Plants have special corrective molecules at their disposal that can make retrospective modifications to copies of genes. However, it would appear that these “Tipp-Ex proteins” do not have permission to work in all areas of the cell, only being used in chloroplasts and mitochondria. A study by the University of Bonn has now explained why this is the case. It suggests that the correction mechanism would otherwise modify copies that have nothing wrong with them, with fatal consequences for the…

The new study could lead to advances in fighting solid tissue tumors. A new study conducted by the Wilhelm Lab at the University of Oklahoma examines a promising development in biomedical nanoengineering. Published in Advanced Materials, the study explores new findings on the transportation of cancer nanomedicines into solid tumors. A frequent misconception about many malignant solid tumors is that they are comprised only of cancerous cells. However, solid tumors also include healthy cells, such as immune cells and blood…

In order to infect an organ, viruses need the help of the host cells. “An effective approach is therefore to identify targets in the host that can be manipulated by drugs so that they no longer perform this helper function,” explains Mara Klöhn. The researchers became aware of the compound K11777 in a roundabout way: During a control study conducted as part of cell culture studies on the hepatitis C virus with a known active ingredient, they discovered that this…

Significant attempts 20 years ago… The study focused on the protein peptide deformylase (PDF). Involved in protein maturation processes in cells, PDF is essential for the survival of bacteria. However, it’s found in both bacteria and human cells. “Some 20 years ago, significant attempts were made to combat PDF with antibiotic agents,” Raphael Stoll points out. “Yet, the original drug candidate, i.e. actinonin, had to be discarded for several reasons. One of the problems faced was the newly discovered human…

MHH study investigates the effect of thymus removal on the immune system in children after heart surgery and aims to create a data basis for new therapy and prevention strategies. Many children with congenital heart defects often require heart surgery in the neonatal or infant period. A good overview and safe access are extremely important for a successful operation in view of the small size of the body and organs. The tissue between the heart and the sternum is therefore…

New possibilities for cell therapies and personalized medicine. How do tumors react to a certain therapeutic approach? Knowing this before the start of a therapy would be of enormous value for people suffering from cancer as well as for the doctors treating them. Researchers at the NMI and the University Hospitals of Tübingen and Würzburg have now made this very observation possible for the CAR-T cell therapy. “This allows us to individually investigate how exactly these tumor cells react to…

If black skin cancer (melanoma) spreads, there are various therapies that can be used. However, there is still insufficient research into who responds to which therapy and whether resistance may develop over time. In a new study, Dr Simon Fietz, assistant physician at the Clinic for Dermatooncology & Phlebology at the Centre for Skin Diseases at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and PD Dr Dimo Dietrich, scientist at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Otorhinolaryngology at the UKB, have discovered that…

HIPS researchers discover new family of bacteria with high pharmaceutical potential. Most antibiotics used in human medicine originate from natural products derived from bacteria and other microbes. Novel microorganisms are therefore a promising source of new active compounds – also for the treatment of diseases such as cancer or viral infections. A team from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now been able to isolate a completely new family of bacteria that has particularly high potential for…

A new paper published in Nature Nanotechnology outlines a way to create dozens of new “colors” to multiplex single-molecule measurements. Researchers often study biomolecules such as proteins or amino acids by chemically attaching a “fluorophore,” a sensitive molecule that absorbs and re-emits energy from light. When activated by a laser and imaged through a high-powered microscope, these fluorophore tags or labels explode in a rainbow of color and information. They provide a wealth of insight that can, for example, help…

New cryopreservation procedure established at University Hospital Bonn to preserve fertility before cancer treatment. The team led by Prof. Nicole Sänger, Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), has succeeded in establishing a modern method of cryopreserving ovarian tissue known as vitrification. It is used to preserve fertility before cancer therapy. For the first time in Europe, the team has now reported a successful delivery after retransplantation of flash-frozen, stored and thawed ovarian tissue….

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in millions of deaths. Despite an unparalleled collaborative research effort that led to effective vaccines and therapies being produced in record-breaking time, a complete understanding of the structure and lifecycle of the coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 is still lacking. Scientists used the biolabs and the SPB/SFX instrument at the European XFEL to study the main protease, or Mpro, of the virus to understand how it protects itself from oxidative damage. The results add key knowledge to…

How Bitter Food Constituents Influence Gastric Acid Production. In the stomach, so-called parietal cells are responsible for acid production. They react not only to the body’s own messenger molecules, but also to bitter-tasting food constituents such as caffeine. A research team from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now carried out a study on a human gastric cell line. Their results help to clarify the molecular regulatory mechanisms by which bitter substances…

Using an innovative new method, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher is building tiny pseudo-organs from stem cells to help diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s. Using an innovative new method, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher is building tiny pseudo-organs from stem cells to help diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s. When Dr. Tyler Wenzel (PhD) first came up with the idea of building a miniature brain from stem cells, he never could have predicted how well his creations would work. Now, Wenzel’s…

MHH researchers compared six methods for diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Liver cirrhosis often results in a condition known as hepatic encephalopathy (HE). This is a functional disorder of the central nervous system with varying degrees of severity. Experts distinguish between minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) and clinically manifest hepatic encephalopathy, which is associated with personality changes, disorientation and impaired consciousness, including coma. mHE is characterized by impaired mental capacity. These cannot yet be recognized during a physical examination or in conversation,…

Research on centromere structure… Researchers from the Kops group in collaboration with researchers from the University of Edinburgh, made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides…

Prof. Achim Hoerauf, Director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology,Immunology and Parasitology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), and his team have succeeded in collaborating with the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the University of Bonn and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), to enter into a partnership with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai for the further development of the antibiotic corallopyronin A (CorA) as a treatment for the neglected tropical diseases river blindness and lymphatic filariasis…