Press release - 01/02/2012 Defects in the packaging of genetic material in malignant brain tumors Glioblastomas are regarded as particularly aggressive brain tumors. In children with glioblastoma, Heidelberg scientists have now discovered genetic alterations that affect the function of DNA packaging proteins known as histones. In a cell, histones serve as coils around which the DNA wraps. At the same time, histones regulate gene activity. Mutations in histone genes have never before been tied to a disease. The group comprising scientists of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/defects-in-the-packaging-of-genetic-material-in-malignant-brain-tumors
Press release - 20/05/2008 Bookmarks in the human book of life Histone acetyltransferases HATs and their antagonists the histone deacetylases are important enzymes in epigenetic gene regulation. Scientists discovered new HAT inhibitors that are now being investigated for their potential as anti-cancer drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bookmarks-in-the-human-book-of-life
Press release - 13/11/2009 Single molecules under the laser: How the genetic material is unwrapped The genetic material found in cells is not in its free state, but is bound to large protein complexes and tightly wrapped. To activate genes that could well play a role in carcinogenesis, the genetic material first needs to be unwrapped and made accessible to other cell components. Using a new biophysical method called single molecule spectroscopy, scientists from the “Biophysics of Macromolecules” division at the German Cancer Research Centre…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/single-molecules-under-the-laser-how-the-genetic-material-is-unwrapped
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
Press release - 26/01/2011 ‘Complexes Matter’ in How Epigenetic Inhibitors Interact with Their Drug Targets Cellzome Scientists Publish First Chemoproteomic Characterization of HDAC Inhibitors in Nature Biotechnology. Results of the first ever chemoproteomic study of inhibition of HDAC Histone Deacetylase complexes opens up the potential for a new way of studying potency and selectivity for inhibitors of epigenetic drug targets such as HDACs. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/complexes-matter-in-how-epigenetic-inhibitors-interact-with-their-drug-targets
Article - 05/11/2012 Biophysicist Jens Michaelis takes a look into the molecular machine room Jens Michaelis is extremely interested in the molecular machines that control the gene expression process. He has developed a method that enables basic researchers to localise biomolecules in real time as well as gaining insights into their spatial order. In fact what the method does is actually allow researchers to watch proteins at work.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biophysicist-jens-michaelis-takes-a-look-into-the-molecular-machine-room
Gene regulation - 20/07/2021 The many faces of the epigenetic regulator MOF Epigenetic modifications play a crucial role in coordinated gene transcription, and are required for a fertilised egg cell to be able to develop into an organism with different cell types. Dr. Asifa Akhtar from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has been studying the essential epigenetic regulator protein MOF for 20 years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/die-vielen-gesichter-des-epigenetischen-regulators-mof
Article - 04/07/2016 Epigenetic modifications for the treatment of oesophageal cancer Oesophageal cancer is a rare but highly aggressive type of cancer with a rather poor prognosis. Dr. Theresa Ahrens, a researcher in a group led by Prof. Dr. Silke Laßmann and Prof. Dr. Martin Werner at the Institute of Clinical Pathology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, has tested a variety of epigenetic drugs that can interfere with the development of oesophageal cancer. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/modifikation-epigenetic-modifications-for-the-treatment-of-oesophageal-cancer-als-therapie-bei-speiseroehrenkrebs
Article - 16/01/2012 Manfred Jung: drug discovery and the epigenetic code Prof. Dr. Manfred Jungs team at the University of Freiburg are chemical epigeneticists whose research involves the development of methods that enable them to identify and optimise new therapeutic drugs which are able to alter the epigenetic code of cancer and other cell types. The team use a perfidious worm for their research.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/manfred-jung-drug-discovery-and-the-epigenetic-code
Press release - 04/03/2009 Plant Pathogen Yields Substance to Fight Neuroblastoma Drug treatment of neuroblastoma, a tumor of the nervous system in children, poses major problems. Therefore, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have been searching for substances that are suitable as a basis for developing better drugs. Now they have found a candidate: HC-toxin, which is isolated from a fungal plant pathogen. The substance from the maize pathogen reprograms neuroblastoma cells…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/plant-pathogen-yields-substance-to-fight-neuroblastoma
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 - 11/12/2017 KDM4 – an efficient target for the therapy of triple-negative breast cancer While breast cancer survival has clearly improved in recent years, women with triple-negative breast cancer have benefitted very little from progress in cancer medicine. Targeted therapies aimed at inhibiting epigenetic regulators might offer a potential new option for the treatment of breast cancer. Prof. Dr. Roland Schüle and Dr. Jochen Maurer have discovered an epigenetic enzyme called KDM4 and come up with a new cell model that significantly…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/kdm4-an-efficient-target-for-the-therapy-of-triple-negative-breast-cancer
Press release - 31/08/2022 Using nanopores to detect epigenetic changes faster Changes known as epigenetic modifications play an important role in cancer development, among other things. Being able to analyze them quickly and reliably could, for example, contribute significantly to the further development of personalized therapy.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/using-nanopores-detect-epigenetic-changes-faster
Article - 17/02/2009 Genes and epigenetic mechanisms The different cell types in a multicellular organism contain the same genome but differ from each other dramatically in both function and structure nerve cells kidney cells etc.. The differentiation of the cells is linked to the identity of their precursors. This then raises the question If the cells destiny is not encoded in the DNA how do they know what to become? The new director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/genes-and-epigenetic-mechanisms
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
Press release - 12/11/2012 Searching for new strategies against prostate cancer The European Research Council (ERC) has announced that Roland Schüle, Scientific Director at the Department of Urology, University of Freiburg Medical Centre has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. Professor Schüle will receive €2.5 million for a period of 5 years for his research proposal to identify and characterize the molecular and physiological functions of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and to explore its role in prostate cancer.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/searching-for-new-strategies-against-prostate-cancer
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, including the DNA, histone,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/epigenetics-heritable-traits-without-changing-the-dna-sequence
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
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 - 17/05/2021 New findings in genome research The working group around Dr. Philipp Rathert at the Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry investigates the regulation of epigenetic networks of certain cancers and ways of treating them. The working group published its new findings in April. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-findings-genome-research
Press release - 09/12/2022 Epigenetic emergency switch improves defense against infections During infections, the hematopoietic system switches from normal to emergency mode. This improves the defense against the pathogens. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now found an epigenetic switch in blood stem cells and progenitor cells of mice that can trigger the switch from one mode to the other.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-emergency-switch-improves-defense-against-infections
Article - 02/03/2015 EU supports biophysicists from Ulm to elucidate the structure of chromatin Human DNA consists of three billion base pairs, which corresponds to a total length of approximately two metres. DNA must be compressed 200,000-fold in order to fit into the tiny nuclei of mammalian cells. The thread-like complex of DNA and proteins is called chromatin. Although chromatin has been widely studied, relatively little is yet known about the spatial and temporal organisation of chromatin in interphase cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/eu-supports-biophysicists-from-ulm-to-elucidate-the-structure-of-chromatin
Press release - 24/02/2021 Disease progression in childhood cancer: Lengthening of telomeres promotes relapse Neuroblastoma can spread relentlessly or shrink spontaneously. Scientists from the Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University of Heidelberg and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg have shown that some malignant neuroblastomas employ a trick to avoid cell death: they use a special mechanism to lengthen the telomeres at the end of their chromosomes. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/disease-progression-childhood-cancer-lengthening-telomeres-promotes-relapse
Article - 12/12/2011 Rheumatoid arthritis biomarkers A plethora of biomarkers is available for the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and associated tissue damage and disorders. In addition, new biomarkers that improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from this common destructive autoimmune disease are constantly being discovered.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/rheumatoid-arthritis-biomarkers
Article - 16/11/2015 Centromere regulation and cancer Dr. Sylvia Erhardt from the ZMBH in Heidelberg is specifically focused on the function of the centromere, the part of the chromosome indispensable for correct segregation of the chromosomes during cell division. Malfunctioning centromeres lead to changes in chromosome number, which is a hallmark of many types of cancer. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/centromere-regulation-and-cancer