news 2019

New deep learning algorithm DeepMACT detects the smallest metastases Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the LMU Munich have developed a new algorithm that automatically detects metastases. The new technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) and even finds single disseminated cancer cells in the body of mice.

Modified cancer drug effective against multi-resistant bacteria Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly the source of deadly infections. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig have now modified an approved cancer drug to develop an active agent against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Chemists at Münster University develop a synthetic method providing access to different stereoisomers of a molecule / Study published in 'Nature Catalysis' Just as our left hand is not superposable to our right hand, the mirror image of certain molecules cannot be overlapped onto it, even when turned or twisted.

Meta-analysis draws a heterogeneous picture of drug-coated balloon angioplasty Scientists of Jena University Hospital, Germany, conducted a meta-analysis sought to evaluate benefit and risk of paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty compared to plain old balloon angioplasty as therapy of intermittent claudication.

The aim of immunotherapies is to enable the immune system once again to fight cancer on its own. Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are already in clinical use for this purpose. However, they are only effective in about one third of patients. Based on analysis of human tissue samples, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered one reason why this is so: an inactive receptor in cancer cells prevents the drugs from reactivating the immune system.

Pharmacists and international partners present highly sensitive test system for anti-inflammatory drugs Life An international research team led by Friedrich Schiller University in Jena has developed a highly sensitive cell model to study the complex effects - and side effects - of anti-inflammatory drugs, with the ultimate aim of preventing chronic inflammation.

Using special receptors, plants recognize when they are at risk of fungal infection. This new finding could help cultivate resistant crops and reduce pesticide usage. Plants are under constant pressure from fungi and other microorganisms. The air is full of fungal spores, which attach themselves to plant leaves and germinate, especially in warm and humid weather.

One of the worst symptoms associated with inflammation or cancer of the pancreas is severe chronic pain. Pancreatic pain is difficult to treat, because many painkillers prove ineffective in pancreatic patients. In a recent study, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) discovered the cause of this phenomenon for the first time: a particular neuroenzyme in the body is present in the nerves of the organ in high concentrations.

Prospective Students Students and Doctorate Alumni and Supporters Continuing Education Study by Ulm University Medical Center examines effect of asthma medication on athletic performance / Cooperation with Freie Universität Berlin and German Sport University Cologne No 265/2019 from Sep 12, 2019 A new study conducted this year by the Sports and Rehabilitation Medicine Unit at Ulm University Medical Center is examining how asthma medications affect athletic performance in professional athletes.

There are two forms of T cell therapy: either a recipient receives cells from a donor, or the recipient's own T cells are removed, genetically reprogrammed in a laboratory and unleashed against an infection or tumor in the body. While the first method has proven to be successful in clinical models, reprogramming T cells is still beset with problems.

Whether they are synthetic materials such as PET and Teflon, medicines or flavourings, life without synthetically produced compounds is barely conceivable in our everyday lives today. The chemical industry depends on efficient, long-term methods of producing synthetically derived molecules. For this purpose, chemists often use catalysts, i.e. additives with which they can facilitate and control chemical reactions.

It is becoming much more common for patients to be treated with several different medications. It is often necessary for the patient to take them at fixed intervals - a limitation that makes everyday life difficult and increases the risk of doses being skipped or forgotten.

Freie Universität Berlin Contributes to Research Project Backed by the World Anti-Doping Agency No 193/2019 from Jun 25, 2019 According to a study conducted by a group of international researchers, including experts from Freie Universität Berlin, a chemical extract from spinach plants can be used to boost the performance of competitive athletes.

Research team discovers previously unknown natural products in soil fungus Mortierella alpina. Life Mortierella alpina lives in the soil and likes to keep cool. This fungus, which belongs to the zygomycetes, grows best at temperatures of 10 to 15°C and occurs mainly in alpine or arctic habitats. In biotechnology, the fungus has been used for the large-scale production of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acids, mainly used as a dietary supplement in baby foods.

Infections with HBV are a global health problem. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 260 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the virus. Vaccination prevents new HBV infections, but for people who are chronic carriers of the virus, a cure has not yet been found.

05/14/2019 Getting an accurate picture of the real-time transcriptional activity of a cell: This is the goal of a new research project at the University of Würzburg which is funded by the European Research Council. If you paid attention during biology lessons, you may remember that genetic information in human cells is contained in the cell nucleus as a DNA double helix.

Muscles are connected to tendons to power animal movements such as running, swimming or flying. Forces are produced by contractile chains of the proteins actin and myosin, which are pulling on muscle-tendon connections called attachments. During animal development, these muscle-tendon attachments must be established such that they resist high mechanical forces for the entire life of the animal.

03/22/2019 Direct coupling of two molecules of nitrogen: chemists from Würzburg and Frankfurt have achieved what was thought to be impossible. This new reaction is reported and opens new possibilities for one of the most inert molecules on earth. Constituting over 78 % of the air we breathe, nitrogen is the element found the most often in its pure form on earth.

Pharmacists and international partners present highly sensitive test system for anti-inflammatory drugs Life An international research team led by Friedrich Schiller University in Jena has developed a highly sensitive cell model to study the complex effects - and side effects - of anti-inflammatory drugs, with the ultimate aim of preventing chronic inflammation.

Under the influence of the drug fluconazole, the fungus Candida albicans can change its mode of reproduction and thus become even more resistant. Scientists at the University of Würzburg report this in the journal mBio. The yeast Candida albicans occurs in most healthy people as a harmless colonizer in the digestive tract.