Zebrafish can completely replace damaged heart muscle cells: The affected organ becomes fully functional again. Researchers at Ulm University have discovered that a specific cell-to-cell communication signal helps them to cope better with replication stress. This stress inhibits tissue regeneration in humans and mammals as they age. In Zebrafish a signalling protein ensures that the cells of the damaged organ continue to divide and thus multiply.

A protein with contradictory properties: Despite its large negative surface charge, it has a strong tendency to take up electrons, which are also negatively charged. The researchers discovered positively charged calcium ions inside the protein very near the electrons, counteracting their charge. They see this as a natural way of handling opposing electrical charges and allowing the protein to optimally fulfill its biological function.

Controllable microcatheters - 20/02/2025

Robot-assisted control of surgical instruments using magnetic resonance imaging

Catheter-based examinations and surgical procedures are severely limited by the restricted controllability of conventional instruments and harmful radiation exposure to both patients and medical staff caused by prolonged exposure to radiation during fluoroscopy. EndoSurge, a Stuttgart-based start-up, has developed innovative robotic microcatheters that can be precisely controlled using the magnetic field of an MRI device.

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.