Research team at the University of Göttingen develops method for recognizing cell properties. Checking whether an avocado is hard or soft by looking at it? This would require recognizing how the plant cells behave behind the skin. The same applies to all other cells on our planet: Despite more than 100 years of intensive research, many of their properties remain hidden inside the cell. Researchers at the University of Göttingen describe in their recent publication in Nature Materials a new…

Optimizing CAR-T Cells with CRISPR 2.0. As part of the German Research Foundation (DFG) Emmy Noether Program, Dr. Karl Petri is establishing a research group at the University Hospital Würzburg (UKW) to develop and enhance novel CRISPR 2.0 tools for generating and improving cancer-targeted CAR-T cell products. Würzburg. CAR-T cells are highly effective in treating selected blood cancers. However, challenges remain with this new therapy, which was first approved in 2017 in the USA and a year later in Europe…

Standard medical procedures are often time-consuming and generally do not take into account the individual characteristics of patients. This can have a negative impact on the success of treatment and impair quality of life. To solve this problem, a Fraunhofer research team from Fraunhofer IPMS, Fraunhofer IZI and Fraunhofer IOF is developing disposable biosensors that deliver rapid results and have extensive multiplexing capabilities. These biosensors enable the early detection of diseases and have the potential to significantly improve healthcare. On-Chip…

The origins of life remain a major mystery. How were complex molecules able to form and remain intact for prolonged periods without disintegrating? A team at ORIGINS, a Munich-based Cluster of Excellence, has demonstrated a mechanism that could have enabled the first RNA molecules to stabilize in the primordial soup. When two RNA strands combine, their stability and lifespan increase significantly. In all likelihood, life on Earth began in water, perhaps in a tide pool that was cut off from…

3D printing method makes it possible… Scientists have developed a new way to 3D print materials strong enough to support human tissue. In the quest to develop life-like materials to replace and repair human body parts, scientists face a formidable challenge: Real tissues are often both strong and stretchable and vary in shape and size. A CU Boulder-led team, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, has taken a critical step toward cracking that code. They’ve developed a…

University of Utah researchers develop potential alpha-particle treatments that target the plaques on the brain that lead to dementia. Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating brain disorder with limited treatment options, has long challenged researchers. Specifically, researchers have struggled with slowing the buildup of amyloid beta plaques, harmful clumps of proteins that exacerbate the disease by damaging brain cells and causing memory loss. Led by the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, University of Utah researchers have developed a groundbreaking approach…

Finding unknown effects of existing drugs. Fewer side effects, improved chances of healing: the goal of precision medicine is to provide patients with the most individualized treatment possible. This requires a precise understanding of what is happening at the cellular level. For the first time, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now succeeded in mapping the interactions of 144 active substances with around 8,000 proteins. The results could help to identify previously unknown potential benefits of existing…

Ancient ocean temperatures are most commonly reconstructed by analysing the ratio of different oxygen atoms in the calcium carbonate remains of fossils. However, this presents many challenges, including a combination of biological processes known as “vital effects” which are very noticeable in corals and can affect the data. A research team led by the University of Göttingen now shows how the abundance of a third, very rare oxygen isotope can uncover whether the isotopic composition was solely influenced by temperature…

Encouraging results from a large international study led by Heidelberg have recently been published in the journal “Lancet”: The genetic material of cancer cells with unknown tissue of origin contains numerous targets for specific drugs that are already available and have been developed to treat other forms of cancer. These suppressed the disease in CUP patients for significantly longer than chemotherapy. If metastases occur in the body, but the original tumor remains undetectable, this is referred to as “cancer of…

Transmission of tuberculosis does not only depend on the pathogen. Different groups of TB bacteria exist worldwide with different regional distribution: some are generalists and can be found on many continents, others are very limited in their spread. An international team of researchers has now been able to show for the first time that the specialist strains spread more effectively among suitable hosts from the same geographical area, whereas generalist strains can spread in different host populations from a variety…

Hotter conditions prevent two tiny organisms working together for mutual benefit, new research shows. University of Exeter scientists studied a single-celled organism (Paramecium bursaria) which can absorb and host algae (Chlorella spp). This pairing is common in freshwater worldwide, and their symbiotic relationship provides benefits including trading of nutrients and protection for the algae. But when scientists made the water 5°C warmer, the partnership stopped working – and the results suggest the algae may even become parasitic. The breakdown of…

With new technique, patient-derived neurons accurately model late-onset Alzheimer’s, point to potential treatments. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a way to capture the effects of aging in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They have devised a method to study aged neurons in the lab without a brain biopsy, an advancement that could contribute to a better understanding of the disease and new treatment strategies. The scientists transformed skin cells taken from patients with…

Human Odorant Receptor for Geosmin Identified for the First Time. Geosmin is a volatile compound of microbial origin with a distinct “earthy” to “musty” odor that can affect the quality of water and food. A research team led by Dietmar Krautwurst from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now identified and characterized the human odorant receptor for geosmin for the first time. Geosmin is responsible for the typical odor that occurs when…

Significant progress in personalised medicine: MHH researchers combine comprehensive clinical data in an easy-to-use platform. Genetic changes are the driving force behind many types of cancer, including leukaemia. They have a strong influence on prognosis and treatment. A new AI-powered tool called clinALL is now set to revolutionise the way doctors diagnose and treat paediatric leukaemia. The tool combines genetic and clinical data in one easy-to-use platform. Professor Dr Anke K. Bergmann, Senior Consultant and Deputy Director of the Institute…

MHH researchers explain how pathogens establish a connection between their cell surface and their protective capsules. Bacteria have different strategies for protecting themselves. Some bacterial pathogens surround themselves with a shell made of many sugar chains that lie close together, also known as capsular polymers. This protects the bacteria from drying out and physical stress. In addition, the capsule makes the pathogens invisible to our body’s own defences, so to speak, and helps them to survive in the body. Preventing…

The innermost layer of blood vessels is formed by endothelial cells, which in turn play a role in the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Human endothelial cells are therefore required for the “in vitro” investigation of the causes of these diseases. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now established a highly efficient, cost-effective and reproducible way to generate functional endothelial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for tests in…