Overview Basic research The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on basic research in Baden-Württemberghttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/research
Article - 17/12/2015 Inhibition of bromodomain affects stem cell differentiation DNA methylation and histone modification are epigenetic mechanisms that affect gene transcription. Moreover, protein complexes can regulate gene expression by modifying chromatin structure and function. Dr. Thomas Günther and his team from the Center for Clinical Research at the Freiburg University Medical Center are studying the effect of the inhibitor PFI-3 on the BAF complex. This protein complex modifies chromatin structure and controls the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nhibition-of-bromodomain-affects-stem-cell-differentiation
Press release - 21/10/2010 How Genes Are Selectively Silenced Cells have to use their resources economically. Therefore they read only those genes which are needed at a given moment while the others are chemically labeled and thus selectively turned off. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum DKFZ have now been the first to discover how these labels are placed at exactly the right spot in the genetic material.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-genes-are-selectively-silenced
Dossier - 05/11/2012 Cancer – basic research, successes and trends Science is approaching cancer treatment by using new systems biology approaches and setting up large-scale multidisciplinary projects such as the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Progress in genome, epigenome and gene expression analyses of cancer cells, new insights into the regulation and interaction of cells gained in cooperation with stem cell research and virus research contributes to gaining a causal understanding of cancer. This…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/cancer-basic-research-successes-and-trends
Press release - 31/01/2022 Cancer research learns from space travel Researchers use epigenetic factors to investigate the role of stress in the development of tumor diseases. Experts believe that stress plays a major role in the development of tumors. One occupational group, for example, that experiences extreme stress over a short period of time is astronauts.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cancer-research-learns-space-travel
Article - 30/04/2011 More efficient ways to erase cell memory Around five years ago for the first time ever regeneration biologists successfully turned back fully differentiated body tissue into pluripotent stem cells using a specific mixture of transcription factors. However the idea that it may one day become possible to create organ tissue is still a distant dream. The quantity of stem cells that can be obtained with current methods is still far too low. Dr. Maria Manukyan from the Centre for Biological…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/more-efficient-ways-to-erase-cell-memory
Press release - 21/09/2011 Epigenetic changes don’t last First comprehensive inventory of epigenetic changes over several generations shows that these often do not last and therefore probably have limited effects on long-term evolution. The team around Detlef Weigel, director of the Department for Molecular Biology, focused on one of the most important epigenetic marks, methylation of DNA.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-changes-don-t-last
Press release - 04/06/2012 DFG establishes 20 new Collaborative Research Centres The support ranges from new therapies for multiple sclerosis via the heroic tradition in ancient time to functional microgels. Attached is a selection of research approaches in science in Baden-Württemberg.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/dfg-establishes-20-new-collaborative-research-centres
Press release - 05/11/2010 Honey Bees: Genetic Labeling Decides About Blue Blood Queen bees and worker bees share the same genome, but they are different in the chemical labeling of about 550 genes. This has been discovered by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), jointly with colleagues in Australia. The cancer researchers had chosen the bee as a study object in order to understand how development can be so different in organisms with identical sequence of genetic material.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/honey-bees-genetic-labeling-decides-about-blue-blood
Article - 28/01/2013 Epigenetics and childhood blood cancer Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia JMML is the most common chronic cancer of the blood in children and tends to have a poor response to chemotherapy. Prof. Dr. Christian Flotho and his team from the Centre of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Freiburg have shown that epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in the pathogenesis of JMML. As part of a German Research Foundation priority programme the researchers from Freiburg are working on…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/epigenetics-and-childhood-blood-cancer
Press release - 11/03/2010 Cellzome Announces Second Alliance with GlaxoSmithKline Cellzome today announced that it has formed a second strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). This new collaboration gives GSK exclusive access to Cellzome’s proprietary Episphere™ technology in the emerging field of epigenetics as applied to immunoinflammatory disease. Epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in controlling immune cell differentiation and inflammatory gene expression during an excessive inflammatory response. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cellzome-announces-second-alliance-with-glaxosmithkline
Gene regulation as a starting point for cancer therapies - 02/12/2021 New investigation method for deciphering complex epigenetic networks The development and maintenance of uncontrolled cell division in tumours is often due to the unbalanced, complex interplay of regulatory epigenetic networks. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry in Stuttgart have developed a new screening system to identify essential components that can serve as targets for anticancer drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-investigation-method-deciphering-complex-epigenetic-networks
Article - 24/10/2009 Molecular switches for gene expression in the embryo Prof. Dr. Andreas Hecht and his team at the University of Freiburg are investigating one of seven known fundamental signalling systems that are involved in almost all embryonic development processes and that determine the fate of cells. The scientists are mainly interested in gaining insights into why the same molecules initiate different genetic programmes and hence development pathways depending on the cell type where they have their effect.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/molecular-switches-for-gene-expression-in-the-embryo
Press release - 04/12/2009 Papillomavirus oncogene silences innate immune response Human papillomavirus type 16, the most frequent cause of cervical cancer, is able to silence a signalling molecule in the host cells that is needed for immune responses to occur. If the body is unable to defend itself against intruders, the viruses can successfully invade the cells of the cervical mucosa. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Centre have discovered that the viral E6 oncogene is responsible for this mechanism.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/papillomavirus-oncogene-silences-innate-immune-response
Article - 14/07/2014 Andreas Marx – “Chemical Biology” of DNA polymerases Whether inside the cell or in molecular biology laboratories, the synthesis of DNA would not be possible without DNA polymerases. The regulation and application of this versatile enzyme family is the subject of research carried out by Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx at the University of Konstanz in Southern Germany. In addition to basic research into naturally occurring DNA polymerases, Marx deals with the development of novel polymerases that can be used…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/andreas-marx-chemical-biology-of-dna-polymerases
Epigenetics - 10/08/2015 Reading domains detect and identify histone modifications Prof. Dr. Albert Jeltsch from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Stuttgart and his team of researchers have now presented an alternative method to detect and identify changes in the post-translational modifications of histones. They envisage that their new method, which uses parts of natural proteins, so-called reading domains, will make such tests cheaper and simpler, and experimental data more reliable. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/reading-domains-detect-and-identify-histone-modifications
Article - 16/04/2008 Roland Schuele - "Research cannot be predicted" Professor Roland Schuele from the University Womens Hospital in Freiburg originally studied biochemistry. Nowadays Schuele is researching the development of prostate cancer. During his scientific career he has learnt that research cannot be steered in a particular direction. It develops and we follow it said Schuele who has been able to gain astonishing insights into the molecular processes in tumour cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/roland-schuele-research-cannot-be-predicted
Article - 10/06/2013 Stem-cell tests to provide protection to unborn babies The development of unborn babies may already be impaired in the womb by pollutants from the environment food and drugs to which their mothers are exposed. Reliable and informative toxicity tests are necessary in order to assess and prevent the effects toxic substances may have on unborn babies. Biologist Dr. Tanja Waldmann from Konstanz University is developing toxicity test systems based on human embryonic stem cells which contribute to improved…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stem-cell-tests-to-provide-protection-to-unborn-babies
Article - 17/09/2012 Biochemisty and the assembly of ammonium machines Researchers who intend to build enzymes in the laboratory need detailed knowledge about the function of the respective enzymes. Using modern biochemistry methods researchers led by Prof. Dr. Oliver Einsle from the University of Freiburg have in the last few years clarified the atomic structure of a complex bacterial protein that converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be readily used by other organisms. The researchers have recently…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biochemisty-and-the-assembly-of-ammonium-machines
Press release - 13/07/2011 Kinetochores prefer the “silent” DNA sections of the chromosome The centromere is a specialized region of the chromosome, on which a protein complex known as the kinetochore is assembled. During cell division, the kinetochore provides a point of attachment for molecules of the cytoskeleton, thereby mediating the segregation of chromosomes to the two opposing cell poles. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics and BIOSS in Freiburg have investigated the factors that play an…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/kinetochores-prefer-the-silent-dna-sections-of-the-chromosome
Article - 19/12/2011 Patrick Heun: The DNA tangle and how it is organised Dr. Patrick Heun and his group of researchers at the Max Planck Institute MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg are working on elucidating the spatial organisation of cell nuclei and how the structure of chromosomes is passed on to daughter cells during the division of cells. The researchers have come up with clear proof that the formation of centromeres depends on a single molecule. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/patrick-heun-the-dna-tangle-and-how-it-is-organised
Press release - 03/04/2018 Double success for Heidelberg stem cell researchers Two awards at once, both carrying high monetary prizes, go to young researchers from the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Research and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ): Simon Raffel will receive the 2018 Walter Schulz Prize. Simon Haas will share the 2018 Otto Schmeil Prize with his colleague Lars Velten from EMBL. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/double-success-for-heidelberg-stem-cell-researchers
Article - 31/03/2014 Lsd1 – a gatekeeper for differentiation onset of embryonic mouse stem cells Epigenetics is an emerging field of research that studies heritable changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the underlying DNA sequence. Prof. Dr. Roland Schüle, Director of Central Clinical Research at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, and his team are specifically focused on epigenetic modifiers that regulate the timely development of placental mouse tissue. Schüle and his team have discovered in mouse embryos that a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/lsd1-a-gatekeeper-for-differentiation-onset-of-embryonic-mouse-stem-cells
Article - 05/03/2012 Ubiquitin and related molecules do more than just degrade and recycle cellular waste The proteins of the ubiquitin family have long been regarded as cellular Post-its with to be discarded written on them. However over the last ten years it has become increasingly clear that the proteins of the ubiquitin family that cells use to label defective or unneeded proteins also regulate a broad range of important cellular processes. It has also been found that they are involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ubiquitin-and-related-molecules-do-more-than-just-degrade-and-recycle-cellular-waste
Article - 20/06/2011 Molecular biologists to celebrate 50th anniversary of Jacob and Monod’s operon model Leading molecular biologists from around the world came together at a conference jointly organized by the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and the Institut Pasteur in Paris between 17th and 20th May to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operon concept published by François Jacob and Jacques Monod in 1961. The scientists discussed concepts and research results influenced by the operon model, which have led to our present…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/molecular-biologists-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary-of-jacob-and-monod-s-operon-model