Worldwide, consumption of sugar has risen steadily in recent decades even though this food contributes to cavities, high blood pressure and widespread health issues such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the joint research project NovelSweets, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME have teamed up with partners to use methods derived from biotechnology to produce innovative, protein-based sweeteners. Their goal is to replace sugar and existing sugar alternatives, especially in beverages. The…
An international research team with the significant involvement of Augsburg University Medicine has made significant progress in the risk assessment and treatment of extracranial malign rhabdoid tumours. Recently published in the renowned journal “Clinical Cancer Research,” the study, “Clinical and Molecular Risk Factors in Extracranial Malignant Rhabdoid Tumours: Toward an Integrated Model of High-Risk Tumours,” shows how clinical and molecular factors can influence disease progression and contribute to improvements in individual treatment. Malign rhabdoid tumours are rare and affect around…
“Fish-hook” system holds promise for advanced materials and health-care applications. In a first-of-its-kind breakthrough, a team of UBC Okanagan researchers has developed an artificial adhesion system that closely mimics natural biological interactions. Dr. Isaac Li and his team in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science study biophysics at the single-molecule and single-cell levels. Their research focuses on understanding how cells physically interact with each other and their environment, with the ultimate goal of developing innovative tools for disease diagnosis…
In the VALPEATS project, Fraunhofer researchers are working with project partners to develop a monitoring platform to collect information and evaluate the condition of peatlands. Peatlands are drying out due to conversion to agricultural land and climate change, releasing huge quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere in the process. The project involves an interdisciplinary team of specialists in the field along with a network of sensors, drones, and AI tools. VALPEATS is laying the groundwork for protecting peatlands and planning…
Where do you see patterns in chaos? It has been proven, in the incredibly tiny quantum realm, by an international team co-led by UC Santa Cruz physicist Jairo Velasco, Jr. In a new paper published on November 27 in Nature, the researchers detail an experiment that confirms a theory first put forth 40 years ago stating that electrons confined in quantum space would move along common paths rather than producing a chaotic jumble of trajectories. Electrons exhibit both particle and wave-like properties—they don’t simply…
It’s a big year for microRNAs. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered the first microRNA in 1993. Today, we know that humans make more than 1,000 different microRNAS. These molecules are critical for building and maintaining healthy bodies, so it’s crucial that they’re made the right way. Errors in microRNA manufacture can put us at risk for developmental disorders, cancer, or neurodegenerative disease. To learn how cells accurately generate…
Heart cockles have shells with built-in skylights to let in light for symbiotic algae. Since the first fiber optic cables rolled out in the 1970s, they’ve become a major part of everything from medical devices to high-speed internet and cable TV. But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us. A new study reveals that clams called heart cockles -– so-named because of their heart-shaped shells — have unique structures in their shells that…
Defibrillator with sternum electrode implanted for the first time at Göttingen University Medical Center to prevent sudden cardiac death. At the Heart Center of the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), a new type of defibrillator with a sternum electrode was implanted for the first time in a patient with cardiac arrhythmia: The Aurora system is a defibrillator that lies outside the heart and prevents sudden cardiac death. According to the German Heart Foundation, around 65,000 people die of sudden cardiac…
With higher computing power and adapted AI training, the system developed at TU Graz can control several pedestrian crossings simultaneously and recognises people with limited mobility or strollers. The green phase can thus be extended as required. Since 2018, 21 intelligent traffic lights have been in use in Vienna. They recognise when pedestrians are approaching a crossing and automatically request green for them. This reduces the waiting time considerably in some cases. Now a team led by Horst Possegger from…
With growing concerns over climate change and overpopulation, we urgently need to boost agricultural productivity. With the goal of creating a way to easily tell whether a plant is thriving or dying, a leaf-mounted sensor was created by researchers at Tohoku University. This small but mighty technology could help improve crop yields and resource management in order to meet ever-growing demands. Extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rain, and droughts stress plants, which can reduce crop yields and threaten the…
New approaches in the fight against bacterial rice disease. An international research team, the “Healthy Crops” consortium, has developed rice varieties resistant to a detrimental crop disease in East Africa and Madagascar. The new varieties are resistant to bacterial leaf blight (for short: BB), caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). The intention is to transfer these varieties to local breeders in Madagascar and Tanzania, where they will first be subjected to field tests and subsequently distributed to…
Cell division, cell differentiation, cell repair and cell death play fundamental roles in the human organism, its development, health and reproduction. Cellular transformation processes are governed by two regulatory mechanisms: chromatin modifications and cell signaling networks. The EpiSignal Research Training Group sheds light on the hitherto little-researched interplay between these two complex systems. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has recently approved a further Research Training Group (RTG) at the University of Stuttgart. The Research Training Group “EpiSignal – Crosstalk of…
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1454 “Metaflammation and Cellular Programming” for a second funding period. The research network will focus on investigating the links between western lifestyles and chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and the metabolic syndrome. The Department of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics at TU Braunschweig is contributing to the scientific progress of the CRC in two projects with its expertise in the field of immune cell metabolism (immunometabolism)…
EIP Project “BioStripPlant” Successfully Concludes. On Thursday, 28 November 2024, the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) hosted the final event of the “BioStripPlant” project. Funded by the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-Agri) and coordinated by agrathaer GmbH, the project aimed to develop and test an innovative cultivation method for organic vegetable farming in Brandenburg. Over three years, the project explored how strip-tillage combined with mulch and live mulch systems could enhance soil conservation and climate resilience. The results…
A thing of the past! Bipolar plates for fuel cells are mass produced every second. The forming tools used to manufacture them are milled from high-quality metal alloys that provide them with high wear resistance. In the National Action Plan for Fuel Cell Production (H2GO), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen is breaking new ground: Instead of milling the tools from an expensive solid block, the institute is using extreme high-speed laser material deposition (EHLA) to apply…
…solved by integrated approach. A collaborative effort by the research groups of Professor Haruhiko Fuwa from Chuo University and Professor Masashi Tsuda from Kochi University has culminated in the structure elucidation and total synthesis of anticancer marine natural products, iriomoteolide-1a and -1b. These natural products were originally isolated from the marine dinoflagellate collected off the Iriomote Island, Okinawa, Japan. Because of its potent anticancer activity, iriomoteolide-1a is an intriguing natural product that attract immense attention from the chemical community around…
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