Microplastics found in human bloodstream

PET detected most

29-Mar-2022 - A research team led by ecotoxicologist Heather Leslie and analytical chemist Marja Lamoree have become the first to demonstrate that plastic particles from our living environment end up in the human bloodstream. The results of the research project, called Immunoplast, were published today in the ...

The genes behind the venom: New technique revolutionizes venom research

New technique makes it possible to show how the unique venom production of a wide range of venomous animals are made up

22-Nov-2021 - An international team of scientists has found an innovative, animal-friendly manner for studying venom genes. The technique makes it possible to determine the unique venom production of a wide range of venomous animals that have scarcely, if at all, been studied. A group of scientists from VU ...

Previously unknown mode of bacterial growth discovered

Research teams use imaging and modelling to explain why single bacterial cells do not always grow exponentially

18-Nov-2021 - Bacteria as unicellular organisms reproduce by dividing their entire organism. In this way, they can multiply particularly quickly, which allows the exponential growth of bacterial populations, also known from pathogens. The population growth is based on the growth of the individual bacterial ...

A Hairpin to Fight Cancer

Bicyclic protein mimetics inhibit the oncogene β-catenin

17-May-2021 - The inhibition of pathological protein–protein interactions is a promising approach for treating a large number of diseases, including many forms of cancer. A team of researchers has now developed a bicyclic peptide that binds to β-catenin—a protein associated with certain types of tumor. The ...

Roses are red -- why some petunias are blue

06-Jan-2014 - Researchers have uncovered the secret recipe to making some petunias such a rare shade of blue. The findings may help to explain and manipulate the color of other ornamental flowers, not to mention the taste of fruits and wine, say researchers. From the flowers' point of view, the findings also ...

New Consortium to Develop Drugs for Neglected Tropical Diseases

19-Aug-2009 - A new consortium has been formed to boost drug development for the treatment of two deadly diseases, African sleeping sickness and Leishmaniasis. A total budget of nearly 3.6 million euros has been allocated over the next 4 years, to develop effective drugs for these diseases. The consortium ...

Galapagos, Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, Netherlands Institute for Brain Research and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam cooperate

19-Sep-2005 - Galapagos, Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics B.V. (AMT), the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research (NIBR), and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) announce their collaboration to develop innovative treatments for acute spinal cord and peripheral nerve damage (neurotrauma). The research ...

Smoking is in the genes

17-Nov-2004 - Dutch researcher Jacqueline Vink has discovered that the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the level of nicotine dependence is largely down to a person's genes. She investigated the smoking behaviour of more than 16,000 twins and their relatives. Whether or not a young person starts ...