The electrical charge is what makes the difference

05-Mar-2020

A new membrane developed at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) separates small dye particles or drug substances not only by size but also by their electrical charge. This additional function enables organic molecules with lateral dimensions of one to two nanometres to be such high-efficiently ...

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More specific CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors makes genome editing even more precise

04-Mar-2020

CRISPR-Cas9 has revolutionized the field of genetics by its ability to cut DNA at defined target sites. Researchers are using the Cas9 enzyme to specifically switch off genes, or insert new DNA fragments into the genome. But no matter how specific the Cas9 enzyme is – sometimes it cuts where it ...

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Oral or Transdermal Vaccination Possible

03-Mar-2020

Scientists of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut have researched a vaccine platform, which confers a very good immune response (B cell and T cell response) and protection against hepatitis B in the mouse model. The vaccine platform is based on virus-like particles (VLPs) of the hepatitis B virus. The VLPs ...

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Findings could accelerate development of new, protein-​based medications

02-Mar-2020

Researchers have used cryo-​electron microscopy to elucidate for the first time the structure and function of a very small enzyme embedded in cell membranes. This enzyme builds complex sugar trees that are subsequently attached to other membrane proteins. The findings could accelerate the ...

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Open source platform enables the free and transparent overview of COVID-19 genome informations

28-Feb-2020

Dr. Wolfgang Maier and Dr. Björn Grüning from the University of Freiburg, together with researchers from universities in Belgium, Australia and the USA, have reviewed the previously available data on sequences of the novel coronavirus and published their analyses on the open source platform ...

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Researchers trace cancer cells with tailor-made materials

26-Feb-2020

Modern anticancer therapies aim to attack tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and FU Berlin has made important progress in this area: the scientists have produced tiny nanoparticles that are designed to ...

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Antibodies can be a blessing or a curse to the brain - it all depends on their concentration

25-Feb-2020

If the immune system attacks its own body, it can often have devastating consequences: autoantibodies bind to the body’s structures, triggering functional disorders. The receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter, can also become the target of autoantibodies. Researchers at the Max Planck ...

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Long-lasting and precise dosing of medication thanks to an oil-hydrogel mixture

24-Feb-2020

Using a mixture of oil droplets and hydrogel, medical active agents can be not only precisely dosed, but also continuously administered over periods of up to several days. The active agents inside the active droplets are released at a constant rate, decreasing the risk of over- or ...

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Potential for diabetes remission

24-Feb-2020

The loss of the identity of insulin-secreting beta cells in the islet of Langerhans, a process also called beta cell dedifferentiation, has been proposed to be a main reason for the development of diabetes. If and how dedifferentiated beta cells can be targeted by pharmacological intervention for ...

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Scientists uncover a novel and generic mechanism for the division of artificial cells into two daughter cells

21-Feb-2020

The success of life on earth is based on the amazing ability of living cells to divide themselves into two daughter cells. During such a division process, the outer cell membrane has to undergo a series of morphological transformations that ultimately lead to membrane fission. Scientists at the ...

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