… for predicting risk of sudden cardiac death. Scientists at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute have developed a world-first individualised risk prediction tool for people suffering from a type of heart arrhythmia that can cause sudden cardiac arrest. This is the first time a gene mutation-specific test has been applied to predict the severity of heart disease. The discovery was made in conjunction with colleagues at the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre and could also benefit patients suffering from other heart arrhythmias and neurological…
Lignocellulosic biomass is the largest renewable carbon resource on earth. Cellulose and hemicellulose, featuring polymeric carbohydrate structure, are important components of lignocellulose. Refinery of the carbohydrates to target products remains a major challenge for their valorization. One solution is fully breaking the C‒C bonds, so the carbohydrates are converted to C1 chemicals, such as CO and HCOOH. Photocatalysis on semiconductors can generate oxidative holes that can activate chemical bonds theoretically. The radical mechanism can circumvent the formation of humins that…
Transport proteins are responsible for the ongoing movement of substrates into and out of a biological cell. However, it is difficult to determine which substrates a specific protein can transport. Bioinformaticians at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have developed a model – called SPOT – which can predict this with a high degree of accuracy using artificial intelligence (AI). They now present their approach, which can be used with arbitrary transport proteins, in the scientific journal PLOS Biology. Substrates in…
New step in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Research at UMC Utrecht has identified 29 novel antibodies against the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, an important cause of drug-resistant infections. Using genetic and functional approaches, the researchers also managed to unravel how these antibodies interact with antigens on the bacterial surface. Finally, they found that some of these novel antibodies act synergistically to neutralize this pathogen. The increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) urgently calls for the development of alternative therapies against…
A team of scientists led by Prof. Patrik Verstreken (VIB-KU Leuven) has identified a new genetic mutation that may cause a form of early-onset Parkinsonism. The mutation, located in a gene called SGIP1, was discovered in an Arab family with a history of Parkinson’s symptoms that began at a young age. The study reveals that this mutation affects how brain cells communicate, providing new insights into the disease’s development and potential treatment strategies. A genetic clue to Parkinsonism Parkinsonism is…
New perspectives for the development of catalysis: Chemnitz University of Technology’s Chair of Inorganic Chemistry has succeeded in synthesizing a spectacular gallium compound in the laboratory. Catalysts play an important role in the manufacture of many products that we encounter in everyday life – for example in cars for exhaust gas purification or in the chemical industry in the production of fertilizers. Catalysts ensure that these reactions take place with low energy consumption and with as few side reactions as…
MED6-189 is effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of human malaria parasites. In 2022, nearly 619,000 global deaths due to malaria were caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent, prevalent, and deadly human malaria parasite. For decades, the parasite’s resistance to all antimalarial drugs has posed a big challenge for researchers working to stop the spread of the disease. A team led by scientists at UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and Yale School of Medicine has now designed a new drug against…
Heidelberg researchers identify biological mechanism that protects against, but can also trigger, errors in the genome. Certain developmental signals shape not only the human embryo but also play a significant role in maintaining our genetic blueprints. They prevent alterations in the genome, known as mosaicism. An international research team led by scientists of the Centre for Organismal Studies of Heidelberg University made this discovery in investigations using stem cells. The underlying biological mechanism helps the DNA to produce an identical…
The discovery of a stable single-electron covalent bond between two carbon atoms validates a century-old theory. Covalent bonds, in which two atoms are bound together by sharing a pair of electrons, form the scaffolding that underpins the majority of organic compounds. In 1931, the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling suggested that covalent bonds made from just a single, unpaired electron could exist, but these single-electron bonds would likely be much weaker than a standard covalent bond involving a pair of electrons….
Almost everyone knows about HIV. Fewer people know about its relative, HTLV-1. However, HTLV-1 can cause serious illnesses, including cancer. To develop ways to combat this virus, understanding its structure is essential. Martin Obr and Florian Schur from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and US colleagues now show the virus in close-up in a new paper, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Martin Obr is on edge, anxiously waiting for his train to the airport. A…
Despite its importance for mathematics, the neuronal basis of the number zero in the human brain was previously unknown. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the University of Tübingen have now discovered that individual nerve cells in the medial temporal lobe recognize zero as a numerical value and not as a separate category “nothing”. The results have now been published in the journal “Current Biology”. The concept of the number zero has been central…
Researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan and The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) of Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered inorganic nanostructures surrounding deep-ocean hydrothermal vents that are strikingly similar to molecules that make life as we know it possible. These nanostructures are self-organized and act as selective ion channels, which create energy that can be harnessed in the form of electricity. Published Sep. 25 in Nature Communications, the findings impact not…
Propylene production harnesses biodiesel waste byproduct. Achieving carbon neutrality requires the effective use of renewable biomass. In the production of biodiesel, for instance, glycerol is generated as a major byproduct. Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed a new catalyst that efficiently converts a derivative of glycerol into bio-based propylene, contributing to sustainable chemical production. Propylene is typically produced from petroleum and is widely used in the manufacture of plastics, such as automobile bumpers and food containers. The research team,…
It’s almost time to dust off the Halloween decorations and adorn the house with all manner of spooky things, including the classic polyester spider webs. Scientists reporting in ACS Nano have made their own version of fake spider silk, but this one consists of proteins and heals wounds instead of haunting hallways. The artificial silk is strong enough to be woven into bandages that helped treat joint injuries and skin lesions in mice. Spider silk is one of the strongest…
PIPs Project of the Leibniz Cooperative Excellence Launched. What role do certain lipids, known as phosphoinositides (PIPs), play in obesity and other metabolic diseases? This is now being investigated by scientists from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin, the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), and the Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften (ISAS) in a joint project. The FMP, DIfE and ISAS have raised almost one million euros from the Leibniz Association as part of the “Leibniz Cooperative…
Groundbreaking findings provide a proof-of-concept development of a non-invasive cell-based method to improve the quality of eggs from older females for IVF. Researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), based at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), have developed an innovative technique to significantly enhance the reproductive potential of aged oocytes, or immature egg cells, potentially paving the…
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