Research team achieves breakthrough: chemical synthesis of high-density RNA microarrays now faster and more efficient. An international research team led by the University of Vienna has succeeded in developing a new version of RNA building blocks with higher chemical reactivity and photosensitivity. This can significantly reduce the production time of RNA chips used in biotechnological and medical research. The chemical synthesis of these chips is now twice as fast and seven times more efficient. The results of the research were…

… revolutionises drug discovery. A breakthrough in high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum chemistry, powered by the world’s fastest supercomputer and leading technology, is set to revolutionise drug discovery and unlock new ways to target a range of diseases. Led by University of Melbourne theoretician and HPC expert Associate Professor Giuseppe Barca, a research team has achieved the first quantum simulation of biological systems at a scale necessary to accurately model drug performance. Utilising the unprecedented “exascale” power of the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge…

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) have together succeeded in identifying and synthesising a group of molecules that can act against the cause of tuberculosis in a new way. In the scientific journal Cell Chemical Biology, they describe that the so-called callyaerins act against the infectious disease by employing a fundamentally different mechanism compared to antibiotic agents used to date. Pharmacy: Publication in Cell Chemical Biology. The infectious disease tuberculosis is caused by…

Leipzig scientists analyse 21,000 cells from tissue samples. The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. This property is crucial for maintaining organ function and recovery after injury or surgery. Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, TU Dresden and ETH Zurich have used clinical samples to investigate how cell types in the liver change before and after regeneration. They have created a cell atlas from the recent study data published in…

AP180 is a protein involved in endocytosis and thus in signal transmission between nerve cells. This protein, which largely lacks a three-dimensional structure, has never been fully studied. Using solution NMR spectroscopy, scientists from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) were now able to examine each of its 600 unstructured amino acids individually and discovered a new interaction network. The work has model character. The paper was recently published in “Nature Communications.” To allow substances such as neurotransmitters, nutrients, and…

A focus on harm reduction has led to a world-first steroid-testing service being offered in Brisbane.  Launched by Griffith University’s Dr Tim Piatkowski in partnership with the Queensland Injectors Health Network (QuIHN), Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action (QuIVAA) and The Loop Australia, the confidential service aims to empower people to make more informed decisions. Users of performance and image enhancing drugs (IPEDs) are encouraged to drop off used vials at collections points, with samples then tested for purity…

CHARM3D paves the way for the efficient printing of free-standing 3D structures that offer high electrical conductivity, self-healing capabilities and recyclability — a boon for electronics in healthcare, communications and security. Unlike traditional printed circuit boards, which are flat, 3D circuitry enables components to be stacked and integrated vertically — dramatically reducing the footprint required for devices.  Advancing the frontiers of 3D printed circuits, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a state-of-the-art technique…

HIPS researchers develop innovative model for drug testing against hair follicle infections. Hair follicle infections are often difficult to treat because bacteria settle in the gap between hair and skin, where it is difficult for active substances to reach them. In order to investigate this scenario more closely in the laboratory, researchers from the Department of Drug Delivery Across Biological Barriers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now developed a model with human hair follicles embedded…

Regenerative effects of the molecules might be universal across tissue types. In November 2021, Northwestern University researchers introduced an injectable new therapy, which harnessed fast-moving “dancing molecules,” to repair tissues and reverse paralysis after severe spinal cord injuries. Cartilage cells generate more protein components (collagen II and aggrecan) for regeneration when treated with fast-moving dancing molecules (left) compared to slower moving molecules. Credit: Stupp Research Group/Northwestern University Now, the same research group has applied the therapeutic strategy to damaged human cartilage…

Hereon sensors facilitate minimally invasive surgery for atrial fibrillation in heart patients. Atrial fibrillation can cause dangerous blood clots to form in the heart. Many patients therefore have the part of the heart where the clots form closed off with a plug. However, these so-called occluders do not always seal perfectly, which can lead to complications. The Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon at its Teltow site is developing an occluder with sensors that can be placed precisely in the heart. The GoBio Initial…

Zirconium combined with silicon nitride enhances the conversion of propane — present in natural gas — needed to create in-demand plastic, polypropylene. Polypropylene is a common type of plastic found in many essential products used today, such as food containers and medical devices. Because polypropylene is so popular, demand is surging for a chemical used to make it. That chemical, propylene, can be produced from propane. Propane is a natural gas commonly used in barbeque grills. Scientists from the U.S….

Artificial blood vessels could improve heart bypass outcomes. 3D-printed blood vessels, which closely mimic the properties of human veins, could transform the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Strong, flexible, gel-like tubes – created using a novel 3D printing technology – could improve outcomes for heart bypass patients by replacing the human and synthetic veins currently used in surgery to re-route blood flow, experts say. The development of synthetic vessels could help limit scarring, pain and infection risk associated with the removal…

Researchers combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics to validate the findings published in PNAS. What puts the electronic pep in peptides? A folded structure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Electron transport, the energy-generating process inside living cells that enables photosynthesis and respiration, is enhanced in peptides with a collapsed, folded structure. Interdisciplinary researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology combined single-molecule experiments, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics…

By identifying mechanisms unique to leukaemia-causing cells, a French-Swiss team has discovered a new way to fight the disease. Acute myeloid leukaemia is one of the deadliest cancers. Leukaemic stem cells responsible for the disease are highly resistant to treatment. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), and Inserm has made a breakthrough by identifying some of the genetic and energetic characteristics of these stem cells, notably a specific iron utilisation process. This process…

How pharmaceuticals act, how efficient catalysts are and how effective and accurate printing inks function all depend on the size of the nanoparticles they contain. However, there are as of yet no methods for monitoring the particle size distribution during grinding processes. In the EU-funded PAT4Nano project, a consortium from industry and research has spent the last four years looking for practicable approaches for such inline measurements. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen has developed a promising…

… with biodegradable luminescent polymers. The discovery has the potential to reduce electronic waste and develop new applications for luminescent polymers. From your car’s navigation display to the screen you are reading this on, luminescent polymers — a class of flexible materials that contain light-emitting molecules — are used in a variety of today’s electronics. Luminescent polymers stand out for their light-emitting capability, coupled with their remarkable flexibility and stretchability, showcasing vast potential across diverse fields of application. However, once these electronics…