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 ...

Synthetic biology for cell therapy against cancer

Munich students win Gold Medal in iGEM competition

09-Dec-2022 - A Munich student team won a Gold Medal in the world's largest academic competition for the field of Synthetic Biology with their project aimed at improving cell therapies against cancer. The group from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) was ...

Molecular monitoring of RNA regulation

New biological tool for tracking cellular processes

17-Nov-2022 - The better we understand cellular processes such as RNA regulation, the better molecular therapies can be developed. Until now, it has been especially difficult to track the regulation of non-coding RNA, which is RNA that is not further converted into proteins. A research team from the Technical ...

Shining some light on the obscure proteome

Chemoproteomics draw the target landscape of HDAC drugs

01-Jul-2022 - Mass-spectrometry based proteomics is the big-data science of proteins that allows the monitoring of the abundance of thousands of proteins in a sample at once. Therefore, it is a particularly well-suited readout for discovering which proteins are targeted by any small molecule. An international ...

Unmuting the genome

Epigenetic mechanisms for parent-specific genetic activation decoded

13-Jan-2022 - Hereditary diseases as well as cancers and cardiovascular diseases may be associated with a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting, in which only the maternally or paternally inherited gene is active. An international research team involving scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), ...

“Genetic variants associated with educational attainment” can also have positive implications for lifestyle

Major population study investigates the interplay between genetics, educational attainment and cardiovascular disease

20-Sep-2019 - A German and British research team lead by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has examined the interplay between genetics, cardiovascular disease and educational attainment in a major population study. Genetic variants which had been linked to educational attainment in other studies were ...

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 ...

Antibodies as ‘messengers’ in the nervous system

30-Jan-2017 - Antibodies are able to activate human nerve cells within milliseconds and hence modify their function — that is the surprising conclusion of a study carried out at Human Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). This knowledge improves our understanding of illnesses that accompany ...

New key players found in fighting fungi

Important element of immune defense against fungal infections discovered

20-Dec-2016 - Fungal infections are a serious health risk. They can be harmful especially to patients whose immune system is compromised through illness or chemotherapy. A team working at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered an important mechanism in the body's defenses against fungi. The ...