Konstanz biologist Patrick Müller receives a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council for his project "EmbryoNet-AI". Its goal is the further development of an AI-supported platform for the automated evaluation of experiments – for example, in drug development.

A research team from the Heidelberg Medical Faculty, the German Cancer Research Center, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) and the Max Delbrück Center has discovered new details about the spread of the incurable bone marrow cancer multiple myeloma in the body: When the cancer cells break out of the bone and multiply outside the bone marrow, a wide variety of tumor cells arise, accompanied by a significantly altered immune response.

Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, visited the Max Planck Institutes for Biology Tübingen and Biological Cybernetics. During his tour, he commended the outstanding basic research in the natural sciences. He was particularly impressed by the innovative research projects spanning developmental and evolutionary biology, as well as neuroscience.

Glycolysis is an important sugar degradation pathway that cancer cells in particular depend on. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now shown that liver cancer cells in mice and humans depend on a key enzyme of glycolysis, Aldolase A. When it is switched off, glycolysis reverses from an energy-producing to an energy-consuming process.

The MedTech company KARL STORZ announces the acquisition of the innovative software manufacturer Innersight Labs Ltd. (ISL) headquartered in London. In addition to state-of-the-art endoscopes, high-end medical devices, and integrated solutions for the operating room, KARL STORZ is also continuing to expand in innovative software solutions. Its large customer base, including top-class physicians worldwide, can now look forward to 3D models.

In collaboration with Heraeus, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) are developing fibers and textiles with a novel infection protection system. The basis is an antimicrobial mechanism of action licensed from Heraeus and marketed under the name AGXX. The goal of the collaboration is to optimally integrate the AGXX technology into textile finishes and coatings and to incorporate it into fiber-spinnable polymers.

The spliceosome, ensures that the genetic information from the genome, after being transcribed into mRNA precursors, is correctly assembled into mature mRNA. Splicing is a basic requirement for producing proteins. Researchers at the Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) have succeeded for the first time in depicting a faultily “blocked” spliceosome at high resolution and reconstructing how it is recognized and eliminated in the cell.

Like all viruses, the Ebola virus is dependent on host cells in order to replicate. Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital, in collaboration with colleagues from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, have been able to show for the first time using state-of-the-art imaging techniques how the replication compartments of the Ebola virus change during replication in infected cells.

Pancreatic cancer is fueled by connections to the nervous system. This is reported by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM)*. The team discovered that the tumor reprograms the neurons for its own benefit.

A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. The discovery is of great importance for cancer medicine because a change of identity of cells has come into focus as a fundamental principle of carcinogenesis for several years. The research team was able to show that the newly discovered guardian is so powerful that it can slow down highly potent cancer drivers and cause malignant liver tumors to regress in mice.

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and ShanghaiTech University have developed an innovative method for growing brain tumors of individual patients in the laboratory that mimic the original structure and the molecular property of the parental tumor as closely as possible. Drug tests in this model were found to correlate very well with actual patient responses, making it a valuable method for investigating therapies.

Researchers of the Heidelberg University, Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) have developed a synthetic peptide based on the natural protein S100A1, a nearly universal “fuel” for weakened hearts. The researchers combined computer-aided methods with lab studies to investigate the therapeutic effect of the so called S100A1ct peptide molecule.

Dossier - 10/09/2012

Horizon 2020 the EU framework programme for research and innovation a boost for top-level research in Europe

In the face of the ongoing financial crisis Europe is working on a new research strategy that is aimed at creating new economic growth and jobs. The new EU framework programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020 replaces the 7th Framework Programme FP7 and will run from 2014 with a budget of 80 billion. In July 2012 Brussels launched the final FP7 calls for proposals for 2013 that offer numerous market-based instruments designed to bridge…

Article - 10/01/2019

Stocktaking and recommendations for action: the BBAW’s fourth gene technology report

In the new gene technology report, the interdisciplinary working group of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) takes stock of gene technology developments in Germany during the past few decades, and discusses the societal, legal and ethical challenges associated with these technologies in the future. The report is highly topical due to the controversy surrounding the ruling of the European Court of Justice on CRISPR/Cas9 genome…

Article - 19/09/2019

Magnetised algae as microrobots for medical and environmental purposes

Algae, for most of us, is something that lives in water courses that we occasionally find unpleasant. However, that is to do them a wrong. These extremely versatile and frugal organisms might in future prove to be extremely important. Scientists at the University of Stuttgart are investigating how algae can be used as microrobots in biomedicine and environmental remediation.