Research projects

The SynoSys.PC project analyzes large-scale wearable data to better understand Post COVID, a condition with diverse symptoms whose risk factors and causes remain poorly understood. Drawing on data from over 500,000 participants collected via the Corona-Datenspende-App, the project examines time-series data from fitness trackers including heart rate, physical activity, and sleep alongside self-reported outcomes such as wellbeing, quality of life, and persistent symptoms. A key goal is to identify how SARS-CoV-2 infection affects these physiological parameters in people who develop Post COVID, and to explore how this dataset can be integrated with data from controlled clinical trials to better predict individual risks for Post COVID and Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM). The findings aim to inform diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for Long COVID patients and could form the basis for clinical guidelines on the use of wearables in infection risk assessment.

The Bio-Sig PEM project investigates Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a severe neuroimmunological disease whose causes and mechanisms remain largely unknown. The study focuses on Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS in which physical or mental exertion leads to a significant worsening of symptoms. Using fitness trackers, molecular and immunological analyses, and imaging techniques, the research consortium aims to identify core pathophysiological signatures of different PEM phenotypes in ME/CFS patients. The findings are intended to improve understanding of ME/CFS pathophysiology and lay the groundwork for developing new, disease-course-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

The WATCH project aims to develop a new model of care for Post-COVID patients, particularly in rural areas, with the goal of shortening recovery time and reducing periods of inability to work. Patients are examined locally via a dedicated Post-COVID bus and subsequently receive telemedicine-based support over 12 weeks through three modules: BRAIN (app-based cognitive training), BODY (app-based PEM prevention using fitness trackers and pacing strategies), and SOUL (short-term behavioral therapy). In the long term, the project seeks to improve healthcare access in rural regions and help patients regain physical and neuropsychological health, enabling greater participation in social and working life.

Building on the findings of its first funding cycle, the KINGS 2.0 project investigated strength training in youth competitive sports within an interdisciplinary research consortium funded by the Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp, Federal Institute of Sport Science). The first cycle had already established important insights into the effects and physiological adaptations of strength training in young athletes, including the development of the KINGS model, which assigns specific strength training methods to stages of long-term athletic development based on biological maturity and individual training competence. In KINGS 2.0, the consortium further refined and validated this model, examined the effects of combined strength and endurance training (concurrent training) on physical fitness and sport-specific performance depending on biological maturity, and evaluated individualized diagnostics for balanced muscle and tendon development using mobile measurement methods. The project concluded with the development of evidence-based guidelines for transferring scientific findings into elite youth sport practice.