More than a quarter of the world’s population is affected by helminth infections, which can profoundly alter the immune system. In a preclinical study, researchers found that mRNA- and protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines effectively protected Schistosoma-infected mice against the virus, despite the mice’s distinct immune response profiles. These results suggest that chronic helminth infection does not necessarily compromise vaccine-induced protection. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

The short lifespan of the turquoise killifish (N. furzeri) makes it an important model organism for aging research. However, its husbandry and breeding present research institutions with challenges: The fish have a short lifespan and must be continuously bred, while at the same time their genetic diversity must be preserved. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) have therefore developed the Dynamic Population Breeding (DPB) method. This new breeding concept improves the survival rate of offspring, reduces differences between breeding cohorts, and thus creates an important foundation for reproducible and sustainable research on biological aging….

Der Türkise Prachtgrundkärpfling (N. furzeri) ist aufgrund seiner kurzen Lebensspanne ein wichtiger Modellorganismus in der Alternsforschung. Seine Haltung und Zucht stellen Forschungseinrichtungen jedoch vor besondere Herausforderungen: Die Tiere altern schnell und müssen kontinuierlich nachgezüchtet werden, gleichzeitig soll ihre genetische Vielfalt aber erhalten bleiben. Forschende des Leibniz-Instituts für Alternsforschung (FLI) haben das Dynamic Population Breeding entwickelt. Es verbessert die Überlebensrate der Nachkommen, reduziert Unterschiede zwischen den Zuchtkohorten und schafft so eine wichtige Grundlage für eine reproduzierbare, nachhaltige Forschung zum biologischen Altern. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Continuous monitoring of indoor air to assess health and wellbeing, smart sheets that monitor sleep quality and miniaturized hearing aids – international partners in academia and industry are collaborating on the SensorTech4Health 2030 project to develop novel technology that monitors the surrounding environment to continuously gauge health. Against the backdrop of an ageing population and high care costs, the project sets out to use prevention to help people remain fit and independent for longer. Bosch Sensortec is coordinating the project, which has received 15 million euros from national funding organizations within the EUREKA Cluster Xecs. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Daniel Smeets, Yolanda Markaki, Volker J Schmid, Felix Kraus, Anna Tattermusch, Andrea Cerase, Michael Sterr, Susanne Fiedler, Justin Demmerle, Jens Popken, Heinrich Leonhardt, Neil Brockdorff, Thomas Cremer1, Lothar Schermelleh and Marion Cremer Abstract Background A Xist RNA decorated Barr body is the structural hallmark of the compacted inactive X territory in female mammals. Using super-resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) and quantitative image analysis, we compared its ultrastructure with active chromosome territories (CTs) in human and mouse somatic cells, and explored the spatio-temporal process of Barr body formation at onset of inactivation in early differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs)….