Fact box: The International Health Regulations (IHR)
The International Health Regulations (IHR) are a set of rules of the World Health Organization (WHO) that are binding under international law and were first adopted in 1969 and revised in 2005. They serve to prevent, assess and combat public health emergencies of...
“EU-US customs deal jeopardizes rules-based global trade”
Prof. Dr. Julian Hinz, Director of Trade Policy at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (ifw), comments on the trade deal agreed between the EU and the USA on July 27, 2025, which provides for tariffs of 15 percent for European exports to the United States. In...
New Max Planck Center launches biomedical research in South Korea
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar in Bonn and the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) at Yonsei University in Seoul are pooling their expertise in the new Max...
Laboratory sensation: Organisms can generate energy from air
Researchers at the University of Bern, in collaboration with scientists from Australia and New Zealand, have recreated an important biological process in the laboratory that enables certain organisms to obtain energy directly from hydrogen in the air. The results,...
Beta-carotene identified as key against enzyme inhibition
Enzymes are essential for metabolic processes in the body, plants and industry, but around 20 percent of them slow down or stop working under excessive stress - a phenomenon known as substrate inhibition. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have...
Effect of DNA input on analytical and clinical parameters of a circulating tumor DNA assay for comprehensive genomic profiling
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays play an increasingly important role in cancer management. A new version of TruSight Oncology 500 (TSO500) ctDNA, v2, was recently released, and the recommended DNA input was decreased to 20 ng from 30 ng in the prior version. This...
Sustainability in the healthcare sector: Doctors call for more commitment from pharmaceutical companies
Environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the German healthcare sector. A survey conducted by AstraZeneca Germany in December 2024 shows that doctors consider sustainability to be a central part of their everyday professional life and expect...
Virtual shock room at Ulm University digitally enhances medical studies
The Faculty of Medicine at Ulm University is introducing an innovative training method for medical students in the form of a virtual shock room. In collaboration with the Ulm-based company TriCAT, a state-of-the-art virtual learning environment has been created that...
BVL: Muscimol in confectionery can trigger coma
The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) reports more than 5,300 notifications in the latest report of the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) for 2024 - a record. A new phenomenon is confectionery, particularly fruit gums,...
Green light for new Alzheimer’s drug
The Alzheimer's drug donanemab (trade name Kisunla) has been given the green light by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). The expert committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of the active substance for the...
