Supramolecular chemistry: Publication in Angewandte Chemie. How can aromatic compounds be separated from so-called aliphatic compounds efficiently without having to rely on energy-intensive processes? In the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie (Applied Chemistry), chemists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) present an innovative molecular sieve made of partially fluorinated macrocycles that can separate these compounds selectively. Aromatic compounds – substances with flat, ring-shaped structures made up of carbon atoms – play an important role in organic chemistry. Among other things, they…
Foundation for new cancer treatment strategies. A team led by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has, for the first time, grown tumor organoids – three-dimensional miniature tumors in the laboratory – that mimic the different structures and characteristics of pancreatic cancer. The scientists investigated how the various tumor organoids react to established and novel treatments. This opens the door to the development of effective new therapies. Pancreatic cancer ranks among the most lethal cancers, with an exceptionally…
Fraunhofer IWS Develops Innovative Material and Process Solutions for Industrial Challenges amid Resource Scarcity. Simulations and Advanced Testing Methods Highlight Alternatives to Conventional Materials. The scarcity of raw materials poses severe challenges to global industries. Recycling and the increased use of secondary raw materials have become essential for many companies. At the same time, rising raw material prices and uncertainties in supply chains are driving further research into materials. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden…
Around a quarter of acute stroke patients experience swallowing disorders, medically known as dysphagia. The conditions include difficulty in moving food or liquid into the esophagus, which often leads to choking and other serious complications. In severe cases, food particles entering the trachea can result in pneumonia or even suffocation. While the physical dangers of dysphagia are well-known, its psychological impact on stroke survivors is increasingly recognized as an equally pressing concern. The Psychological Impact of Dysphagia Recent studies reveal…
With dual lasers and an advanced gas injector system, researchers at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator Center accelerated a high-quality beam of electrons to 10 billion electronvolts in just 30 centimeters. Scientists have used a pair of lasers and a supersonic sheet of gas to accelerate electrons to high energies in less than a foot. The development marks a major step forward in laser-plasma acceleration, a promising method for making compact, high-energy particle accelerators that could have applications in particle…
The development of molecules to study and treat disease is becoming increasingly burdened by the time and specificity required to analyze the vast amounts of data generated by synthesizing large collections of new molecules. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital present a novel solution to this problem, using the fundamental fragmentation patterns of chemical building blocks to barcode reactions from starting materials to products. In doing so, they have removed a key bottleneck in the process of synthesizing and screening small…
In the future, delivering therapeutic drugs exactly where they are needed within the body could be the task of miniature robots. Not little metal humanoid or even bio-mimicking robots; think instead of tiny bubble-like spheres. Such robots would have a long and challenging list of requirements. For example, they would need to survive in bodily fluids, such as stomach acids, and be controllable, so they could be directed precisely to targeted sites. They also must release their medical cargo only…
Using high-powered lasers, this new method could help biologists study the body’s immune responses and develop new medicines. Metabolic imaging is a noninvasive method that enables clinicians and scientists to study living cells using laser light, which can help them assess disease progression and treatment responses. But light scatters when it shines into biological tissue, limiting how deep it can penetrate and hampering the resolution of captured images. Now, MIT researchers have developed a new technique that more than doubles…
In April 2021, two tropical cyclones, Seroja and Odette, collided in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia. Two researchers from the University of Oldenburg have now studied how this rare phenomenon affected the ocean. According to their case study, the rendezvous caused an unusual cooling of the surface water and an abrupt change in the direction of the combined storm. Since the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones are increasing as a result of global warming, it is possible that…
Carl Zeiss Foundation sponsors InteReg project at Mainz University. Collaborative project involving Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, and the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research will receive EUR 6 million. The Carl Zeiss Foundation is contributing EUR 6 million to a research project on the regeneration of the nervous system at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The new Interactive Biomaterials for Neural Regeneration (InteReg) project will bring together researchers from the fields of neurobiology, neuroimmunology,…
Bio-based adhesives for industrial applications. Folding boxes are considered sustainable packaging solutions for numerous everyday products – whether breakfast cereals, electronics, medicines, or perfumes. Made from paper and cardboard, folding boxes are resource-efficient in production, biodegradable, and easily recyclable. However, environmentally friendly adhesives are still lacking for completely sustainable manufacturing. Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP are developing and testing bio-based adhesives for the industrial production of folding boxes in the project Sustainable Gluing With Renewable Adhesives…
Replacing animal experiments: an MHH research team has succeeded in producing a haematopoietic heart organoid for the first time. How do human organs develop and what happens to them when they become diseased? To answer these questions, researchers are increasingly focussing on so-called organoids. These mini-organs, just a few millimetres in size, consist of groups of cells cultivated in the laboratory that can form organ-like structures. Similar to embryonic development, organoids make it possible to investigate the interaction of cells…
Innovative sensor designs made possible by glass-integrated waveguides. Waveguides, integrated in glass, have the potential to significantly boost the measuring accuracy of sensors in science and industry. In the “3DGlassGuard“ project, a consortium including Fraunhofer IZM is working on a sensor for measuring the density of seawater that can potentially help generate more consistent climate models. The researchers are also planning to create sensors in glass for power electronics, using innovative optical 3D microstructures and AI design processes. Sensors tasked…
A recent breakthrough in pain research brings hope to chronic pain patients. A team led by Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger at the Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, has uncovered the potential of a natural compound, hederagenin, found in the medicinal plant ivy (Hedera helix), as a highly selective inhibitor of the neuropeptide FF receptor 1 (NPFFR1). This discovery, published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, marks a significant stride toward innovative pain therapy solutions. Understanding the Role of…
In industrial stamping processes, several hundred sheet metal parts are typically produced per minute. Together with the stamped parts manufacturer Quittenbaum GmbH, researchers at Fraunhofer IPM have now for the first time developed and installed an optical inspection system that checks the dimensional accuracy of every single component in high-speed stamping processes – with an accuracy in the range of 100 micrometers. The geometric deviations are depicted in 16 different views on the user interface. © Fraunhofer IPM Connectors, sleeves…
A team of Rice University scientists has solved a long-standing problem in thermal imaging, making it possible to capture clear images of objects through hot windows. Imaging applications in a range of fields ⎯ e.g. security, surveillance, industrial research and diagnostics ⎯ could benefit from the research findings, which were reported in the journal Communications Engineering. “Say you want to use thermal imaging to monitor chemical reactions in a high-temperature reactor chamber,” said Gururaj Naik, an associate professor of electrical…
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