– without animal experiments. For someone suffering from brittle bone disease, life is fraught with complications. The slightest misstep, a seemingly harmless fall or even one false move can be all it takes to leave them with a broken arm or leg. And chances are this will happen repeatedly, because they were born with an inherited genetic defect that makes their bones extremely brittle and is often associated with physical deformity. Notable sufferers of brittle bone disease include German author…
Filamentous cyanobacteria buckle at a certain length when they encounter an obstacle. This was discovered by the research group of Stefan Karpitschka, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and professor at the University of Konstanz. The results provide an important basis for the use of cyanobacteria in modern biotechnology. Cyanobacteria are one of the oldest and most important life forms in the world – for example as they took an essential part in producing the…
More than “on” and “off”: German Research Foundation funds new Emmy Noether Group at Philipps-Universität. How do numerous signals pass through a few channels? A new Emmy Noether junior research group at the University of Marburg is investigating how a limited number of G proteins can trigger a multitude of cellular reactions. Pharmacologist Dr. Hannes Schihada has received 1.9 million euros from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for two three-year funding periods to set up his research group. Cells have…
Fatty liver disease, SLD for short, is increasingly causing failure of the liver as a vital organ. A team led by researchers from the Institute of Metabolic Physiology at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) in collaboration with the German Diabetes Centre (DDZ) and other partners has now discovered that a saturated fatty acid in blood vessels leads to the production of the signalling molecule SEMA3A, which closes the ‘windows’ in the blood vessels. This hinders the transport of fat from…
To avoid exposure to the harsh Mediterranean summer conditions, some seeds delay germination until after the hot and dry days. Using the plant model Aethionema arabicum, Zsuzsanna Mérai in the group of Liam Dolan at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) has for the first time described a light-induced mechanism that establishes secondary seed dormancy in summer. The findings were published in Current Biology. Plants are highly versatile organisms that…
Invasive infections such as sepsis require immediate and targeted treatment. Experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and group partners have succeeded in establishing a reconceptualized detection principle that can make a crucial contribution to saving lives through fast, ultra-accurate pathogen identification. They have been chosen to receive the 2024 Stifterverband Science Prize for their efforts. According to a recent study, sepsis — also known as blood poisoning — claims a human life in Germany every…
LIKAT Chemists Demonstrate Heterogeneous Catalysis for Synthesis of Complex Molecule. A catalyst developed at LIKAT in Rostock opens up new avenues in the synthesis of fine chemicals for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and household chemicals, for example. Its effect is based on isolated copper atoms applied to a solid carrier material around which the reaction solution flows. This heterogeneous catalysis, so called because the aggregate states of the catalyst (solid) and the starting materials (liquid) differ, is highly unusual in the production…
— innovative plastic film material made from PLA. Flexible, disposable plastic films used in shopping or garbage bags are made mainly from petroleum-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE). These films, however, come with a large carbon footprint and contribute to environmental pollution. A team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP has now developed a flexible and recyclable plastic film material based on polylactide (PLA) bioplastic and paved the way for its commercialization. For their efforts, they received the Joseph…
… and change shape, a vital biological function. In a feat aimed at understanding how cells move and creating new ways to shuttle drugs through the body, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have built a minimal synthetic cell that follows an external chemical cue and demonstrates a governing principle of biology called “symmetry breaking.” The findings are published June 12 in Science Advances. A step that precedes the movement of a cell, symmetry breaking, happens when a cell’s molecules,…
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have changed the sensitivity of bacterial systems for controlling gene activity to red light and reprogrammed their molecular response to the light stimulus. The results open up exciting possibilities in the biotechnological application of bacteria. What for? It has long been known that bacteria not only cause diseases, but are also widely used in biotechnology. In addition to long-established applications, e.g. for the bacterial production of proteins, appropriately configured bacteria have recently become increasingly…
The ocean floor tells us stories from times long past which are most relevant for the future – those about global warming and changes in environmental conditions. With the help of specific biomarker molecules, Professor Dr. Kai-Uwe Hinrichs’ research group decodes material cycles from epochs of the highest climate dynamics as part of “The Ocean Floor – Earth’s Uncharted Interface” Cluster of Excellence – and at the same time researches how the carbon cycle has changed and could develop in…
HZI researchers have identified two mechanisms through which Klebsiella bacteria combat the spread of salmonella in the gut. The microbiome, the microorganisms that populate our intestines and aid in digestion, weighs around one and a half kilograms. It primarily consists of bacteria and provides protective effects against pathogens entering our digestive system through food, for example. An international team led by Dr Lisa Osbelt-Block and Prof. Till Strowig, both from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, investigated…
Nightmare material or truly man’s best friend? A team of researchers equipped a dog-like quadruped robot with a mechanized arm that takes air samples from potentially treacherous situations, such as an abandoned building or fire. The robot dog walks samples to a person who screens them for potentially hazardous compounds, says the team that published its study in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry. While the system needs further refinement, demonstrations show its potential value in dangerous conditions. Testing the air for dangerous…
New approach could enable patients to live pain-free without complications of diabetes. Northwestern University researchers have developed a new antioxidant biomaterial that someday could provide much-needed relief to people living with chronic pancreatitis. The study will be published on June 7 in the journal Science Advances. Before surgeons remove the pancreas from patients with severe, painful chronic pancreatitis, they first harvest insulin-producing tissue clusters, called islets, and transplant them into the vasculature of the liver. The goal of the transplant…
The protein Orco is essential for smell neuron function and development in ants, fostering the insects’ social behavior. While smell plays a considerable role in the social interactions of humans—for instance, signaling fear or generating closeness—for ants, it is vitally important. Researchers from New York University and the University of Florida found that a key protein named Orco, essential for the function of olfactory cells, is also critical for the cells’ survival in ants. Their study showed that mutating the…
Team of researchers at UC San Diego identifies cause of cellular miscommunication implicated in the origin of many human diseases. A group of researchers at University of California San Diego has identified the cause of a “short-circuit” in cellular pathways, a discovery that sheds new light on the genesis of a number of human diseases. The recent study, published in the journal Science Signaling, explores the biochemical mechanism that can interrupt the cellular communication chain — a disruptive interaction that…
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