news 2022

New study on "starvation response" by Freie Universität professor of pharmacology published in Science / Joint press release with the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie Body cells burn off fat reserves when nutrient supply from food ceases. A team led by Professor Volker Haucke and Dr. Wonyul Jang from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) has now discovered a previously unknown mechanism for how this "starvation response" is triggered and what can inhibit it.

Body cells burn fat reserves when the supply of nutrients from food is interrupted. A team led by Volker Haucke of Freie Universität Berlin and the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) and Wonyul Jang of the FMP has now discovered a previously unknown mechanism for how this "starvation metabolism" gets going - and what can inhibit it.

TUM researchers discover new cell mechanism in multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common type of blood cancer. It attacks the plasma cells in the blood. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered a mechanism which provides indications of when and why these cells become aggressive.

The doctoral program PharMetrX of Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Potsdam welcomes the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk as new partner PharMetrX - Pharmacometrics & Computational Disease Modelling, an interdisciplinary doctoral program of Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Potsdam, has gained its seventh international partner with the addition of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Centre for Clinical Studies (ZKS) brings findings from science into practical application Hannover Medical School (MHH) is one of Germany's leading institutions in vaccine research. Before new vaccines are launched on the market, they have to undergo extensive clinical testing. The requirements for a clinical trial are high, the bureaucratic effort for planning and implementation is immense.

MHH psychiatry coordinates largest German study to improve depression treatment Using biomarkers to find individual diagnostic and therapeutic paths - what already works in oncology is also to become possible in psychiatry. Under the leadership of Professor Dr Helge Frieling, Vice Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), a national research network is now being launched that aims to tailor the treatment of depression more closely to the individual patient than before.

We already know that a urine test can establish whether someone has an infection of the urinary tract or has taken illegal drugs. But there are lots more traces to be found in urine - if you know how to read them. Developing and refining techniques to get pointers to a person's eating habits or to harmful substances in their urine is one of the pet projects being pursued by food chemist Prof. Hans-Ulrich Humpf and his working group at the University of Münster.

Increased cell proliferation is a key feature of diseases such as cancer. A research team from the University of Würzburg and two Leibniz Institutes has now succeeded in indirectly influencing this process. As differently as cancers or autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis affect people - they all have one characteristic in common: they are accompanied by increased cell proliferation.

The Target trial of Jena University Hospital (UKJ) tested the effect of therapeutic drug monitoring for antibiotics in patients with sepsis.

Already approved drug could pave way to new pharmaceuticals, study by University of Bonn shows Many tumor cells mist themselves with a protective perfume that disables the immune system. But a drug already approved for other purposes can apparently render this weapon harmless. This is shown in a study by the University of Bonn and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, which has now appeared in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

Because modern medicine enables the treatment of seriously ill and severely immunocompromised patients, severe fungal infections are occurring with increasing frequency in intensive care units. Due to their weakened immune system and the often required broad spectrum antibiotic therapy, sepsis patients in the ICU are at particular risk for invasive infections by Candida, a yeast which is harmless to healthy people.

Study identifies a new signaling molecule that increases the energy consumption of brown fat cells A study led by the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn has identified a molecule - the purine inosine - that boosts fat burning in brown adipocytes. The mechanism was discovered in mice, but probably exists in humans as well: If a transporter for inosine is less active, the mice remain significantly leaner despite a high-fat diet.

Team led by bioinformatician Rolf Backofen develops algorithm to identify anti-CRISPR protein The nuclease Cas13b associated with the CRISPR gene scissors, which is an enzyme that degrades nucleic acids, has the potential to be used in the future in hereditary diseases to switch off unwanted genes. In the fight against infections, this nuclease is also being researched as an antiviral agent, as Cas13b can specifically intervene in the genetic material of viruses and render them harmless.

Informing people about the strong positive consensus among doctors persistently leads to increases in Covid-19 vaccinations How to increase vaccination rates by autumn, without any compulsion is shown by an international research team including the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance.

MHH involved in international study on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a malignant disease in which the precursor cells of the haematopoietic system multiply uncontrollably. This form of blood cancer is caused by genetic changes in the bone marrow that occur in the course of life.

HU research team simulates COVID-19 outbreaks with virtual agents A new model for simulating COVID-19 outbreaks helps to develop the right strategy for herd immunity for every municipality and city - even in the event of vaccine shortages. For, even after two years of the pandemic, countries, municipalities and cities are still experiencing severe COVID-19 outbreaks.

Researchers discover molecular mechanisms of signal recognition of the neuropeptide system The human body consists of trillions of cells that constantly communicate with each other. A central role in this communication process is played by receptor proteins on the cell surface. Since they often serve as drug targets, they have been the subject of intensive research.

Conventional vaccination campaign messages often miss their targets. A study in eight European countries shows that information on the benefits of vaccines can even reduce the willingness to get immunized. The researchers also looked into the factors that influenced the impact of messages, including low health literacy.

MHH research team clarifies how liver inflammation and scarring of liver tissue are connected At least five million people in Germany suffer from liver disease. Fibrosis, the pathological proliferation of connective tissue, plays an important role in many complications of chronic liver problems. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are massively involved in this tissue remodelling.

How a well-known drug can become a game changer - A joint press release by Charité, the MDC and FU Berlin There is a steadily growing arsenal of drugs for COVID-19. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and Freie Universität (FU) Berlin have studied the mechanisms of action of antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs.