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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.

Life Sciences - Health - 27.08.2020

Decoded: the structure of the barrier between three cells
Organs in animals and in humans have one thing in common: they are bounded by so-called epithelial cells. These, along with the muscle, connective and nervous tissues, belong to the basic types of tissue. Epithelial cells form special connections with one another in order to prevent substances or pathogens from passing between the cells, i.e. they have a protective and sealing function for the body.

Health - Life Sciences - 25.08.2020

Less "Sticky" Cells Become More Cancerous
In cooperation with colleagues from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, researchers at Leipzig University have investigated the structure of tumour tissue and the behaviour of tumour cells in detail, gaining important insights that could improve cancer diagnosis and therapy in the future. They found out that during tumour development the way cells move can change from coordinated and collective to individual and chaotic behaviour.

Health - Life Sciences - 24.08.2020

Are antivitamins the new antibiotics?
Research team from University of Göttingen develops drug approach against bacterial infections Antibiotics are among the most important discoveries of modern medicine and have saved millions of lives since the discovery of penicillin almost 100 years ago. Many diseases caused by bacterial infections - such as pneumonia, meningitis or septicaemia - are successfully treated with antibiotics.

Health - Physics - 21.08.2020

New insights into lung tissue in Covid-19 disease
Researchers led by Göttingen University develop new three-dimensional imaging technique to visualize tissue damage in severe Covid-19 Physicists at the University of Göttingen, together with pathologists and lung specialists at the Medical University of Hannover, have developed a three-dimensional imaging technique that enables high resolution and three-dimensional representation of damaged lung tissue following severe Covid-19.

Life Sciences - Health - 17.08.2020

Designed bacteria produce coral-antibiotic
Sustainable biotechnological production of a natural substance against tuberculosis Corals growing on the reefs of the Bahamas produce an active agent that kills multi-resistant tuberculosis bacteria. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have managed to produce the antibiotic biotechnologically in the laboratory - fast, cost-efficient and sustainably.

Health - Economics / Business - 28.07.2020

How will the population accept COVID-19 tracing apps?
Research team led by the University of Göttingen analyses design and communication strategies for mass acceptance Coronavirus tracing applications for the detection of infection chains are currently being developed and made available across the world. Such contact-tracing apps are a central component of national strategies for relaxing restrictions.

Environment - Health - 21.07.2020

Cavefish have fewer cells of the innate immune system
Adaptation of cavefish to low-parasite environment may provide autoimmune disease insight / Study published in "Nature Ecology & Evolution" Cavefish are small, live in tucked away places humans rarely go, and they're common enough that you can find them on every continent except Antarctica. But they also have another characteristic that seems surprising at first glance: They can tell researchers something about the occurrence of autoimmune diseases in humans.

Health - Life Sciences - 17.07.2020

A chemical tailor-made suit for Alzheimer’s drugs
Research team from Göttingen and Halle develops new inhibitors for enzymes With over 1.2 million people affected in Germany alone and over 50 million people worldwide, Alzheimer's disease, also referred to simply as Alzheimer's, is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time.

Life Sciences - Health - 15.07.2020

Making balanced decisions
Neuronal circuits in the brain 'sense' our inner state How decisions are made and how behavior is controlled is one of the most important questions in neuroscience. The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a central role in all of this. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, looked into the role that dopamine plays in the decision-making process and in controlling movement.