News

Justine A. Fischoeder, David Fleck, Jerome Schröer, Christopher Wiesbrock, Lina Kenzler, Christoph Weber-Hamacher, Ilian Schröder, Melissa Franke, Stefanie Kurth, Martin Strauch, Guiscard Seebohm, Dorit Merhof, Johannes Stegmaier, Naofumi Uesaka, Jennifer Spehr, Marc Spehr (2026) – Cell type-specific Ca²⁺ signals govern mouse seminiferous tubule physiology. PLoS Biol 24(7): e3003910. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003910

Within four years of generous funding by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the six Partner Institutions (RWTH Aachen University, University of Bonn, Colgne University, Research Center Jülich, MPI for for Neurobiology of Behavior, and DZNE) have pursued research aimed to define the structure of natural, flexible behaviors and their neuronal implementation. By promoting collaboration and interdisciplinary research, the iBehave Network made significant contributions to our understanding of behavior and its neural implementation. Both strengthened and new collaborations will continue for years to come.

From June 17–18, the Spehr lab came together for our annual lab retreat. Over two days, we listened to a series of excellent talks by our BSc, MSc, and PhD candidates and took the time to dive into the scientific details of our ongoing projects. The retreat created a great space for open discussion, constructive feedback, and plenty of new ideas for the months ahead.

This year’s presentations were exceptionally strong, and the scientific exchange throughout the retreat was both focused and inspiring. Beyond the sessions, we also enjoyed spending time together as a team—learning from each other and strengthening our collaborations.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to organizing and running the trip, to all students who presented their work, and to everyone attending for their productive feedback and the great atmosphere.

The Spehr Lab is contributing to „ContraPur“, a BMFTR-funded research network dedicated to developing innovative male contraceptive methods. The consortium, comprising research groups in five German universities (RWTH Aachen, LMU Munich, University of Bonn, Justus Liebig University Giessen, and University of Münster), has its focus on purinergic signaling – a process involving ATP-mediated contractions that regulate sperm transport in the testes.

By understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this pathway, the team aims to identify reversible strategies to temporarily block sperm transport without compromising long-term fertility. The project is funded by the BMFTR for three years. Find out more here: BMFTR information on Contrapur; Interview with Marc Spehr

We’re excited to share that the symposium on mouse olfactory research – organized by four of our graduate and undergraduate students (Hannah Tröger, Lena Terlau, Johanna Flesch, and Moritz Nesseler) – has been accepted for the program of the 2025 ECRO (European Chemoreception Research Organisation) Meeting this September.
The symposium will feature talks on cellular diversity, single-cell physiology, and circuit dynamics within the olfactory pathway, presented by early-career researchers from Europe and the US. Furhtermore, our own postdoctoral researcher, Andrés Hernandez-Clavijo, will be among the speakers!
If you’re planning to attend ECRO 2025, make sure to catch the symposium on Tuesday, September 16th at 11:15.

Dr. Andres Hernandez-Clavijo received an Individual Research Grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for the project „Unravelling the cell diversity in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) combining single cell transcriptomic analysis and electrophysiological approaches“. The main goal of the project is to use a multifaceted approach to investigate the cellular diversity in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) mediating pheromone information processing and behavioral regulation. The funded period starts this year and will reach 2029.

Congratulations to Andres on acquiring this major grant! We are excited to see how this project developes.

Rudolf Degen, Victoria K Switacz, Jennifer Spehr, Marc Spehr (2025) Ca²⁺-Activated Ion Channels Exert Opposite Effects in Different Signaling Compartments of Vomeronasal Sensory Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 16 April 2025, 45 (16) e2134242025; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2134-24.2025

Haoui M, Vergara C, Kenzler L, Schröer J, Zimmer-Bensch G, Fleck D, Wiesbrock C, Spehr M, Lishko PV (2025) Kir7.1 is the physiological target for hormones and steroids that regulate uteroplacental function. Science Advances DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr5086

We are excited to announce that two new research projects in our group got funded by RWTH Aachen’s Exploratory Research Space (25th call „Bioinspired Sensory Systems“).

Dr. Christopher Wiesbrock, Prof. Dr. Simon Musall (Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen), and Dr. Viviana Rincón Montes (Research Center Jülich, Institute of Bioelectronics, IBI-3), lead a project that aims to record neural activity from the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) in freely-moving mice. This interdisciplinary approach combines advanced microelectrode technology, neural data analysis, and behavioral studies to gain unprecedented insights into pheromone processing.

Dr. Andres Hernandez-Clavijo and Dr. Natja Haag (Institute for Human Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University) lead the project „Deciphering the neuronal diversity linking pheromone signaling and behavior regulation in the mammalian brain“. With this seed funds, Dr. Andres Hernandez-Clavijo and Dr. Haag would like to investigate the transcriptomic profiling of the neuronal heterogeneity in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb at single cell resolution.

Congratulations to everyone involved for bringing these exciting projects to life!

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Marc Spehr was awarded the Teaching Award of €5,000 on November 22, 2024, by the Student Council of Biological Sciences at RWTH Aachen University.

This award recognizes the exceptional commitment of lecturers to university teaching and reflects the appreciation of students for outstanding teaching performance.

Congratulations to Prof. Marc Spehr and Prof. Marco Oldiges on their well-deserved recognition!

Marcel S. Kehl, Sina Mackay, Kathrin Ohla, Matthias Schneider, Valeri Borger, Rainer Surges, Marc Spehr & Florian Mormann (2024) Single-neuron representations of odours in the human brain. Nature 634, 626–634 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08016-5

From September 4th to 6th, 2024, our team gathered for a productive and enjoyable three-day retreat at Gut Alte Heide to present and discuss our progress report.
Each team member had the opportunity to present their data, which led to engaging discussions and valuable feedback. These presentations not only showcased our progress but also allowed us to learn from each other and improve our scientific presentation techniques.
After the talks, we had a lot of fun together. Being in nature and away from everyday distractions helped us bond as a team and recharge our creative energies.
Overall, the event was a great success. We left with new insights, stronger connections, and renewed enthusiasm for the next phase of our project.

Unsere Sekretärin Marijke Steitz hat das Institut verlassen, um eine längere Reise anzutreten. Ihre Aufgaben übernimmt ab sofort Theresa Schürz. Wir danken Marijke herzlich für ihre tolle Arbeit und wünschen ihr alles Gute auf ihren Wegen und eine tolle Erfahrung!

The chemosensation laboratory was represented by 8 members (Victoria Switacz, Hannah-Lena Tröger, Melissa Franke, Andres Hernandez-Clavijo, Lena Terlau, Fabian Quicken, Friederike Seifert, Christoph Hamacher) at the international symposium for smell and taste (ISOT) in Reykjavik, Iceland. In total, they presented 7 posters. Andres received a travel grant. Congrats, Andres!

Our doctoral student, Moritz Nesseler, recently attended two neuroscience conferences in Vienna.
At ENCODS2024, a conference organized by and for neuroscience PhD students, he had the opportunity to connect with fellow PhD students and discuss shared research interests. Here, Moritz was awarded the Best Poster Award for his presentation on “Potential integration of main and accessory olfactory bulb axonal projections in the mouse amygdala”.
Following ENCODS2024, Moritz participated in FENS2024, the largest European neuroscience conference. Here, he engaged with leading experts and attended various sessions, exchanging ideas and gaining insights.