Secondary bile acids from intestinal bacteria promote colon cancer
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich, RWTH Aachen University and the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) have experimentally demonstrated for the first time a causal role of microbially formed secondary bile acids in the...
Type genomics: International researchers call for sequencing of reference specimens in museum collections
In a new study, an international team of scientists advocates the systematic genome sequencing of type specimens in natural history collections. These reference objects, which serve to officially describe and name every known species, contain a genetic treasure trove...
New test measures real effectiveness of antibiotics
Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a method that, for the first time, directly measures the killing of bacteria by antibiotics and not just their growth inhibition. The Antimicrobial Single-Cell Test observes millions of individual bacteria...
DEGUM develops quality standards for point-of-care ultrasound in GP practices
Mobile ultrasound devices are gaining in importance in German general practitioners' practices and allow complaints such as abdominal pain, respiratory infections, fractures or dyspnea to be quickly clarified directly during the consultation. Point-of-care ultrasound...
Survey: Two-thirds of doctors experience violence in their everyday work
A survey by the Deutsches Ärzteblatt shows that 66 percent of the doctors surveyed have already experienced violence in a professional context. 56 percent report an increase in such incidents. Hotspots are registration and waiting areas in outpatient care, as well as...
New sensor detects scopolamine in beverages within five minutes
Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) have developed a sensor that detects scopolamine – a substance often used in sexual assault – quickly and sensitively. The system generates an intense fluorescent signal when it comes into contact with the...
Protein mapping of African genomes provides new insights into type 2 diabetes
An international study led by Helmholtz Munich has investigated the relationship between genetic variants and plasma proteins in people of African descent on a large scale for the first time. The results identify population-specific protein patterns and potential...
Improved CAR-T cell therapy recognizes myeloma cells by two characteristics
Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have developed an optimized CAR-T cell therapy against multiple myeloma. The highlight: The modified immune cells recognize degenerated plasma cells simultaneously by two surface features – BCMA and BAFF-R – and destroy them more...
Bladder Cancer: Precision Diagnostics with Peptides
Am Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) hat ein Forschungsteam einen radiopharmazeutischen Molekülmarker entwickelt, der Tumore sichtbar machen kann, die das Zelloberflächenprotein Nectin-4 tragen. Dieses tritt vor allem bei Urothelkarzinomen, einer häufigen...
CRISPR nuclease Cas12a3 blocks protein production in infected cells
An international research team from Würzburg, Braunschweig and the USA has discovered a previously unknown CRISPR-Cas variant. The nuclease Cas12a3 specifically cuts the conserved 3' tail of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and thus paralyzes protein production in infected...
