A collaborative effort from teams across Penn culminates in new techniques to repair lung tissue after damage from flu and COVID-19. In the human body, the lungs and their vasculature can be likened to a building with an intricate plumbing system. The lungs’ blood vessels are the pipes essential for transporting blood and nutrients for oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal. Much like how pipes can get rusty or clogged, disrupting normal water flow, damage from respiratory viruses, like SARS-CoV-2…

A small RNA modulates the growth of the microbes. Researchers from the Würzburg Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) deployed CRISPR interference for the first time for the functional characterization of the gut mutualist Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. They identified a small ribonucleic acid (sRNA) that modulates the microorganisms’ growth in the presence of bile. The findings should contribute to a better understanding of the bacterium’s lifestyle in its native environment, the human intestine, and to the development of clinical applications….

Researchers Find That a Protein Superglue is Crucial for DNA Damage Repair. Our DNA undergoes constant damage and repair. The most severe damage happens when the DNA breaks into two pieces, known as a double-strand DNA break. It creates two loose DNA ends that, if left unfixed, can lead to cell death. Researchers from the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the Dresden University of Technology have now answered the long-standing question of what keeps the broken DNA ends from being separated….

A healthy liver is capable of completely regenerating itself. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) and the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) have now identified the growth factor MYDGF (Myeloid-Derived Growth Factor), which is important for this regenerative capacity. In cooperation with the Hannover Medical School and the University Medical Center Mainz, they also showed that higher levels of MYDGF can be detected in the blood of patients following partial removal of the liver. In the…

Pinpointing changes to our genetic instructions that disrupt development. Researchers find a vulnerability within our genomes that can cause developmental defects such as extra fingers and heart disorders. Our genomes provide the instructions for proper growth and development. Millions of genomic switches, known as enhancers, control the location and timing of gene expression, which in turn ensures the correct proteins are made in the right cells at the right time throughout our lives. New research from University of California San…

ISTA Researchers Uncover the Architecture of Poxvirus Cores. A recent re-emergence and outbreak of Mpox brought poxviruses back as a public health threat, underlining an important knowledge gap at their core. Now, a team of researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) lifted the mysteries of poxviral core architecture by combining various cryo-electron microscopy techniques with molecular modeling. The findings, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, could facilitate future research on therapeutics targeting the poxvirus core….

A first success in the Excellence Strategy competition. Within the framework of the University Alliance Ruhr, the three universities in Duisburg-Essen, Dortmund and Bochum jointly advanced their research strategically, for example by establishing the joint Research Center One Health Ruhr. The University of Duisburg-Essen and its partner universities’ excellent water research is part of this Research Center and has now prevailed in the first round of the two-stage competition as part of the Excellence Strategy from the federal and state…

Scientists develop a low-cost imaging device suitable for endoscopic screening programs. Gastrointestinal cancers (GCs) are among the most common forms of cancer and account for as much as one-third of all cancer deaths worldwide. Early diagnosis is an effective way of reducing the mortality associated with GCs, and endoscopic screening has proved to be an excellent approach for detecting potentially malignant tumors. To extend the benefits of screening programs to as many people as possible, the imaging systems used should…

In a Europe-wide study involving 15 pancreas centers, researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have discovered that the microbial composition of the gut, the gut microbiome, influences the course of severe acute pancreatitis. Based on the changes in the gut microbiome, a prediction model was developed to predict the severity of pancreatitis. The results could contribute to new treatment strategies. They published in the renowned journal Gut. Severe acute pancreatitis is a life-threatening disease that requires highly specialized…

Bacteria named after well-known microbiologists from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures led by Dr Yvonne Mast and Dr Imen Nouioui have published scientific descriptions for five new antibiotic-producing bacteria. Using state-of-the-art technologies to examine strains which have been in the collection for more than 40 years the researchers discovered their ability to produce antibiotics. The findings have been published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Modern analyses lead to…

Highlights Laboratory research led by MSK and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory demonstrates the potential for CAR T cells to improve “healthspan” by eliminating senescent cells associated with aging-related diseases. Not only was the treatment able to improve the metabolic function of aging mice and mice fed a high-fat diet, but it also proved protective against metabolic decline when given to younger mice. The CAR T cell-based approach offers a powerful alternative to more traditional small-molecule drugs target senescent cells, supported…

Researchers from Bonn and Munich also find “thermostat” in the animals’ brains. Zebrafish are smaller than your little finger, with a brain no more than half the size of a pinhead. Yet these animals possess an efficient navigation system that enables them to find their way back to spots in the water where the temperature suits them. This has been revealed in a recent study by the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn together with the Technical University of…

RNAi therapy for viral respiratory diseases. A research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM and the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have made significant progress in developing a new antiviral therapy. The drug, which is inhaled, uses RNAi to target and deactivate parainfluenza viruses before they multiply. Parainfluenza viruses can trigger serious respiratory illnesses, especially in people with weakened immune systems and in children. There are currently few effective treatment options for patients except for bed…

Bacterial composition of the skin plays a role in determining how well cancer patients tolerate radiotherapy. Many cancer patients develop severe dermatitis during radiotherapy. Which factors increase the risk of such radiodermatitis has only been partially understood up until now. A pilot study at the University of Augsburg, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Helmholtz Munich now points to the important role played by skin bacteria. Breast cancer patients whose skin microbiome was severely disturbed all developed severe dermatitis…

– New Catalyst Developed at LIKAT. This is the vision: to produce the raw material methanol at the edge of the field or on the farm using renewable energies. In addition to wind or sun, water and CO2 would be needed to produce the raw materials for the green methanol process: Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), which react catalytically to form methanol. This is made possible by a new catalyst developed in Rostock. A process based on this completely…

Researchers identify novel risk locus in the genome for ACE inhibitor-induced. Angioedema is a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse reaction to ACE inhibitors. In a joint analysis of eight European study collectives, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) for the first time conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with more than 1,000 affected individuals. They identified a total of three risk loci in the genome….