First electric nanomotor made from DNA material

Synthetic rotary motors at the nanoscale perform mechanical work

27-Jul-2022 - A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded for the first time in producing a molecular electric motor using the DNA origami method. The tiny machine made of genetic material self-assembles and converts electrical energy into kinetic energy. The new nanomotors ...

New sepsis therapy approaches with evolution of signaling molecules

Protein engineering extends immune cell vocabulary

25-Jan-2019 - Small infections can be fatal: Millions of people die each year from sepsis, an overreaction of the immune system. A new immune signaling molecule, designed by a research team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), now provides the basis for potential new approaches in sepsis therapy. The ...

Carbon fibers from greenhouse gas

How algae could sustainably reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere

16-Nov-2018 - In collaboration with fellow researchers, chemists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a process that, according to initial calculations, can facilitate economically removing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The latest World Climate Report (IPCC ...

Designer's toolkit for dynamic DNA nanomachines

Arm-waving nanorobot signals new flexibility in DNA origami

30-Mar-2015 - The latest DNA nanodevices created at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) - including a robot with movable arms, a book that opens and closes, a switchable gear, and an actuator - may be intriguing in their own right, but that's not the point. They demonstrate a breakthrough in the science ...

Individual protein complex generates electric current

Solar cell consisting of a single molecule

05-Oct-2012 - An team of scientists, led by Joachim Reichert, Johannes Barth, and Alexander Holleitner (Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Clusters of Excellence MAP and NIM), and Itai Carmeli (Tel Aviv University) developed a method to measure photocurrents of a single functionalized photosynthetic protein ...

Metabolic fingerprints offer fresh clues and a new path toward personalized medicine

13-Apr-2010 - The old excuse, "I am only overweight because of my genes," is suddenly gaining credibility as researchers uncover ever more evidence that the way our bodies digest and process nutrients in the food we eat is different for every person. The budding discipline of metabolomics strives to ...

Fine-tuning an anti-cancer drug

20-Aug-2009 - Cancer remains a deadly threat despite the best efforts of science. New hopes were raised a few years ago with the discovery that the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells could be thwarted by blocking the action of proteasomes. Biochemists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have ...

Munich researchers discover new target for tailored antibiotics

A special pathway makes bacteria vulnerable

15-Jul-2009 - More and more strains of bacteria are developing resistance to previously life-saving antibiotics. Researchers at TUM, the Technische Universitaet Muenchen, have shed light on a metabolic step that appears in many aggressive microorganisms -- such as tuberculosis and malaria pathogens -- and that ...