Peering into the cellular past: Technology records ribonucleic acids in individual living cells.

11-Jan-2023

Do we simply ingest a diagnostic probiotic based on programmed ribonucleic acids to analyze the intestinal health from individual cells in the future? Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) in Würzburg have ...

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"One exciting point is that reduced insulin activity contributes to healthy ageing and longevity"

06-Jan-2023

When a fruit fly starts walking or flying, its insulin-producing cells are immediately inhibited. This could be one explanation for why exercise promotes health. Insulin is an essential hormone for humans and many other living creatures. Its best-known task is to regulate sugar metabolism. How it ...

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"The new measurement method opens up many possible applications where speed and reliability are required"

23-Dec-2022

A newly developed rapid test needs only a few seconds to reliably detect pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. It is based on specially designed magnetic nanoparticles. The current rapid tests for diagnosing infectious diseases are speedy, but not really fast. For example, antigen self-tests, PCR tests ...

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Hollow spheres made of MYC proteins open new doors in cancer research: Researchers start a company

28-Nov-2022

MYC genes and their proteins play a central role in the emergence and development of almost all cancers. They drive the uncontrolled growth and altered metabolism of tumour cells. And they help tumours hide from the immune system. MYC proteins also show an activity that was previously unknown – ...

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New perspectives for the treatment of tumors, autoimmune diseases or chronic inflammatory conditions

16-Nov-2022

Increased cell proliferation is a key feature of diseases such as cancer. A research team from the University of Würzburg and two Leibniz Institutes has now succeeded in indirectly influencing this process. As differently as cancers or autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid ...

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An accurate picture of gene activity can provide the key to the development of new, targeted therapies

18-Oct-2022

When searching for the causes of illnesses and developing new treatments, it is absolutely vital to have a precise understanding of the genetic fundamentals. Würzburg researchers have devised a new technique for this purpose. Pathological processes are usually characterised by altered gene ...

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This discovery has consequences – for vaccination strategies as well as for immunotherapies against cancer

25-Aug-2022

Lymph nodes trigger very different immune responses – depending on which body tissue they are connected to. Special T cells are responsible for this newly discovered relation. The human body contains 600 to 800 lymph nodes, which are specialised organs that trigger immune responses. To be ...

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Completely unexpectedly, the enzyme ceramidase emerges as a new target structure for the therapy of SARS-CoV-2 infections

18-Aug-2022

Fluoxetine, a common antidepressant, inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in cell cultures and in preparations from human lung tissue. This was demonstrated by researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in the summer of 2020. However, the mechanism of this inhibition was utterly ...

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Poxviruses pose a threat to humanity that should be taken seriously, as the current outbreak of monkeypox shows

04-Aug-2022

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, and already another virus is causing a stir: “International outbreak of monkeypox” was the cry in the media a few weeks ago, followed by daily headlines along the lines of “first case of monkeypox in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin and so on”. ...

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Researchers have uncovered the inner workings of the molecular machinery that shapes chromosomes during cell division

08-Jun-2022

Our cells perform a marvel of engineering when it comes to packing information into small spaces. Every time a cell divides, it bundles up an amazing 4 metres of DNA into 46 tiny packages, each of which is only several millionths of a metre in length. Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg and ...

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