Biontech vaccine activated for booster vaccination against the current Corona variant JN.1 Production of adapted antibodies. The autumn wave of coronavirus is sweeping across Germany. Those affected mainly suffer from coughs, colds, sore throats and fever, but also from headaches, aching limbs, general weakness and shortness of breath. Because new SARS-CoV-2 variants and subtypes are constantly emerging, coronavirus vaccines must be constantly adapted, similar to influenza viruses. Currently, the virus variant Omikron JN.1 and its sub-lineages KP.2 and KP.3 are…

First study to date to investigate cancer risk in mosaic RASopathies due to disease-causing variants in the HRAS or KRAS genes shows the importance of close cancer surveillance. Hereditary changes in genes are often the cause of rare diseases. For example, disease-causing gene variants (PVs) in the HRAS gene cause Costello syndrome and PVs in the KRAS gene cause Noonan syndrome and cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome. If such PVs only arise during embryonic development in the womb, those affected suffer from a…

Bonn researchers use nanobodies to elucidate pore formation by gasdermin D in cell membranes: The formation of pores by a particular protein, gasdermin D, plays a key role in inflammatory reactions. During its activation, an inhibitory part is split off. More than 30 of the remaining protein fragments then combine to form large pores in the cell membrane, which allow the release of inflammatory messengers. As methods for studying these processes in living cells have so far been inadequate, the…

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…

Results from a preclinical study in mice, led by EPFL, and a collaborative clinical study in patients show that the type 2 immune response – associated with parasitic infection and thought to play a negative role in cancer immunity – is positively correlated with long-term cancer remission. In 2012, 7-year-old Emily Whitehead became the first pediatric patient to receive pioneering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) therapy to fight the recurrence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Twelve years later, Emily is in…

 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….

For the first time in Germany: Heart Center of the UMG uses new procedure for cardiac arrhythmias. The Optrell mapping catheter, which allows precise imaging of the heart, was used for the first time in Germany at the Heart Center of the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG). The catheter measures the electrical activity and structure of the heart while it is in place and creates a kind of “map”. The areas in the heart that cause problems can thus be…

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…

By targeting multiprotein molecule, antibody inhibits bacteria’s growth, pathogenicity. Bacterial infections resulting in enteritis, sometimes extra-intestinal infections such as sepsis, continue to be a global health concern. A leading cause of diarrheal and extra-intestinal infectious mortality among children under 5 and elderly persons is infection with Campylobacter bacteria, against which there is no effective vaccine or medication. An Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has recently uncovered what could be an important step toward preventing, diagnosing, and treating a species of Campylobacter…

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…