The 2024 Balzan Prizes Focus on Sustainable Progress

From Law to the History of Science, and from the Biology of Ageing to Innovative Materials: 750,000 Swiss Francs will be awarded to each of the four winners of the Balzan Prizes

11-Sep-2024 - In Milan, the President of the International Balzan Foundation “Prize”, Maria Cristina Messa, and the Chair of the Balzan General Prize Committee, Marta Cartabia, announced the winners of the four 2024 Balzan Prizes. The announcement was made after the conclusion and synthesis of the selection ...

Turning bacteria into bioplastic factories

Biologists find new ways to encourage the plastic-producing power of purple microbes

28-Aug-2024 - In a world overrun by petroleum-based plastics, scientists are searching for alternatives that are more sustainable, more biodegradable and far less toxic to the environment. Two new studies by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis highlight one potential source of game-changing ...

Synthetic polymers against fungal infections

A chemistry PhD student is stranded at the Leibniz-HKI and uses the time for research on Candida albicans

26-Aug-2024 - When combined with antifungal drugs, synthetic polymers are particularly effective against Candida albicans. This is what a German-Australian research team found out and also clarified the mechanism of action behind it. The international collaboration came about by chance during an unplanned ...

Cancer drug could treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, study shows

26-Aug-2024 - A type of drug developed for treating cancer holds promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, according to a recent study by researchers at Penn State, Stanford University and an international team of collaborators. The researchers discovered that by blocking a ...

Merck Closes Mirus Bio Acquisition, Bolstering Viral Vector Bioprocessing Offering

Advances Merck’s ambition to provide fully integrated and comprehensive solution for viral vector manufacturing

06-Aug-2024 - Merck announced the closing of the transaction to acquire Mirus Bio for approximately US$600million (around €550million), following regulatory clearances and the fulfillment of other customary closing conditions. The acquisition is a strategic step towards Merck's ambition to offer solutions ...

Using PETRA III to watch the disabling of a penicillin killer

Scientists observe in detail the binding and formation of covalent bonds of an inhibitor to a bacterial enzyme that disables common antibiotics

31-Jul-2024 - Antibiotic resistance is a major and particularly in recent years a growing challenge in medicine. Scientists around the world are searching for new and efficient compounds to treat bacterial infections, especially infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria. A research collaboration of ...

Major breakthrough: New additive process can make better — and greener — high-value chemicals

“Our research opens up fascinating possibilities for the future of pharmaceutical and agrochemical development”

30-Jul-2024 - Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have achieved a significant breakthrough that could lead to better — and greener — agricultural chemicals and everyday products. Using a process that combines natural enzymes and light, the team from the ...

A new understanding of enzymatic catalysis

BASF and the University of Graz develop fundamentally new computer-assisted model to optimize efficiency of biocatalytic production processes

25-Jul-2024 - Numerous factors influence the efficiency of the enzymes used to produce chemicals. Finding the optimal reaction conditions therefore requires significant time and resources. Researchers from BASF, the Austrian Research Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) and the University of Graz in ...

Ointment with DNA molecules combats allergic contact dermatitis

Study shows that what are known as aptamers can be absorbed directly via the skin

08-Jul-2024 - Researchers at the University of Bonn have isolated a DNA molecule that is suitable for combating allergic contact dermatitis in mice. What is known as an aptamer binds to certain immune system messenger substances, rendering them ineffective. This even works if the active ingredient is applied ...

Efficient plastic-feeding fungi in freshwater ecosystems identified

Contrary to previous assumptions, no pre-treatment of the plastics was necessary

01-Jul-2024 - The presence of plastics in our environment is an increasing burden on nature and our health. Scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the University of Potsdam have now identified fungi isolated from freshwater ecosystems that can efficiently ...