Synthetic mini-motor with enormous power developed: Hope for use in the organism

Bacteria as a role model: Conversion of chemical energy into rotational energy at the supramolecular level for the first time

19-Sep-2024 - Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an artificial motor at the supramolecular level that can develop impressive power. This wind-up motor is a tiny ribbon made of special molecules. When energy is applied, this ribbon aligns itself, moves like a small fin and ...

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 ...

Advances in micro-computed tomography

Improved imaging for medicine and material sciences

10-Mar-2022 - Researchers in biomedical physics and biology have significantly improved micro-computed tomography, more specifically imaging with phase contrast and high brilliance x-ray radiation. They have developed a new microstructured optical grating and combined it with new analytical algorithms. The new ...

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 ...

More than just a good flavor

Flavoring substances stimulate immune defenses

19-Jun-2018 - Not only do citric acid and spicy 6-gingerol from ginger add special flavors to food and beverages; both substances also stimulate the molecular defenses in human saliva. That is the result of a human clinical trial by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Leibniz-Institute ...

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 ...

Targeted synthesis of natural products with light

Potential pathway for drug development using photoreactions

19-Dec-2013 - Photoreactions are driven by light energy and are vital to the synthesis of many natural substances. Since many of these substances are also useful as active medical agents, chemists try to produce them synthetically. But in most cases only one of the possible products has the right spatial ...

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 ...

Improved security for dairy products: Minilab identifies antibiotic residues in milk

12-May-2010 - No one wants antibiotic residues in their milk. But antibiotics are sometimes used even in the dairy barn. The routine tests conducted nowadays take hours to produce a result and do not test for all of the typical antibiotics. This gap can now be closed, thanks to a fully automated minilab ...

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 ...