aimed at providing an environmentally friendly, non-GM alternative: We use targeted signalling molecules to make plants more resistant to pathogens. Building on the discovery that plants produce specific nucleotide-based immune messengers in response to pathogen attack, we are collaborating with Professor Jane Parker from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research to develop chemically modified variants of these signalling components.

Another area of focus is the development of DNAzymes for antiviral therapies. DNAzymes are DNA sequences that can cut RNA in a highly specific way. We use targeted chemical modifications to optimize the stability and activity of these molecules within cells, with the aim of making them a viable alternative to approaches such as CRISPR-Cas. This work is carried out in close collaboration with colleagues at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.

3. How did you come up with your research topics?

In the field of immunostimulatory molecules for plant protection, we came into contact with the field by way of Professor Jane Parker. In 2022, she discovered novel immunostimulatory signalling molecules, and we are able to realize the chemical synthesis and modification of these molecules in our laboratory. Our discussions resulted in numerous synergies that led to close cooperation. The joint further development of innovative molecules for plant protection also led to stronger networking with researchers at CEPLAS and my role within the iHEAD initiative as head of the Chemical Biology Platform.

In my basic research on catalytically active nucleic acids and their role in modern organisms, DNAzymes are a central topic of my own work and that of the research community. Together with Dr Manuel Etzkorn (Bio-NMR), Professor Holger Gohlke (Medicinal Chemistry) and Professor Philipp Lang (Virology) from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, we developed the idea of further developing DNAzymes in a targeted manner and using them for antiviral therapies. The Volkswagen Foundation provided crucial support to our research consortium in this early phase, thus laying the foundation for taking this approach from basic research towards application.

4. What concrete social impact have you achieved through this activity so far?

Our projects are still in the early stages of development, but we have already made significant progress. In the field of DNAzymes, we are working on novel, chemically optimized nucleic acid catalysts that can be used for antiviral therapies. The goal is to create treatment options for viral infections for which there are currently no vaccines or effective drugs. With the planned spin-off and patents already filed, we have laid the groundwork for this research to result in specific therapies in the long term.

In the field of plant protection, we are developing immunostimulatory molecules that enable plants to defend themselves against pathogens, without genetic engineering or the use of traditional pesticides. This addresses a key challenge for agriculture in the context of stricter EU regulations and the growing need for sustainable, ecologically sound cultivation strategies. In addition to submitting patents, we have already initiated cooperation talks with companies in the agricultural sector. In the long term, this approach could contribute not only to more sustainable agriculture, but also to food security and the reduction of environmentally harmful pesticides.