Press release - 29/11/2023 Tracing the Evolution of the Cerebellum Heidelberg scientists unveil genetic programmes controlling the development of cellular diversity in the cerebellum of humans and other mammals. The research results have now been published in the journal Nature.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/tracing-evolution-cerebellum
Press release - 20/12/2022 Rapid Evolution of Spermatogenesis Heidelberg scientists decode the genetic foundations of rapid testicle evolution in mammals and humans. Evolutionary pressure across male mammals to guarantee the procreation of their own offspring led to a rapid evolution of the testicle. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/rapid-evolution-spermatogenesis
Dossier - 27/08/2012 Evo-devo - the synthesis of developmental biology and evolution Evo-devo research has led to completely new ideas concerning the evolution of animals. The huge variety of animals is the result of changes in the activity of a limited number of master genes that control early embryonic development. These master genes have been highly conserved throughout evolution, which is why their analysis allows conclusions to be drawn concerning the evolution of multicellular animals and their different body plans.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/evo-devo-the-synthesis-of-developmental-biology-and-evolution
Press release - 30/11/2023 Taking antibiotics back in time University of Tübingen researchers reverse the evolution of a class of antibiotics to gain insights for the development of new drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/taking-antibiotics-back-time
Press release - 21/06/2024 New tool maps microbial diversity with unprecedented details Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen developed the groundbreaking tool SynTracker. SynTracker expands traditional microbial analysis by considering genomic structural variation to complement existing SNP-based methods. This innovation reveals more precision and depths of microbial strain diversity and evolution.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-tool-maps-microbial-diversity-unprecedented-details
Press release - 31/05/2024 Toolkit makes protein design faster and more accessible The Damietta Server broadens the accessibility to protein design research and its applications in various biotechnological and biomedical fields. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, the University of Tübingen, and the University Hospital Tübingen have developed a web-based toolkit to accelerate and simplify protein design without needing powerful computers or extensive protein design expertise on the user’s end.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/toolkit-makes-protein-design-faster-and-more-accessible
Press release - 17/05/2023 Playing hide and seek in the centromere Centromeres, the DNA sections often found at the center of the chromosomes, display enormous interspecies diversity, despite having the same vital role during cell division across almost the entire tree of life. An international team of researchers has discovered that the variation in centromere DNA regions can be strikingly large even within a single species. The findings, now published in the journal Nature, shed light on the molecular…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/playing-hide-and-seek-centromere
Press release - 22/03/2024 Decoding the shared genetic toolkit for male sex determination Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen broke new ground by demonstrating that an HMG-box gene in brown algae is crucial for determining male sex. This breakthrough significantly expands our understanding of sex-determination mechanisms in eukaryotic organisms. Until now, master sex-determination genes had been identified in only a select number of animals and plants. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/decoding-shared-genetic-toolkit-male-sex-determination
Press release - 13/03/2024 Protection from an unexpected source Contrary to common belief, not all viruses are harmful to their hosts. Sometimes viruses can even protect their hosts from infection by other viruses. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg and their collaborators have now demonstrated that this is the case for so-called endogenous virophages: small DNA viruses that are mostly found inserted into the genomes of single-cell eukaryotes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/protection-unexpected-source
Signal mechanisms in inflammatory processes - 18/05/2021 Newly discovered substances activate the inflammasome in macrophages Low-grade chronic inflammation caused by components of the innate immune system may increase the risk of developing a variety of diseases in the long term. In their search for the signalling mechanisms underlying these inflammatory processes, Prof. Dr. Olaf Groß' research group at the Freiburg University Medical Centre discovered new active substances with immunostimulatory properties that may open up additional possibilities in cancer…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/newly-discovered-substances-activate-inflammasome-macrophages
Press release - 13/06/2024 Which of the two DNA strands is damaged influences the cell's mutation profile Cancer genomes are the result of diverse mutation processes. Scientists have analyzed the molecular evolution of tumors after exposure to mutagenic chemicals. DNA lesions that persists unrepaired over several cell generations lead to sequence variations at the site of damage. This enabled the researchers to distinguish the contribution of the triggering lesion from that of the subsequent repair in shaping the mutation pattern.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/which-two-dna-strands-damaged-influences-cells-mutation-profile
Press release - 27/09/2021 Bacteria can boost the fitness of their host Microorganisms can increase their host’s ability to adapt to the environment and reproduce – evolutionary biologists are now studying the underlying molecular mechanisms. A research team headed by Dr. Fabian Staubach and Yun Wang from the Institute of Biology I at the University of Freiburg has now studied the relationship of Gluconobacter bacteria and fruit flies. They have found that specific Gluconobacter variants supply the flies with vitamin…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bacteria-can-boost-fitness-their-host
Dossier - 18/11/2013 Innovative textiles made possible by biotechnology Biotechnology plays a part in many high-tech fabrics that have become an integral part of our everyday life. Whether it is products for the treatment of wounds, fabrics for marquees or for clothing, many materials have been developed or are produced using biotechnological techniques and processes. Many products marketed as “micro” or “nano” are inspired by nature.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/innovative-textiles-made-possible-by-biotechnology
Press release - 09/12/2021 New research project in mathematical oncology A new interdisciplinary research project aims to uncover information that can help decode hereditary colon cancer with the aid of mathematical models. Mathematicians and tumour biologists of Heidelberg University, the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg University Hospital, and the German Cancer Research Center are collaborating on the project.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-research-project-mathematical-oncology
Press release - 18/11/2021 Overcoming resistance to cancer treatment: bone and soft tissue tumors in adolescents as a model system Treatment resistance is a central problem in the treatment of cancer. Bone and soft tissue tumors – known as sarcomas – in adolescents and young adults often stop responding to treatment too. This is because cancer cells develop a large number of new characteristics as the disease progresses and often become resistant to drugs that were originally effective.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/overcoming-resistance-cancer-treatment-bone-and-soft-tissue-tumors-adolescents-model-system
Article - 22/03/2019 Personalised therapies for treating metastasing breast cancer Breast cancer is characterised by broad genetic diversity. Successful treatment is made even more difficult by the fact that, in advanced breast cancer, the properties of metastases often differ significantly from the primary tumour. The Heidelberg CATCH study is now collecting genetic profiles from patients' metastasis tissue samples, which can be used to tailor therapy to individual requirements.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalisierte-therapieansaetze-bei-metastasiertem-brustkrebs
Press release - 28/08/2023 Innovative computational approach helps design proteins for cancer treatment The computational design of new proteins for biomedical or other applications involves long computing times on powerful servers. A joint team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen and the University Hospital Tübingen has now developed and tested a new computational method to greatly speed up the necessary energy calculations. Their framework allows for a precise and efficient design of functional proteins.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/innovative-computational-approach-helps-design-proteins-cancer-treatment
Infection control - 07/01/2021 Gene accordions as potential markers for pathogenic properties Bacteria must react to changes in the environment in order to survive. This is partly done by adapting genetic material, for example by multiplying and shortening individual genome segments. The research group led by Dr. Simon Heilbronner from the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine at the University of Tübingen has shown that these so-called gene accordions are frequently found in the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/gene-accordions-potential-markers-pathogenic-properties
Article - 24/01/2019 Scientists to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater In Germany, around 1,500 tonnes of antibiotics per year are administered to humans and animals. As a result, more and more bacteria are developing resistance to common antibiotics. As part of HyReKA, a cooperative project funded by the BMBF, scientists led by Professor Thomas Schwartz from the KIT are investigating how antibiotic-resistant pathogens spread and how they can be prevented from doing so.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/scientists-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-in-wastewater
Dossier - 13/05/2013 The human proteome the next major goal The “Human Proteome Project”, a ten-year global initiative that is making a systematic effort to map all human proteins, has moved from the planning to the experimental stage. How significant and how effective the project will be depends on how much the resources offered are used by proteome researchers and on the data that the researchers bring into the project.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/the-human-proteome-the-next-major-goal
Dossier - 18/04/2016 Epigenetics – heritable traits without changing the DNA sequence Epigenetics, i.e. the inheritance of traits that does not involve a change in the DNA sequence, was once a controversial subject that has since become a central focus of biological research. Epigenetic inheritance is now studied by numerous national and international research programmes. Many cellular regulatory and differentiation processes are controlled by epigenetic mechanisms that take place on different levels.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/epigenetics-heritable-traits-without-changing-the-dna-sequence
Press release - 18/11/2021 Overcoming resistance to treatment for breast, bowel, and pancreatic cancer As cancer progresses, the tumor cells continually change, ultimately resulting in a tumor consisting of a large number of different cell clones with different characteristics. This is referred to as "tumor heterogeneity". In many cases, the cancer cells become resistant to the treatments available.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/overcoming-resistance-treatment-breast-bowel-and-pancreatic-cancer
Press release - 19/10/2022 Molecular structure of one of the most important receptors in the immune system unraveled Researchers from Freiburg and Harvard publish the three-dimensional structure of the B cell antigen receptor, shedding new light on its composition.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/molecular-structure-one-most-important-receptors-immune-system-unraveled
Press release - 09/11/2022 New Molecular Microscopy Uncovers how Breast Cancer Spreads Researchers have created a tool that maps how breast cancer grows in previously unseen detail, and highlights how the cells around the tumour may be the key to controlling the spread of disease. The new technology can trace which populations of breast cancer cells are responsible for the spread of the disease, and for the first time highlights how the location of cancer cells could be as important as mutations in tumor growth The new study is…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-molecular-microscopy-uncovers-how-breast-cancer-spreads
Press release - 17/09/2024 Five new cross-border doctoral networks at Universität Heidelberg Five transnational and cross-institutional doctoral networks at Heidelberg University are being funded as part of the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions”. They work together on current scientific topics with high innovation potential. Ruperto Carola coordinates an MSCA Doctoral Network on artificial intelligence in physics, two networks in medicine, life sciences and engineering. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/five-new-cross-border-doctoral-networks-universitat-heidelberg
Dossier - 01/10/2012 Systems biology understanding complex biological systems Systems biology studies complex interactions within biological systems on the genome proteome and organelle level. Many techniques from the fields of systems theory and associated fields can be used to gain an understanding of the behaviour and biological mechanisms of cellular systems.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/systems-biology-understanding-complex-biological-systems