Deep learning approaches have transformed how scientists predict activity and function of DNA sequences in the genome. An new AI tool called Corgi (Context-aware Regulatory Genomics Inference), developed by Martin Vingron’s bioinformatics groupat the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Berlin, Germany) allows researchers to predict how the genome behaves across different cell types. The findings could help improve efforts to mimic the activity of cells virtually, with potential applications in basic research and medicine. The study was published in Nature Communications. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

In der Fachzeitschrift „Cell Reports Medicine“ berichten Forschende aus Würzburg über NLRP3 als vielversprechendes Zielmolekül: Dessen Blockade konnte im Experiment das Fortschreiten von Schlaganfällen bereits während des Gefäßverschlusses verlangsamen. Bei Patientinnen und Patienten mit akutem ischämischem Schlaganfall fanden sich korrespondierend in speziellen „pialen“ Blutproben aus dem betroffenen Hirngebiet erhöhte Anzahlen NLRP3-positiver Immunzellen mit prognostischer Bedeutung. Perspektivisch könnte eine frühzeitige Hemmung von NLRP3 wertvolle Zeit bis zur Wiedereröffnung eines verschlossenen Hirngefäßes überbrücken und so das Behandlungsergebnis verbessern. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

With the aid of physical forces – in this case, sound – it is possible to actively steer the formation of engineered tissue. For example, sound waves can be used to create functional vascular networks with blood vessel-like structures in vitro. Scientists at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University have demonstrated this through their methodology for acoustic manipulation. The team headed by Junior Professor Dr Daniela Duarte Campos also defines quality requirements for generating complex multi-cell-type vascularized 3D tissue that is, for example, relevant for biomedical studies. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Plants do not wait hours to respond to intense sunlight—they react within minutes. Researchers at Bielefeld University and the Australian National University have discovered a new signaling pathway that enables plants to directly adjust their protein production before genes in the cell nucleus change their activity. The findings open new perspectives for climate-resilient crops. Key facts at a glance: Under high light, plants specifically regulate their protein production within ten minutes. Short sequence elements in the messenger RNA act as molecular switches. The mechanism could help make crops more resilient to climate stress. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Inside the cell nucleus, genes must be turned on and off with precision to regulate biological processes. The first models of gene regulation were developed in the 1960s, yet modern science continues to uncover new layers of control. A new study involving researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Institut Pasteur, and Princeton University, published in PNAS, now suggests that genes obey an optimal switching principle—random at any given moment, yet precise on average. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

DZNE researchers have uncovered a mechanism that determines why a neuron usually forms a single, long extension called “axon” – a phenomenon that is fundamental to how our brain functions. Contrary to the common view that external cues drive axon formation, the team of scientists comes to the conclusion that its growth originates primarily inside the cell. Their work, based on cell cultures and published in the journal “Nature” with collaborators from other institutions in Germany, Austria, and Japan, reveals how a neuron’s structure is remodeled to generate the axon. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

TiHo researchers induce cell death in 3D mini-tumors and discover that forcing cancer cells to die can also alert the immune system and enhance anti-tumor attack. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Wie Pflanzen die winzigen Öffnungen, die auf ihren Blättern für Gasaustausch und Wasserregulation zuständig sind, entwickeln und damit ihren Wasserhaushalt steuern, hat ein Team der Ruhr-Universität unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Christopher Grefen herausgefunden. Das Team identifizierte die beiden Lipid-modifizierenden Enzyme GELP80 und GELP100 als entscheidende Faktoren für die Ausbildung funktionsfähiger Spaltöffnungen (Stomata). Die Ergebnisse wurden in der Fachzeitschrift The Plant Cell am 26. Mai 2026 veröffentlicht. Sie liefern neue Einblicke in die Mechanik der Pflanzenentwicklung und könnten langfristig dazu beitragen, Nutzpflanzen widerstandsfähiger gegen Trockenheit zu machen. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

A research team from the University of Cologne has identified a new approach for treating particularly aggressive pancreatic cancer. It makes use of a genetic mutation that allows the immune system to attack the cancer cells again / publication in ‘Nature Communications’ Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Anti-T-lymphocyte globulin (ATLG) for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) reduces complications and infection-related mortality compared to post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from unrelated donors [1]. Although PTCy was associated with fewer cases of acute (Grade II–IV) and chronic GvHD, this did not result in a survival benefit for patients with blood cancer [1]. These initial results from the GRAPPA study were presented by DKMS as a late-breaking abstract at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress in Stockholm. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Our parents’ genes, even the ones we didn’t inherit, leave a measurable lasting imprint on our lives. An international team led by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health developed a new approach to analyze genetic data from tens of thousands of families. The study, published this Tuesday in Cell Genomics, found that for height, body weight, and school test performance, the environment shaped by our parents’ genes can be nearly as important as the genes we actually inherited from them. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Die Gene unserer Eltern – auch jene, die wir nicht geerbt haben – hinterlassen einen messbaren, dauerhaften Abdruck in unserem Leben. Ein internationales Team unter der Leitung von Forschenden des Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) und des norwegischen Folkehelseinstituttet (Volksgesundheitsinstitut, FHI) hat einen neuen Ansatz entwickelt, um genetische Daten von Zehntausenden Familien zu analysieren. Die Studie, die diesen Dienstag in Cell Genomics veröffentlicht wurde, zeigt: Bei Körpergröße, Körpergewicht und schulischer Leistung kann das von den elterlichen Genen geprägte Umfeld nahezu genauso wichtig sein wie die Gene, die wir tatsächlich von ihnen geerbt haben. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Die chemische Verbindung Methyleugenol kommt natürlicherweise in Gewürzpflanzen wie Basilikum vor und wird über die Nahrung in den menschlichen Körper aufgenommen. In der Leber kann der Stoff durch Enzyme aktiviert werden und Erbgutschäden verursachen. Ein Forschungsteam der Rheinland-Pfälzischen Technischen Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) um den Toxikologen Jörg Fahrer hat nun entscheidende Mechanismen aufgeklärt, mit denen Zellen solche Schäden erkennen und reparieren. Die Ergebnisse wurden in der renommierten Fachzeitschrift Cell Death & Disease veröffentlicht. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

The chemical compound methyleugenol naturally occurs in culinary herbs such as basil and is ingested by humans through food. In the liver, the substance can be activated by enzymes and cause genetic damage. A research team at the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, led by toxicologist Jörg Fahrer, has now elucidated key mechanisms by which cells recognize and repair such damage. The results were published in the renowned scientific journal Cell Death & Disease. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

The loss of an enzyme can reprogram cellular metabolism in a way that protects cells from a specific form of cell death. Paradoxically, the presumed blockade of this enzyme has the opposite effect, as demonstrated by a study from the University of Würzburg. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche auswählen …

Living systems such as cells rely on membrane pores and channels to transport molecules, exchange signals, and organize biochemical reactions. These functions emerge from dynamic interactions between molecular components. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have used DNA nanotechnology to develop a synthetic membrane architecture that mimics such interactions. The new platform enables coordinated molecular transport and programmable biochemical reactions inside an artificial compartment. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche auswählen …

Scientists at the Institute of Anatomy at Leipzig University, working together with international research institutions, have identified a previously unknown group of immune cells in the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery was made possible by a newly developed microscopy technique that has, for the first time, been specifically optimised for the human brain. The findings have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche auswählen …

Whether it’s new treatment options for cancer, rare diseases, or age-related conditions—leading researchers and experts from clinical practice and industry are gathering in Frankfurt am Main to share their knowledge on modern gene and cell therapies. JOINT PRESS RELEASE by the Berlin Institute of Health in der Charité (BIH) and ForTra gGmbH für Forschungstransfer der Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (ForTra) Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche auswählen …

Every human cell is surrounded by a sugar coating known as the glycocalyx. It not only interacts with its environment but also reveals a great deal about cells’ internal states. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have mapped sugar structures on cell surfaces using high-resolution microscopy. In initial studies, they were able to correlate the spatial arrangement of the sugar structures with specific physiological cell states. The results, recently published in Nature Nanotechnology, could pave the way for new diagnostic approaches, such as tumor detection. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche…

In a condition known as “IgLON5 encephalitis”, the immune system mistakenly attacks cells in the brain. This leads to brain inflammation and neuronal damage, which can manifest as sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and movement disorders. Researchers at DZNE and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now identified fundamental mechanisms underlying this rare but severe neurodegenerative disease. Their findings, based on applying antibodies from affected individuals in neuronal cell cultures and mice, have been published in the journal “Science Advances”. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft Hier jetzt das aktuell Außergewöhnliche auswählen …

Muhammad A Shah, Emily L Denton, Cheryl H Arrowsmith, Mathieu Lupien and Matthieu Schapira Abstract Background The notion that epigenetic mechanisms may be central to cancer initiation and progression is supported by recent next-generation sequencing efforts revealing that genes involved in chromatin-mediated signaling are recurrently mutated in cancer patients. Results Here, we analyze mutational and transcriptional profiles from TCGA and the ICGC across a collection 441 chromatin factors and histones. Chromatin factors essential for rapid replication are frequently overexpressed, and those that maintain genome stability frequently mutated. We identify novel mutation hotspots such as K36M in histone H3.1, and uncover…

Cancer is a group of almost 200 diseases that involve variety of changes in cell structure, morphology, and physiology. Cancer phenotype is underlying several alterations in cellular dynamics with three most critical features, which includes self-sufficiency in growth signals and insensitivity to inhibitory signals, evasion of programmed cell death and limitless replicative potential with a potential for the invasion of other organs. Cancer disease is widespread among metazoans. Some properties of cancer cells such as uncontrolled cell proliferation, lack of apoptosis, hypoxia, fermentative metabolism and free cell motility, i.e. metastasis, resemble a prokaryotic lifestyle, which leads to the assumption of…

Most cancer cells utilize aerobic glycolysis irrespective of their tissue of origin. The alteration from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis – called the Warburg effect – is an universal phenomen and has now become a diagnostic tool for cancer detection. Warburg O, Posener K, Negelein E. (1924) Über den Stoffwechsel der Carcinomzelle. Biochem Z. 152, 309–344.

Tomasetti and Vogelstein show that the lifetime risk of cancers of many different types is strongly correlated with the total number of divisions of the normal self-renewing cells maintaining that tissue’s homeostasis. These results suggest that only a third of the variation in cancer risk among tissues is attributable to environmental factors or inherited predispositions. The majority is due to bad luck, that is, random mutations arising during DNA replication in normal, noncancerous stem cells. Tomasetti C, Vogelstein B (2015): Variation in cancer risk among tissues can be explained by the number of stem cell divisions. Science 2 January 2015:…

Energy transfer in material solids is driven primarily by differences in intensive thermodynamic quantities such as pressure and temperature. The crucial observation  in quantum-theoretical models was the consideration of the heat capacity as associated with the vibrations of atoms in a crystalline solid. However, living organisms are essentially isothermal. Because of very little differences in temperature between different parts of a cell it is assumed that energy flow in living organisms is mediated by differences in the turnover time of various metabolic processes in the cell, which occur in cyclical fashion. It has been shown that the cycle time of…