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Short Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of chemicals with varying structures. New PFAS continue to be identified in the environment, and many more are likely being produced and released. Aside from their high persistence, PFAS exhibit unique equilibrium partition properties that distinguish them from their non-fluorinated hydrocarbon analogues. In this seminar talk, I will explore how (per)fluorination alters the partition properties of organic molecules and how these changes influence their environmental distribution, drawing on newly measured property data and computational results. The broader aim is to develop a complete picture of PFAS partitioning properties. Short CV: Dr. Satoshi Endo is an environmental chemist specializing in the behavior and fate of organic contaminants in the environment. He earned his doctoral degree from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany in 2008. Dr. Endo has held research and teaching positions at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in Leipzig, Germany, and Osaka City University in Japan. In 2019, he joined the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Japan as a senior scientist. His research interests include the environmental properties and processes of organic contaminants, as well as environmental analysis, ecotoxicology, and computational chemistry. Dr. Endo is an active member of several academic societies, including the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and the Japan Society for Environmental Chemistry (JEC). He also serves on the editorial/advisory boards of Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.

Topic: What does Fluorination do? Exploring the Environmental Partition Properties of PFAS Host: Prof. Beate Escher / Department Cell Toxicology Venue: KUBUS Hall 1A and via Zoom Start: 1 pm Join Zoom Meeting: https://ufz-de.zoom-x.de/j/65406544457?pwd=zFIKkhvasnzHHdDNboboeylZzh9Z8a.1 Meeting ID: 654 0654 4457 Passcode: 903796
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Short Abstract: Stormwater runoff from urban landscapes has recently been linked to mass mortalities of coho salmon in the U.S., also dubbed urban runoff mortality syndrome (UMRS). The chemical responsible has been identified as N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the rubber tire antioxidant 6PPD. This presentation summarizes a series of studies that assessed the acute toxicity of 6PPD-quinone across eight fishes of commercial, cultural, and ecological importance. It then set out to characterize the specific mechanisms that drive toxicity using acute and sub-chronic experiments with select fishes. Acute toxicity differed greatly among species: No mortality occurred for Arctic char (AC), brown trout, bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, and white sturgeon even at the highest measured concentrations (>13 mg/L), while lake (LT), brook, and rainbow (RBT) trout were sensitivity to 6PPD-Q exposure with LC50 values between 0.33 and 0.59 mg/L. Furthermore, sub-chronic exposures of RBT and LT demonstrated teratogenic effects in both larval RBT and LT. Experiments with RBT RTgill-W1 cells suggest that the mechanism of toxicity may be related to uncoupling the mitochondrial electron transport chain and by triggering acute inflammation impacting epithelial integrity. Comparative cardiac ultrasound, electrocardiography and blood gas analysis revealed significant decreases in hemoglobin oxygenation and sympathetic stimulation in sensitive RBT but not insensitive AC, further supporting this hypothesis. Whole transcriptome analysis in RBT identified several molecular toxicity pathways that may explain the apical effects described above. Further research supporting development of a comprehensive toxicity pathway model to inform environmental risk assessment of 6PPD-quinone across fishes is underway.

Topic: Unraveling the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone across fishes of commercial, cultural, and ecological importance Host: Prof. Werner Brack / Department Exposure Science Venue: KUBUS Hall 2 Start: 10 am
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Short Abstract: This talk will present a multi-scale, AI-driven framework for prioritizing high-risk contaminants in regional aquatic environments, exemplified by a case study on AhR-mediated toxicities in the Pearl River Delta. The workflow initiated with text mining of historical occurrence data to delineate spatially explicit pollution profiles. These data-driven insights were integrated with high-resolution mass spectrometry-based chemometric analysis and machine learning to resolve region-wide contaminant distribution patterns. At prioritized sites, targeted effect-directed analysis, coupled with structure-informed deep learning and non-target screening, was employed to identify candidate toxicants. Subsequently, a knowledge graph based, full-spectrum toxicity network was constructed to quantitatively characterize the dominant toxicity pathways within complex mixtures derived from the candidate chemical pool. This integrative approach linked regional exposure patterns with mechanistic toxicology, advancing the data-informed identification and prioritization of hazardous chemicals in aquatic mixtures. Short CV: Fei Cheng is an Associate Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Environmental Technology, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His research focuses on the spatiotemporal patterns of toxicants. His recent work includes uncovering regional characteristics of contaminants and toxicities using big data, establishing links between biological effects, molecular structures, and chemical exposure through deep learning, and developing intelligent methods to identify high-risk chemicals in aquatic mixtures.

Host: Prof. Beate Escher / Department Cell Toxicology Venue: Building 7.3, Hall 7.013 Start: 9 am Join Zoom Meeting: https://ufz-de.zoom-x.de/j/63733539276?pwd=ZqKWQs9VT7lFn5n9edWRclzmsy3grd.1 Meeting ID: 637 3353 9276 Passcode: 903796
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Short Abstract: Chemicals coexist in complex combinations in the living environment, and hence, people are exposed to diverse chemical mixtures. Due to the complexity of these mixtures and the difficulty of predicting their interactions, addressing mixture exposure remains a significant challenge in environmental health management. Compared to human exposure, chemical mixtures found in consumer products are generally more straightforward in terms of the number of ingredients, making their toxicities more amenable to modeling and prediction. However, applying these predictions to chemical safety management presents several challenges. In contrast, human biomonitoring detects far more complex chemical combinations, making the interpretation of health implications particularly difficult. This challenge largely arises from the inherent variability of mixture compositions and the difficulties in exposure modeling. Statistical models have been widely used in epidemiological approaches to interpret health outcomes, but most fail to incorporate biological information about chemicals in a mixture. In my lab, both toxicity-based approaches, such as the relative potency factor for chemicals with similar modes of action, and empirical approaches, which consider actual mixture combinations occurring in humans regardless of the mode of action, have been explored in understanding the health implications of the exposure. In this lecture, I will present our recent experiences with several approaches to understanding mixture-related issues in environmental health, discuss key findings, and introduce ongoing research efforts.

Host: Prof. Annika Jahnke / Department Exposure Science Venue: KUBUS Hall 2 and via Zoom Start: 10 am Join Zoom Meeting: https://ufz-de.zoom-x.de/j/7156227906?pwd=OHZjK21VZ2lWdmk4aEIvUHhGWmo0QT09&omn=65987586350 Meeting-ID: 715 622 7906 Passcode: cZ3G3N
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Susanne Hufe <susanne.ufz@ufz.de>
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Spürhunde im Einsatz: Der beste Freund des Menschen im Dienste von Natur und Wissenschaft

Ihr hervorragender Geruchssinn und ihre Kooperationsbereitschaft machen Hunde seit Jahrhunderten zu idealen Arbeitspartnern in verschiedenen Jobs. Während Spürhunde bei Polizei und Zoll sehr bekannt sind, kennt kaum einer Artenspürhunde. Gut ausgebildet, können diese Hunde für die Erfassung und das Monitoring von einer Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Tier- und Pflanzenarten eingesetzt werden. So sind sie in der Lage, Spuren von Tieren (Haare, Losung), aber auch Tiere selbst, z.B. verschiedenen Amphibien, Reptilien oder Insekten aufzuspüren.

In diesem Leipziger Umweltstammtisch widmen wir uns den Vorteilen und Limitierungen von Artenspürhunden weltweit. Außerdem schauen wir uns konkret an, wir die Artenspürhunde des UFZ die hiesigen Fischotter und Amphibien unterstützen sowie invasive Pflanzen aufspüren.

  • 19:00 Uhr: Führung mit den Zoolotsen
  • 20:00 Uhr: Vortrag von Dr. Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Biologin am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ (Hacienda Las Casas)
  • 20:45 Uhr: Diskussionsrunde

Anmeldung unter: kubus@lanu.de

Bitte seien Sie pünktlich um 19:00 Uhr am Haupteingang, da der Zoo dann schließt und danach kein Zugang mehr möglich ist!

Einladung Umweltstammtisch 20250618 Zoo.pdf
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Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften

Seit 2008 laden die Leipziger Wissenschaftseinrichtungen wie die Universität Leipzig, die Hochschulen, die Institute der großen Forschungsgemeinschaften und auch wissenschaftsnahe Unternehmen in Kooperation mit der Stadt Leipzig zu einer Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften ein. Diese große gemeinsame Veranstaltung zeigt, woran in Leipzig geforscht wird, worüber Wissenschaftler und Wissenschaftlerinnen nachdenken und was Forscher herausgefunden haben. Und sie zeigt überdies die Leistungsfähigkeit der Leipziger Wissenschaftseinrichtungen, die mit ihren Ideen und Innovationen, Projekten und finanziellen Mitteln zum Erfolg der Stadt beitragen.

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Andreas Staak <andreas.staak@ufz.de>
Phone: - 1632

6. Bioraffinerietag: Schlüsseltechnologien für biobasierte Produkte und Kraftstoffe

Am 16. September 2025 lädt das DBFZ zum 6. Bioraffinerietag unter dem Motto "Schlüsseltechnologien zur Verarbeitung von Biomasse in biobasierte Produkte und Kraftstoffe" ein. Im Fokus der Veranstaltung stehen innovative Konversions- und Trennverfahren, die eine effiziente Nutzung von Biomasse für die Herstellung biobasierter Produkte und Kraftstoffe ermöglichen.

Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung präsentiert das DBFZ aktuelle Forschungsarbeiten zu Bioraffinerietechnologien - doch die Veranstaltung lebt vom Wissenstransfer und Austausch: daher sind auch Partner aus Wissenschaft und Industrie eingeladen, ihre Ideen, Technologien und Praxisbeispiele vorzustellen. Daher rufen wir zur Einreichung von Abstracts auf!

Darüber hinaus erwarten die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer:

  • Führungen durch die technischen Anlagen des DBFZ,
  • Networking-Sessions mit Akteuren aus Forschung, Entwicklung und Wirtschaft,
  • Eine Fachausstellung mit der Möglichkeit, eigene Technologien und Lösungen zu präsentieren.

Reichen Sie Ihr Abstract bis zum 25. Mai 2025 ein und werden Sie Teil dieser Veranstaltung!

Die Veranstaltung findet in Zusammenarbeit mit BioEconomy e.V. statt.

Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum Torgauer Straße 116 04347 Leipzig
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9th World Conference of the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET)

ISMET9 will bring together leading scientists, researchers, and industry professionals from around the world to share their latest discoveries, innovations, and insights in microbial electrochemistry and related disciplines.

The conference will feature a diverse program of keynote lectures, scientific short talks, and poster presentations, providing a comprehensive platform for knowledge exchange and networking.

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Welcome from the Local Organizing Committee

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 13th International Symposium on Anaerobic Microbiology, ISAM2025.
The conference will be held from 22 to 25 September 2025 in Leipzig, Germany.
The ISAM conference series has a long tradition and aims to bring together researchers from all areas of anaerobic microbiology. It is known for its relaxed and collaborative atmosphere that promotes lively scientific discussions and networking. PhD students and early career scientists are especially encouraged to submit abstracts for oral presentations.

We look forward to welcoming you in Leipzig.

ISAM2025 will cover the following main topics:

  • Biogas microbiology
  • Gut microbiology
  • Anaerobic fungi
  • Novel cultivation approaches to isolate anaerobes
  • Molecular and omics approaches to analyze anaerobic microbiomes
  • Anaerobic wastewater treatment
  • Anaerobic degradation of environmental contaminants
  • Biotechnological applications of anaerobes
  • Microbes in anoxic environments
299105_ISAM2025_Flyer.pdf
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Dr. Sabine Kleinsteuber <sabine.kleinsteuber@ufz.de>
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