… for mass data storage of the future from synthetic biology. Within the project “BIOSYNTH- Modular High-throughput Micro-Platform for Future Mass Data Storage from Synthetic Biology”, funded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in an internal program, an innovative microchip platform for efficient cell-free and digitally controllable biosynthesis will be developed. The Fraunhofer FEP is the consortium leader and will work together with the Fraunhofer Institutes for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Bioanalytics and…

… unveiling new discoveries and potential drug targets. Structural insights reveal new potential drug targets for the development of novel antiviral drugs to inhibit influenza virus replication. A team of scientists at University of Oxford have worked with multiple techniques at Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron, to solve the structure of the influenza replication machinery and to determine how it interacts with cellular proteins. This new research  furthers  understanding of influenza replication and how the virus adapts to…

DITF show new applications at MEDICA. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) will be exhibiting at the medical technology trade fair MEDICA in Düsseldorf from November 14 to 17 2022. At the joint Baden-Württemberg International Booth, the DITF will be presenting new developments in the field of 3D printing, such as for bone replacements. In their research, the DITF also work with the Arburg Freeformer 300-3X 3D printer, which can process up to three meltable polymers…

Carl Zeiss Foundation supports new research project. New Halocycles project aims to develop a halogen recovery technique contributing to the stabilization of the power grid and the defossilization of the future industrial society. Increasing the recovery of valuable fossil raw materials, avoiding climate-damaging carbon dioxide emission, and stabilizing our energy supply network – these are the three major objectives of a new joint research project of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and TU Kaiserslautern. With their pioneering concept, the two…

Researchers from Dresden, together with Danish and Finnish colleagues, identify a gene that enables beta cells to communicate with each other, helping the pancreas to respond to glucose by insulin secretion. Diabetes, which affects millions of people worldwide, develops when the body either generates insufficient amounts of the hormone insulin– a hormone that maintains healthy blood sugar – or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. When the number of beta cells is too low or they…

Study published in Nature identifies novel approaches for anti-allergic therapies. Inflammation and increased mucus production are typical symptoms of worm infections and allergies. This immune response involves our innate immune cells, but their exact functions are not yet fully understood. A research team from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now shed light on the key tasks that these cells perform. In the study, which has been published in the journal Nature*, the researchers also identify potential therapeutic approaches for the treatment of allergies….

Fraunhofer at MEDICA/COMPAMED 2022. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have developed the “BioSensoLab“, a mobile biological laboratory with which they can demonstrate new developments to customers and test them together – on site at their companies. These new technologies rely in particular on intelligent sensors combined with artificial intelligence to perform analyses. The lab will be presented at the joint Fraunhofer booth at the MEDICA 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf from November 14 to 17. “Never…

DSMZ publishes unique database for the cultivation of microorganisms. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH in Braunschweig, Germany have published a freely accessible database for growth media of microorganisms. The content and functions of this worldwide unique database – MediaDive (https://mediadive.dsmz.de/) – are explained by the researchers in their article published in the renowned journal Nucleic Acids Research. Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi are the basis for life and survival on Earth….

Advances and challenges in molecular nanoscience. Molecular nanoscience and magnetic materials: In the field of molecular magnetism, the design of devices with technological applications at the nanoscale —quantum computing, molecular spintronics, magnetic cooling, nanomedicine, high-density information storage, etc.— requires those magnetic molecules that are placed on the surface to preserve their structure, functionality and properties. Now, a paper published in the journal Coordination Chemistry Reviews analyses the most updated knowledge on the processes of deposition and organization of magnetic molecules on…

Researchers have developed a technique that could help fine-tune the production of monoclonal antibodies and other useful proteins. Using an approach based on CRISPR proteins, MIT researchers have developed a new way to precisely control the amount of a particular protein that is produced in mammalian cells. This technique could be used to finely tune the production of useful proteins, such as the monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancer and other diseases, or other aspects of cellular behavior. In their…

Can we survive three minutes without air or three days without water? How about without batteries? Imagine not having a battery for three hours. Lightweight, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries are widely used in mobile phones, laptops, and other necessities in today’s world. However, the organic electrolytes in conventional lithium-ion batteries are highly flammable, leading to fatal fires or explosions. As lithium-ion batteries are widely used in our lives, such accidents can cause direct damage to users, which has led to a…

A team of Canadian researchers from Université de Montréal has designed and validated a new class of drug transporters made of DNA that are 20,000 times smaller than a human hair and that could improve how cancers and other diseases are treated. Reported in a new study in Nature Communications, these molecular transporters can be chemically programmed to deliver optimal concentration of drugs, making them more efficient than current methods. Optimal dosing at all times: a medical challenge One of…

… to improve the treatment of lung diseases. Tiny particulates or noxious gases: From the day they are born, all people are exposed to a range of environmental forces. These forces constitute the exposome and affect the health and wellbeing of people around the world. A European research project has been set up to explore how the exposome affects the course of lung diseases. The microelectronics specialists at Fraunhofer IZM are on board and have developed a unique sensor bracelet…

Studying noncoding RNAs opens new avenues to understand human disease. Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Imperial College London have found a switch that regulates the activity of a gene that causes diabetes. The findings, published in Nature Cell Biology, highlights potential new vulnerabilities in the disease and could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies. HNF1A is a gene that provides instructions for making a protein called hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha. The protein is expressed in many…

Could the future of data storage be DNA? It’s the original format after all, storing the information needed to build every living thing. And it has a handful of qualities that would make it perfect for storing all the digital information in our world. With recent advances in sequencing and printing DNA, it’s technically possible, but there are a few obstacles to overcome before this sci-fi-sounding tech can become a household reality. https://youtu.be/jQOKbkyG1Jg Reactions is a video series produced by…

Researchers at Turku University and Åbo Akademi University, Finland, have identified that finger-like cellular extensions called filopodia contribute to building a barrier surrounding breast tumours. At the early stage of breast cancer malignant cells are imprisoned by a tissue barrier called a basement membrane that stops them from disseminating into other parts of the body. This early disease stage is typically not life-threatening, as surgery can remove the tumour. However, breast cancer can become lethal if it spreads and forms…