Certain combinations of gut bacteria protect stem cell transplantation patients. After stem cell transplantation, the donated immune cells sometimes attack the patients’ bodies. This is known as graft versus host disease or GvHD. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Universitätsklinikum Regensburg (UKR) have shown that GvHD is much less common when certain microbes are present in the gut. In the future, it may be possible to deliberately bring about this protective composition of the microbiome. Stem…

Skeletal editing employed to enlarge molecule rings. Molecules with a central ring system play an important role in the search for active ingredients for new pharmaceutical products – and it is important that the rings should have the correct size if the desired product is to be manufactured as efficiently as possible. For this purpose, an international team of chemists led by Prof. Frank Glorius (University of Münster) and Prof. Osvaldo Gutierrez (Texas A&M University, USA) have developed a precise…

… renders men infertile and frustrates medically assisted reproduction. In half of the couples that are unable to conceive a child, the infertility is due to the man. A new study identifies the defective function of ‘CatSper’, an ion channel controlling calcium levels in sperm, as a common cause of seemingly unexplained male infertility. CatSper-deficient human sperm fail to fertilize the egg, because they cannot penetrate its protective vestments. Thus far, this sperm channelopathy has remained undetectable. Scientists from Münster,…

Unknown germs are a common occurrence in hospitals. Researchers at the University of Basel have spent many years collecting and analyzing them. They have identified many new species of bacteria, some of which are significant for clinical practice. Bacterial infections can be treated more efficiently if the cause of the disease is known. In most cases, all it takes to identify a pathogen is an analysis in a medical laboratory. Sometimes, however, the standard methods are insufficient – for example,…

… using rat-derived stem cells. Researchers from Japan explore the conditions needed for organ regeneration and overcoming species-specific barriers to create functional organs in interspecies chimeric animals. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. It is marked by lung damage that is lasting and incurable, leaving lung transplantation as the only viable treatment option. Unfortunately, finding suitable lung donors is difficult. To compensate for this shortage of donors, regenerative medicine is making strides in…

Studies in mice reveal the mechanism that induces this severe side effect and point to a solution that kills the cancer without causing gastrointestinal issues. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have identified a mechanism that causes severe gastrointestinal problems with immune-based cancer treatment. They also found a way to deliver immunotherapy’s cancer-killing impact without the unwelcome side effect. The findings are published in Science. “This is a good example of how understanding a mechanism helps…

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are tackling Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) antibiotic resistance. This naturally antibiotic-resistant pathogen is becoming more prevalent, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutics. To address this, the scientists designed new versions of the drug spectinomycin that overcome efflux, the main mechanism driving resistance. The work was published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Mab infections are increasingly found in health care settings. Such infections can be hazardous for patients with compromised…

The diagnostic, which requires only a simple urine test to read the results, could make lung cancer screening more accessible worldwide. Using a new technology developed at MIT, diagnosing lung cancer could become as easy as inhaling nanoparticle sensors and then taking a urine test that reveals whether a tumor is present. The new diagnostic is based on nanosensors that can be delivered by an inhaler or a nebulizer. If the sensors encounter cancer-linked proteins in the lungs, they produce…

Mutations in a tryptophan-metabolizing enzyme might affect dopamine regulation and lead to psychiatric disorders. Over the past decades, scientists have made substantial progress unveiling the underlying mechanisms behind many psychiatric disorders. Every year, new genetic mutations or protein dysregulations are identified as potential culprits for the symptoms, and sometimes even the root causes of complex neurological diseases, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Despite these efforts, the precise roles of several proteins involved in brain function remain obscure….

MPFI Scientists identify ALS-linked protein VAP as a key stabilizer of mitochondria near dendritic spines to support memory formation. When experiencing new things, the structure and function of our neurons and their connections are rapidly being remodeled. This process, known as synaptic plasticity, is critical for us to learn and adapt. However, these changes require a lot of energy. Fortunately, our neurons are well-adapted to support these changes. Biological batteries known as mitochondria are strategically stabilized near sites of synaptic…

P. Nowak is Professor of Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery. Prof. Radosław P. Nowak has taken up the new professorship for “Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery” at the Institute of Structural Biology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB). The 36-year-old biochemist will strengthen the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn scientifically in the field of systems immunology. He also wants to actively promote the topic of “drug discovery” in Bonn on an interfaculty basis and with non-university…

Like mail carriers who manage to deliver their parcels through snow, rain, heat and gloom, a critical group of mammalian proteins helps cells function properly even under less-than-ideal conditions. Using state-of-the-art cell imaging and genome editing technology, University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have begun to unravel how this collection of proteins performs its essential service. The discovery could eventually help researchers better understand and develop new treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes and those that cause immune dysfunction. Led by Anjon…

Medical technology innovations achieved by integrating science and medicine have improved the quality of life for patients. Especially noteworthy is the emergence of electronic devices implanted in the body, such as in the heart or brain, which enable real-time measurement and regulation of physiological signals, presenting new solutions for challenging conditions like Parkinson’s disease. However, technical constraints have hindered the semi-permanent use of electronic devices after their implantation. A collaborative research team led by Professor Sung-Min Park from the Departments…

U biologists identified how the synaptonemal complex regulates gene exchanges between chromosomes in nematodes. The findings shed light on human reproductive health, as failure to regulate chromosomal exchanges is a leading cause of infertility in humans. We have two copies of each chromosome in every cell in our bodies except in our reproductive cells. Sperm and egg cells contain a single copy of each chromosome with a unique mix of genes from our parents, an evolutionary trick to give our…

Three modules forming a new-to-nature CO2 fixation cycle successfully implemented in E.coli. Synthetic biology offers the opportunity to build biochemical pathways for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2). Researchers at the Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology have developed a synthetic biochemical cycle that directly converts CO2 into the central building block Acetyl-CoA. The researchers were able to implement each of the three cycle modules in the bacterium E.coli, which represents a major step towards realizing synthetic CO2 fixing pathways…

PET imaging with 68Ga-FAPI can more effectively detect and stage pancreatic cancer as compared with 18F-FDG imaging or contrast-enhanced CT, according to new research published in the December issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. In a head-to-head study, 68Ga-FAPI detected more pancreatic tumors on a per-lesion, per-patient, or per-region basis and led to major and minor changes to clinical management of patients. In addition to enhancing precise detection of pancreatic cancer, 68Ga-FAPI imaging also paves the way for future targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies. Approximately 64,000…