An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Janosch Hennig from the University of Bayreuth has discovered how the TRIM25 protein contributes to defense against RNA viruses whose genetic material is contained as ribonucleic acid (RNA). The results provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the human immune system. The researchers have now reported their findings in Nature Communications.

A new study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich shows for the first time that bitter tasting protein fragments (peptides) are produced in the stomach during the digestion of the natural sweetener thaumatin. In a cellular test system, the peptides are able to stimulate the acid secretion of human stomach cells and influence inflammatory reactions. “Our research helps to elucidate the health effects of the plant protein, which is widely used as a sweetener,” says Veronika Somoza, head of the study and director of the Leibniz Institute.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin (MPIMG) and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna have discovered a potential „pause button“ in the earliest stages of human development. Whether humans can control the timing of their development has long been debated. The new study suggests that this “pause button” can be activated in human cells as well. The findings have significant implications for our understanding of early human life and may improve reproductive technologies.

Certain developmental signals shape not only the human embryo but also play a significant role in maintaining our genetic blueprints. They prevent alterations in the genome, known as mosaicism. The underlying biological mechanism helps the DNA to produce an identical copy of itself during cell division using the original genetic blueprint. However, it can also contribute to genomic mosaicism during nerve cell development, according to the findings of an international research team led by scientists from Heidelberg University.

Hirnorganoide bieten einzigartige Einblicke in das menschliche Gehirn. Nun hat die Gruppe von Jürgen Knoblich am Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie (IMBA) der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften eine neue Method entwickelt, mit der WissenschaftlerInnen Hirnorganoide mit ausgeprägten kortikalen Bereichen erzeugen. Diese Organoide ähneln auch in ihrem Aufbau der typischen Strukturierung in Vorder- bis Rückseite. Gemeinsam mit KollegInnen am Human Technopole und der Universität von Milan-Bicocca berichten sie über diese Methode, die WissenschaftlerInnen einen tieferen Einblick in die menschliche Entwicklung des Gehirns bietet. Die Studie erscheint am 18. September im Nature Methods

Brain organoids provide unique insights into the human brain. Now, the group of Jürgen Knoblich at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, developed a new method that allows scientists to cultivate brain organoids with distinct cortical areas and front-to-back patterning. Together with collaborators at the Human Technopole and the University of Milan-Bicocca, they reported a method that gives scientists a deeper look into human-specific brain development and disorders. The new method is reported in Nature Methods on September 18.

COVID-19 ist die mit Abstand bekannteste Zoonose der letzten Jahrzehnte – aber nur eine von vielen. Das Borna Disease Virus 1 (BoDV-1) ist ebenfalls ein vom Tier auf den Menschen überspringendes Virus. Und dieses Virus ist brandgefährlich, in mehr als 90 Prozent der Fälle endet die Infektion tödlich. Eine umfassende Studie von Wissenschafter:innen der Human- und Veterinärmedizin aus der DACH-Region liefert nun wichtige neue Erkenntnisse zum Verbreitungsweg dieser Viruserkrankung. Dabei zeigte sich auch, dass die Todesfälle beim Menschen zahlreicher sind als bisher angenommen. Erschienen ist die unter Beteiligung der Vetmeduni entstandene Studie soeben in „Nature Communications“.

Ein wesentliches Ziel unserer Wahrnehmung ist, Objekte zu erkennen und verschiedenen Kategorien zuzuordnen – zum Beispiel, ob dieses Objekt vor uns ein Hund ist und ob ein Hund zur Kategorie der Tiere zählt. Forschende vom Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften in Leipzig und der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen in Zusammenarbeit mit den National Institutes of Health in den USA konnte nun zeigen, dass dieses Bild unvollständig ist. In einer aktuellen Studie im Fachjournal Nature Human Behaviour schreiben sie, dass sich die Hirnaktivität beim Sehen von Objekten viel besser mit einer Vielzahl verhaltensrelevanter Dimensionen erklären lässt.

The Berlin-based start-up Lucid Genomics, a spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and the Institute of Medical Genetics and Human Genetics at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has raised €1.3 million in pre-seed funding in a funding round led by Caesar Ventures, with support from BIF Partners, another.vc and the MPF Accelerator. The funds will be used to further expand their AI-Digital HealthTech Platform, which extracts all genomic information to improve diagnostics and drug discovery.

TWINCORE researchers show role of epistatic interaction in the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Certain changes in the genetic material of pathogens can alter their ability to infect human cells or protect them better from defense by the immune system. Researchers were able to observe this effect particularly impressive in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. During the coronavirus pandemic, an interdisciplinary team at TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental & Clinical Infection Research in Hanover, investigated the interaction between pairs of mutations that might have triggered several of these changes in infectivity and immune escape. They have now published their findings in the journal Genome Biology

International team headed by the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen gathers data on the endangered animals’ development

Internationales Team unter Leitung des Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment an der Universität Tübingen sammelt Daten zur Entwicklung der gefährdeten Tiere

Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have gained insights shedding light on the molecular adaptations occurring in skeletal muscle following bariatric surgery, particularly in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Graz University of Technology have published a video game about the health effects of the microbiome and what impact our lifestyle has on it.

The agent HY-133 acts specifically against Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that is found in the nasal microbiome of around one in three people. Colonisation is harmless in normal life, but can become a problem during operations and hospital stays. The clinical phase I ‚first-in-human‘ trial with the novel drug candidate to test safety, tolerability and efficacy began on 10 July with the recruitment of clinically healthy volunteers who tested positive for S. aureus colonisation of the nose.

Heute hat das „Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use“ (CHMP) der Europäische Arzneimittel-Agentur (EMA) eine Empfehlung gegen die Zulassung des Antikörpers gegen Alzheimer Lecanemab abgegeben. Die Therapie kann Alzheimer zwar nicht heilen oder zum Stillstand bringen, aber das Fortschreiten der Erkrankung bei Betroffenen im Alzheimer-Frühstadium verlangsamen. Trotz vieler praktischer Limitationen der Therapie (ein sehr frühes Zeitfenster für die Therapieinitiierung, mangelnde Refinanzierung der erforderlichen Frühdiagnostik, fehlende Versorgungsstrukturen, Nebenwirkungen) bedauert die Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie, dass keine Empfehlung zur Zulassung erteilt wurde.

Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells’ surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway, a protein complex of the immune system, to infect cells. This ability helps the viruses infect different species – and potentially jump between animals and humans.

The “power plants” of living cells, the mitochondria, probably evolved through endosymbiosis: A bacterium migrated into a primordial cell and eventually developed into an organelle that provides the cell with energy, among other things. Mitochondria produce some of the proteins they need themselves – with the help of special protein factories called mitoribosomes, which consist of RNA and proteins. Researchers in Göttingen have now provided a roadmap for how cells assemble human mitoribosomes in a modular fashion.

Transcription factors regulate gene expression by binding specific sequences on DNA, which is an essential step to produce messenger RNAs from protein-coding genes. Denes Hnisz’s lab, in collaboration with Martin Vingron’s lab at the MPIMG, has discovered that human transcription factors don’t typically use their full potential. Instead, important protein regions within transcription factors encode chemical features that generate submaximal transcriptional activity. The findings, published in Nature Cell Biology, suggest simple ways to engineer natural transcription factor variants with elevated or “optimized” activity, with potential applications for regenerative therapy.

Hand prostheses that restore tactile sensitivity to amputees. Sensors capable of detecting diseases prior to outbreaks. These applications could soon become part of conventional treatment thanks to microchips implanted in the body. At Fraunhofer IZM, the Technologies for Bioelectronics working group is busy developing ultra-thin biocompatible coatings for bioelectronics implants. The core aim is to enable decade-long functionality of miniature implants without the need for surgical interventions.

Bejagung und klimatische Veränderungen führten zum Verschwinden der Steppenbewohner vor 10.000 Jahren. Ein internationales Forschungsteam mit Prof. Dr. Hervé Bocherens vom Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) an der Universität Tübingen hat die Ursachen für das Aussterben des Wollnashorns nach dem Ende der letzten Eiszeit vor 10.000 Jahren untersucht. Ihre Studie zeigt, dass die konstante Bejagung durch den Menschen gemeinsam mit Temperaturveränderungen die Populationen der Tiere nachhaltig schwächte, wodurch sie nicht mehr in günstigere Lebensräume ausweichen konnten. Ihr Verschwinden mache auch die Gefährdung heutiger großer Wildtiere deutlich.

Scientists from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Leipzig Medical Center have shown in two independent patient cohorts when a genome sequencing is beneficial in the diagnosis of genetic diseases. The jointly published study provides valuable insights for diagnostic practice based on a broad dataset from research and clinical applications. The researchers have presented their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine.

An international research team has gained new insights into the way SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and its downstream consequences. As an aid to the ACE2 surface protein, the TMPRSS2 serine protease plays an important role in enhancing cell infection: it boosts the resulting immune response, increases cell death, and drives virus evolution. In addition to the human version, TMPRSS2 proteins from diverse mammal species can also enhance infection. These findings may contribute to the development of future treatments and prevention strategies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) reports on these results in its edition from 4 June 2024.

Bremen – In a recent study, the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS has made significant progress in identifying health markers that are crucial for a long and healthy life. Led by Prof. Dr. Krasimira Aleksandrova and in close collaboration with the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), the research provides valuable insights for healthy aging.

A new study has revealed important insights into how SARS-CoV-2 and its variants escape the immune system. The findings pave the way for new therapeutic approaches against COVID-19. The research of the international team of scientists from the USA, Brazil and Germany focused on the interactions between the virus and the human innate immune system. The study was led by a team from the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, USA. The results were published in the renowned journal „Cell“ on May 9, 2024.