How new optical imaging strategies help to improve cancer diagnostics. A new book provides in-depth description of state-of-the-art optical approaches for the enhancement of earlier cancer detection and classification Cancer — this diagnosis is hitting more and more people in our aging society. But the earlier the disease is detected, the greater the likelihood that it can be treated effectively. Modern light-based technologies can help to decisively improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, because they can produce diagnostically relevant…

Research project He has been in hibernation since October and seemingly nothing can wake him up. But his inner clock is ticking, inevitably signalling the approaching end of the winter. For the edible dormouse (Glis glis), hibernation is an adaptive mechanism to deal with the cold season when food is scarce. But what effect does the months-long slowdown of almost all metabolic processes have on the little rodent’s memory, spatial orientation and cognition? A team of researchers led by Claudia…

Scanning probe microscopes – like the scanning tunneling microscope, and the atomic force microscope – give us valuable information about individual molecules. One of the most interesting areas of research are molecular switches, which can be switched from one configuration to another. Phycisists at the University of Regensburg provided the first demonstration of lateral force microscopy capturing the “snapshot” of a molecular switch, and the team believes this technique will be applied to more systems to better understand the dynamics…

A team of scientists at the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Immunology at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg unravels a crucial mechanism of cell-cell-communication during the defense against pathogens. In order to fight pathogens, mast cells regulate inflammatory reactions of the immune system. Both mast cells and neutrophils are white blood cells and are critical for the body’s immune defense. A team of scientists around the immunologist Prof. Dr. Anne Dudeck and the bioengineer Jan Dudeck has discovered a crucial aspect…

Scientists are working to expand the way they have made immune cells fight tumors from a small handful of cancers to a wide array of them. Scientists are hoping advances in cancer research could lead to a day when a patient’s own immune system could be used to fight and destroy a wide range of tumors. Cancer immunotherapy has some remarkable successes, but its effectiveness has been limited to a relatively small handful of cancers. In APL Bioengineering, by AIP…

mRNA molecules from retrogenes are reverse transcribed to DNA and incorporated into the genome. A new study from scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing shows that the potential genetic burden of mutations arising from retrogenes is significantly greater than originally thought. Genetic information is stored in DNA and transcribed as mRNA. The mRNA is usually translated into proteins. However, it has long been known that mRNA…

Plankton algae that supplement photosynthesis by eating other algae and bacteria may play a crucial role in the future Arctic. As the sea ice shrinks in the Arctic, the plankton community that produces food for the entire marine food chain is changing. New research shows that a potentially toxic species of plankton algae that lives both by doing photosynthesis and absorbing food may become an important player in the Arctic Ocean as the future sea ice becomes thinner and thinner….

An online database has been created for the Meckel Collections in cooperation with the IT Service Center (ITZ) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The collections are housed at the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Faculty of Medicine and contain around 8,000 medical and zoological specimens. Some of the items date back to the 18th century and are unique and extremely valuable from a medical and historical perspective. “For the first time, all of the information about an…

Trigger for autoimmune diseases and cancer of the lymph node found Autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s own immune system attacks healthy tissue, can be life-threatening and can impact all organs. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now found a possible cause for these self-destructive immune system attacks: a hyperactive RANK protein on the surface of B cells. The research opens the door to new therapeutic possibilities. The immune system can be a mixed blessing:…

DFKI presents method for image-based diagnosis of Corona Apart from the commonly used PCR tests for the diagnosis of infections with SARS-CoV-2, the Corona virus can also be detected on computed tomography scans. With a new method of automated image recognition, this form of diagnosis can be refined and made more comprehensible for medical staff. In an international cooperation, the DFKI research department Interactive Machine Learning (IML) has developed an interactive AI system that, with a success rate of 92…

Where do the greatest risks of infection lurk? How can you protect yourself and others even better? Scientists all over the world are working to expand knowledge about Covid-19 – including at Empa. Researchers are now using measurements and simulations to take a close look at cable cars and cabins in ski resorts. Covid-19 is difficult to assess, and complex mathematical models to quantify infection risks are ultimately attempts to approximate reality – also in the case of ski resorts…

Microbiologists at the University of Tübingen modify bacteria to produce climate-neutral and rapidly degradable bioplastics. Cyanobacteria produce plastic naturally as a by-product of photosynthesis – and they do it in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have now succeeded for the first time in modifying the bacteria’s metabolism to produce this natural plastic in quantities enabling it to be used industrially. This new plastic could come to compete with environmentally harmful petroleum-based plastics. The…

A team at TU Wien was able to answer important questions about the immune system – with a trick reminiscent of paper folding. T-cells are an important component of our immune system: with the receptors they carry on their surface, they can recognise highly specific antigens. Upon detection of an intruder, an immune response is triggered. It is still unclear exactly what happens when antigens are recognised: How many antigens are necessary to elicit an immune response, and does the…

Hydrogen is regarded by many as the future of propulsion technology. The first hydrogen-powered cars are already in action on German roads. In the case of e-scooters, however, installation of a high-pressure tank to store the hydrogen is impractical. An alternative here is POWERPASTE. This provides a safe way of storing hydrogen in a chemical form that is easy to transport and replenish without the need for an expensive network of filling stations. This new paste is based on magnesium…

In a so-called inactivated or killed vaccine, the virus particles it contains are first rendered inactive by means of the toxic chemical formaldehyde. A better way of achieving this, however, is to irradiate the pathogens with low-energy electrons. Four Fraunhofer Institutes have now developed a new method of vaccine production based on this technique that is not only quicker but also guarantees a higher quality of product. The next step is to take this patented technique to market as quickly…

While chlorine and ultraviolet light are the standard means of disinfecting water, ozone is equally effective in killing germs. To date, ozone has only been used as an oxidation agent for treating water in large plants. Now, however, a project consortium from Schleswig-Holstein is developing a miniaturized ozone generator for use in smaller applications such as water dispensers or small domestic appliances. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT has provided the sensor chip and electrode substrates for the electrolysis…