The MHH joint project TARGET-MPN is investigating why the disease persists and progresses in malignant bone marrow diseases from the group of myeloproliferative neoplasms despite targeted treatment. Haematopoietic stem cells supply us with fresh blood throughout our lives and ensure that our immune system functions properly. In adults, haematopoietic stem cells are found in the bone marrow. There they divide and develop into new mature blood cells such as red and white blood cells or platelets. Normally, this process is…
… improve active ingredient tests using human cell cultures. Many new drug candidates end up failing because they cause serious side effects in clinical trials. This is a common occurrence if the cells used come from animal tissue, for example. Specially prepared cell cultures made from human tissue known as human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells enable greater reliability in testing, thereby also increasing the chances that a drug will be approved. Fraunhofer researchers have developed innovative solutions for optimized…
For some years now, the trend in the cosmetics and skincare sector has been toward transparency and natural, sustainable ingredients. A growing number of consumers are rejecting cosmetics that contain petroleum-derived mineral oils and silicone oils. As a result, manufacturers are increasingly turning toward plant-based oils, fats, and waxes as substitutes. Working in tandem with Kneipp GmbH, a producer of cosmetic products and other items, the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC is conducting the first-ever systematic tests of the…
The rapidly escalating prevalence of overweight and obesity poses a significant medical challenge worldwide. In addition to people’s changing lifestyles, genetic factors also play a key role in the development of obesity. Scientists at Leipzig University and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have now identified a new regulator of eating behaviour. The findings have been published in the internationally renowned Nature journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. “Our research underscores our incomplete understanding of the factors governing food intake. It also…
Antibacterial substance from staphylococci discovered with new mechanism of action against natural competitors. Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered a new so-called lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37. It is produced by staphylococci that colonize the skin and acts specifically against their main competitors there, the corynebacteria. This specificity is presumably…
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Center for Adipocyte Signaling (SDU), the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have found a protein that is responsible for turning off brown fat activity. This new discovery could lead to a promising strategy for safely activating brown fat and tackling obesity and related health problems. The results of the study have now been published in the journal „Nature Metabolism“. Brown fat, also known as brown adipose…
CAR T cell therapy has proven effective in treating various haematological cancers. However, not all patients respond equally well to treatment. In a recent clinical study, researchers from the University of Leipzig Medical Center and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology identified several biomarkers that are associated with the response to CAR T cell therapy in multiple myeloma, a malignant tumour disease in the bone marrow. The findings have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Cancer. CAR…
Chemokines are signalling proteins that orchestrate the interaction of immune cells against pathogens and tumours. To understand this complex network, various techniques have been developed to identify chemokine-producing cells. However, it has not yet been possible to determine which cells react to these chemokines. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have developed a new class of genetically modified mice that enables the simultaneous identification of chemokine producers and sensors. Using the chemokine Ccl3 as…
Uveitis experts provide an overview of an underestimated imaging technique. Uveitis is a rare inflammatory eye disease. Posterior and panuveitis in particular are associated with a poor prognosis and a protracted course of the disease. Diagnosis and monitoring can be challenging for healthcare professionals. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a fast and non-invasive imaging technique that supports this. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn, together with experts from Berlin, Münster and Mannheim, have drafted a review…
New study identifies NECTIN4 amplification as a promising biomarker – Under the leadership of PD Dr. Niklas Klümper, Assistant Physician at the Department of Urology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and Clinician Scientist of the BMBF-funded ACCENT program and PD Dr. Markus Eckstein, senior physician at the Institute of Pathology at the Uniklinikum Erlangen of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), an interdisciplinary research team has published new findings that indicate which patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma could benefit in particular…
Useful for thrombectomy data transfer. In an ischaemic stroke, an artery in the brain is blocked by blood clots and the brain cells can no longer be supplied with blood as a result. Doctors must therefore act quickly and unblock the artery with the help of catheters. During the so-called mechanical thrombectomy, a lot of data has to be recorded and then transferred to various registers. Dr Nils Lehnen, senior physician at the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology and…
Joining forces for cancer research: TRON and GSI/FAIR study combination of heavy ion therapy and mRNA vaccine. It could be a new, promising combination of two therapeutic approaches and a key to better combating advanced-stage cancer. Two strong partners have joined forces to explore this possibility: The biopharmaceutical and translational research institute TRON in Mainz with its highly specialized oncology research and the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt with its worldwide unique accelerator facilities and the cancer therapy with…
Gene mutations in the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway disrupt lung development in the womb. Most rare diseases are congenital – including CPAM (congenital pulmonary airway malformations). These are airway malformations of the lungs that can lead to severe breathing problems in some affected newborns and can be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Researchers at Hannover Medical School (MHH) and Magdeburg University Hospital (UMMD) have now succeeded in identifying the genetic causes of the disease in a study. Cysts…
Researchers from Osaka University discover that opening a channel into cancer cells helps antisense oligonucleotide drugs reach their targets. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are next-generation drugs that can treat disease by blocking the transfer of harmful messages from our genes. In people with cancer, ASOs have the potential to block messages that encourage the growth and spread of the tumor. However, ASOs aren’t used for treating cancer yet. They must first get delivered inside cancer cells, but the cancer cells won’t…
Study in Nature unlocks how cortisone inhibits inflammation. Cortisone and other related glucocorticoids are extremely effective at curbing excessive immune reactions. But previously, astonishingly little was known about how they exactly do that. A team of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Uniklinikum Erlangen and Ulm University have now explored the molecular mechanism of action in greater detail. As the researchers report in the journal Nature,* glucocorticoids reprogram the metabolism of immune cells, activating the body’s natural “brakes” on inflammation….
Researchers at the University of Leeds and Lancaster University in the UK have identified a new potential target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease – PDE4B. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia and disability in old age. As the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is on the increase, new treatments are urgently needed to improve the quality of life for people living with the disease. PDE4B is an enzyme inside cells that breaks down a molecule…
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