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Health - 21.12.2020

Fear of the Coronavirus and Scepticism about Vaccination
Although the individual risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus and falling ill with COVID-19 is currently estimated as being higher than was the case in summer, the willingness to be vaccinated is still not particularly great. In mid-2020, just under 55 percent of the respondents of a representative survey stated that they would probably, or very probably, be vaccinated.

Health - 21.12.2020

Sixfold increase in risk
Study shows link between cervical cancer and HIV infection A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has quantified the effects of an infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on the development of cervical cancer. Their results show that the risk of developing cervical cancer is six times higher in women who are infected with HIV.

Health - Pharmacology - 17.12.2020

Breathing rate predicts therapeutic benefits for heart patients
Discovering a forgotten biosignal Conditions causing arrhythmia are among the most common cardiac conditions. A study headed by Prof. Georg Schmidt of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has demonstrated for the first time that the nocturnal respiratory rate can help with an important prediction: It is an indicator of whether a defibrillator will help to extend the life of patients with arrhythmia.

Health - Physics - 27.11.2020

Over 20 million euros for two new research alliances
A great success for the University of Münster: the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding two new Collaborative Research Centres (CRC). The two research alliances - entitled “inSight - Multiscale imaging of organ-specific inflammation? and “Intelligent matter: From responsive to adaptive nanosystems? - will together be receiving funding of more than 20 million euros.

Health - Physics - 25.11.2020

Detecting bacteria with fluorescent nanosensors
Luminous carbon nanotubes detect pathogens - and are quick and easy to use. Researchers from Bochum, Göttingen, Duisburg and Cologne have developed a new method for detecting bacteria and infections. They use fluorescent nanosensors to track down pathogens faster and more easily than with established methods.

Health - Computer Science - 17.11.2020

Deep-learning in hospitals
Novel deep learning method enables clinic-ready automated screening for diabetes-related eye disease Researchers created a novel deep learning method that makes automated screenings for eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy more efficient. Reducing the amount of expensive annotated image data that is required for the training of the algorithm, the method is attractive for clinics.

Life Sciences - Health - 11.11.2020

PM 98/2020 201111 How Molecular Chaperones Dissolve Protein Aggregates Linked To Parkinson’s Disease
In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death. Yet there exists a cellular defence mechanism that counteracts these aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, and can even dissolve fibrils already formed. This defence mechanism is based on the activity of molecular chaperones, i.e. protein folding helpers, of the heat shock protein 70 family (Hsp70).

Health - Physics - 04.11.2020

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases
Scientists worldwide have been working flat out on research into infectious diseases in the wake of the global outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This concerns not only virologists, but also physicists, who are developing mathematical models to describe the spread of epidemics.

Health - Pharmacology - 02.11.2020

How the immune system remembers viruses
Immune response: memory T cells are formed earlier than previously thought For a person to acquire immunity to a disease, T cells must develop into memory cells after contact with the pathogen. Until now, the number of cells that do this was believed to depend above all on the magnitude of the initial immune response.

Pharmacology - Health - 23.10.2020

Is Antimicrobial Resistance Evolution Accelerating?
A team of researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and ETH Zurich studied if antifungal and antibiotic resistance emerge faster than in the past No 199/2020 from Oct 23, 2020 Scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zurich) investigated how long it takes for resistance to emerge after the introduction of a new antifungal or antibiotic.

Life Sciences - Health - 20.10.2020

How the virus enters the cell
Coronavirus: Neuropilin-1 could open the door to the inside of the cell The protein neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS CoV-2 cell entry. A research team including Prof. Mikael Simons of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) recently published these findings in the journal "Science". Because neuropilin-1 is expressed in the mucous membranes of the olfactory and respiratory tract, the findings may be important for understanding the spreading of SARS CoV-2.

Life Sciences - Health - 13.10.2020

An alternative to animal experiments
Scientists at the Technical University of Munich derived human organoids from duodenal tissue sections. Within a few days, organoids grow from small circular structures into bigger, more complex structures resembling many aspects of intestinal physiology. New applications for organoids from human intestinal tissue Researchers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have cultured so-called intestinal organoids from human intestinal tissue, which is a common byproduct when performing bowel surgery.

Health - Pharmacology - 13.10.2020

Safely on the way to effective tumour cell killing
Scientists at the University of Göttingen develop drug for antibody tumour therapy Chemists at the University of Göttingen have developed new cytotoxic drugs which could revolutionise antibody-based tumour therapy approaches. The research team succeeded in modifying the natural product Duocarmycin into -prodrug- formats - which means that it only develops its effect once inside the tumour cell, thus reducing the likelihood of potential side effects on passage through the body.

Life Sciences - Health - 08.10.2020

New Class of Highly Effective Inhibitors Protects against Neurodegeneration
Heidelberg neurobiologists decode central mechanism of degenerative processes in the brains of mouse models and develop new principle for therapeutic agents Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.10.2020

Understanding the course of viral infections
It is only 120 millionths of a millimetre in size but can bring entire countries to a standstill: the Corona virus. Even if it were to disappear one day, viral infections will still be among the most frequent and difficult-to-treat diseases in humans. Even decades of research have only produced a few standardized vaccines and strategies for treatment to combat just a small number of viruses.

Health - Chemistry - 30.09.2020

Can organic plant protection products damage crops?
Researchers at Göttingen University discover new disease affecting maize Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure a secure food supply. Around 95 percent of food comes from conventional agriculture, which uses chemical pesticides to keep crops healthy. Increasingly, however, organic pesticides are also being sought as an alternative.

Life Sciences - Health - 28.09.2020

Looking at evolution’s genealogy from home
As the developers of 2-n-way, Dr. Jürgen Schmitz, Dr. Liliya Doronina, Norbert Grundmann, Fengjun Zhang and Dr. Gennady Churakov (from left) are delighted at the publication of their project in the specialist press. Evolution leaves its traces in particular in genomes. Pinpointing its influence is a laborious process - but one in which Dr. Jürgen Schmitz and his team at the University of Münster are at home.

Pharmacology - Health - 25.09.2020

Secure nano-carrier delivers medications directly to cells
Nanoparticles with synthetic DNA can control release of drugs Medications often have unwanted side-effects. One reason is that they reach not only the unhealthy cells for which they are intended, but also reach and have an impact on healthy cells. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), working together with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, have developed a stable nano-carrier for medications.

Health - Chemistry - 15.09.2020

Newly discovered mechanism regulates myocardial distensibility
Immunofluorescence staining of the muscle tissue of a chronically diseased human heart under the confocal microscope. Two proteins in the sarcomeres, which give the tissue the characteristic striation pattern, were marked with antibodies and visualized by different fluorophore-conjugated antibodies: titin appears red and actinin green; the nuclei were stained blue.

Health - Life Sciences - 31.08.2020

Saxon Researchers Develop New Coronavirus Antibody Test
As part of a wide-ranging research project, Leipzig scientists have developed a sophisticated coronavirus antibody test that can even be used in the home. The results were presented to Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer and State Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow this lunchtime at BioCity Leipzig.