Research

Researchers release a comprehensive viral genome database covering diverse ecosystems to advance understanding of viral evolution and ecosystem functions Summary Researchers have developed VIRE, a database that integrates approximately 1.7 million viral genomes derived from more than 100,000 metagenomes worldwide. Metagenomic data is obtained by comprehensively sequencing all DNA present in an environment. This approach enables […]

Health communication content created using artificial intelligence (AI) can reach people on social media more effectively and encourage more interaction than conventional posts. This opens up new opportunities for effective and cost-efficient information campaigns—especially in the field of cancer prevention and early detection. The prerequisite is that AI-generated content must be used transparently, validated by […]

New research suggests that inflammatory support cells play a key role in damaging bone marrow early in cancer development – potentially offering a new target for treatments that stop blood disorders before becoming cancerous. Summary The following news article is an amended version of a news release from UMC Mainz Office of Communications, published with […]

Motion patterns help the transition between tissue compartments – explanation for asymmetry in the body plan of the pathogen With victims numbering in the millions, malaria is an infectious disease caused by the bite of a mosquito carrying the malaria parasite. After penetrating the skin, the pathogen moves with helical trajectories. It almost always turns […]

It has only recently become known that two parallel systems of blood formation exist in the body, originating from different precursor cells. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a method to examine both systems separately in mice for the first time. Their surprising finding: the majority of immune cells do not […]

Researchers have visualized, in unprecedented detail, how a large RNA molecule assembles itself into a functional machine RNA is a central biological molecule, now widely harnessed in medicine and nanotechnology. Like proteins, RNA often gets its function from its three-dimensional structure. A recent study in Nature Communications has captured, for the first time, a ribozyme in motion […]

New online portal connects bacterial genomes with experimental resistance data to support antimicrobial resistance research Summary Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing health challenge, reducing the effectiveness of life-saving treatments and increasing the risk of complications from routine medical procedures.  To support global AMR research, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) has launched the AMR portal, a central […]

Abstract Objectives:  To investigate the proteomic profile of different molecular subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and understand their impact on patient outcomes, particularly focusing on pathways involved in xenobiotic metabolism and drug resistance. Methods:  The study utilized the serum-free PACO cell culture model and a quantitative prefractionation-based MALDI/MS approach to establish the proteomic profiles […]

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Freiburg show how certain painkillers influence the iron metabolism of liver cancer cells and can thus contribute to iron deficiency and anemia in cancer patients. Painkillers such as diclofenac and paracetamol are among the most commonly used drugs worldwide. They relieve pain and inflammation […]