Science

Scientists from ECRC and Technion in Israel have developed a novel method for rapid and accurate sensing of coronavirus without the need to rely on PCR amplification. The test now published in ACS Nano, also helps in the early diagnosis of cancer.

To advance molecular evolutionary analyses and genomics in clinical settings a team of scientists from the Leibniz IZW, the Australian Museum and MDC have developed a method for identifying any genome sequence located next to a known sequence. The results are reported in “Methods in Ecology and Evolution”.

A large grant under the NIH’s 4D Nucleome Program supports MDC scientist Ana Pombo’s work as a member of a multi-team consortium led by UC San Diego in the U.S. The team will investigate how DNA organizes inside cell nuclei and functions in space and time.

Kyle Harrington will lead a new MDC technology platform developing new tools to process any type of imaging data. The new unit will support the Helmholtz Imaging Platform (HIP), a joint effort by the MDC and two other centers to advance image data acquisition, preparation and analysis.

A simple sugar found in human breast milk and sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, promotes myelin repair in mouse models. It correlates with myelination levels in multiple sclerosis patients according to a new study published in JBC by scientists from University of California, Irvine and ECRC .

Female moles not only have ovarian, but also testicular tissue that produces male sex hormones – which lets them diverge from the categorization into two sexes. A team led by Berlin researchers Stefan Mundlos and Darío Lupiáñez describes in Science which genetic modifications contribute to this singular development.

Certain immune system cells are able to make tumors especially visible to the body’s own defenses – if only cancer cells didn’t prevent them from doing so. Researchers, including those from the MDC and ECRC , have now published a joint article in PNAS explaining how tumors block the immune cells in their immediate environment.

If mice live in pathogen-free housing conditions, they are not further burdened by immunodeficiency. This has been reported by researchers at the MDC, Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in PLOS ONE. For the first time, the researchers comprehensively investigated the well-being of these animals.

The NeuroNet1.0 interactome network reveals a wealth of novel proteins that could be involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Professor Erich Wanker’s MDC research group recently published a paper on this topic in the journal Cell Reports.

Berlin has a long tradition as a medical metropolis and also the potential to become an international hub for the life sciences, comparable to Boston. On September 28, researchers from both cities will discuss this issue with the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.