news 2021

Research team led by the University of Göttingen develops new strategy for labelling peptides Biomolecules regulate the biological functions inside every living cell. If scientists can understand the molecular mechanisms of such functions, then it is possible to detect severe dysfunction which can lead to illness.

Survey on diet and exercise since the start of the corona pandemic presented How has the corona pandemic affected the dietary and exercise behavior and thus the weight of adults? Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have investigated this question and found that about 40 percent of those surveyed have gained weight since the start of the pandemic and that slightly more than half of those surveyed have exercised less than they did before the corona crisis.

Scientists at the University of Münster provide new insights into interactions between platelets and white blood cells in mice / Study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine Treating patients with acute respiratory failure is a constant challenge in intensive care medicine. In most cases, the underlying cause is lung inflammation triggered by a bacterial infection or - more rarely, despite being frequently observed at present due to the corona pandemic - a viral infection.

Research team investigates molecular mechanisms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Stand: 01. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease. Motor nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain stem, which are connected to the muscles and control their movements, gradually die. The result is massive muscle atrophy, which in severe cases can lead to death in infancy if left untreated.

Cologne scientists present a new two-phase model of skin formation The data provide insights into the balance of tissues and diseases associated with greatly increased cell division rates The complex layering (stratification) of skin arises form one layer of cells during embryonic development. How stratification is stimulated and driven is still largely unknown.

The bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidisis primarily a harmless microbe found on the skin and in the noses of humans. Yet some strains of this species can cause infections - in catheters, artificial joints, heart valves, and in the bloodstream - which are difficult to treat. These bacteria are often resistant to a particularly effective antibiotic, methicillin, and are among the most feared germs in hospitals.

Collaborative Research Center granted DFG funding for a further four years. Life The German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio (CRC/TR) "FungiNet" for four more years with approximately ten million Euro. In the only CRC studying human pathogenic fungi, scientists in Jena and Würzburg will investigate infection processes and novel therapeutic options.

For the first time in Europe: Cardiologists use "SuperSaturated Oxygen" procedure to reduce heart muscle damage In Germany, more than 200,000 people suffer a heart attack every year. Despite good medical care, many are left with reduced cardiac output. This is particularly true for patients with severe heart attacks: more than 30 percent of those affected develop heart failure, and almost half of them die within the next five years.

Beyond plaques: Heidelberg scientists unravel the natural functions of the APP protein family While the APP protein is well-known for its key role in Alzheimer's disease, its contribution to healthy brain function, by contrast, has remained largely unknown until now. Recently, an international research team, led by molecular biologist Ulrike Müller from Heidelberg University, gained new insights on the physiological functions of the APP protein family by using a mouse model lacking APP.

MHH: Successful healing trial with immune cells against JC virus The John Cunningham (JC) virus infects about 70 to 90 percent of all people worldwide without most of them even noticing it. But once it has entered the body, the genetic material of the pathogen remains dormant. If the immune system is weakened or shut down by a serious illness or by immunosuppressive drugs, the virus is reactivated and multiplies.

Some species of ants make life easier for themselves: they live in the colonies of other ant species, exploiting their hosts' resources. This form of social parasitism has evolved several times independently in ants. An international team of researchers headed by biologist Dr. Lukas Schrader at the University of Münster has now shown that these social parasites have lost some parts of their genomes.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) affects between one and two of every 10,000 new-born babies. This genetic disease leads to the formation of benign tumours which can massively impair the proper functioning of vital organs such as the kidneys, the liver and the brain. The disease affects different patients to varying degrees and is triggered by mutations in one of two genes, the TSC1 or TSC2 gene.

A research team led by Göttingen University find novel switch in proteins with wide-ranging implications for medical treatments Proteins perform a vast array of functions in the cell of every living organism with critical roles in almost every biological process. Not only do they run our metabolism, manage cellular signaling and are in charge of energy production, as antibodies they are also the frontline workers of our immune system fighting human pathogens like the coronavirus.

'Pokemonas' live in round amoebae, similar to Pokémon, which are caught inside balls in the popular video game A research team at the University of Cologne has discovered previously undescribed bacteria in amoebae that are related to Legionella and may even cause disease. The researchers from Professor Dr Michael Bonkowski's working group at the Institute of Zoology have named one of the newly discovered bacteria 'Pokemonas' because they live in spherical amoebae, comparable to Pokémon in the video game, which are caught in balls.

Cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes or cardiovascular diseases are what are known as non-communicable diseases, which are responsible for the majority of deaths worldwide - in Germany, an estimated 91 percent of all deaths are the result of these diseases, and it is a rising trend. Epidemiologists have been studying the development and distribution of these epidemiological diseases, as well as the measures to combat them and what their social consequences are.

International research team including Göttingen University first to describe tree-like internal anatomy of symbiotic worm and sponge   The marine worm Ramisyllis multicaudata , which lives within the internal canals of a sponge, is one of only two such species possessing a branching body, with one head and multiple posterior ends.

Genome editing in farm animals Genetically engineered animals provide important insights into the molecular basis of health and disease. Research has focused mainly on genetically modified mice, although other species, such as pigs, are more similar to human physiology. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now generated chickens and pigs in which target genes in desired organs can be efficiently altered.

A team of researchers from Berlin, Dortmund, and Graz are investigating how the substance spermidine can protect aging brain cells. No 062/2021 from Apr 13, 2021 According to a recent study, age-related memory loss may be preventable. Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin, the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften (ISAS) in Dortmund, and the University of Graz found that the substance spermidine - something that is present in all human cells - can protect the mitochondria found in aging brain cells.

Covid-19: analysis of protein interactions as a route to new drugs a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry paints a comprehensive picture of the viral infection process. For the first time, the interaction between the coronavirus and a cell is documented at five distinct proteomics levels.

Iron-dependent cell death ferroptosis and cell death by oxidative stress can be activated in small cell lung cancer, and induced by two drugs / publication in 'Nature Communications' Using samples of small cell lung tumours, a research team led by biologist Dr Silvia von Karstedt has discovered two new ways to induce tumour cell death.