News by Subject Biology

When cells become stressed, they activate specific response patterns. Würzburg researchers have identified new details of these responses, which can help to get a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

p38 blockage has been shown to increase the death of tumor cells, thus causing tumors to shrink. The combination of p38 inhibitors with chemotherapeutic drugs (taxanes) strengthens, accelerates or prolongs the antitumor effect in patient-derived tumors grown in mice.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major medical problem worldwide, impacting both human health and economic well-being. A new strategy for fighting bacteria has now been reported in the latest online issue of Nature by a research group headed by Professor Ivan Dikic at the Goethe University Frankfurt. The scientists revealed the molecular action mechanism of a Legionella toxin and developed a first inhibitor.

We know that hundreds of genes contribute to a wave of activity linked to cell division, but to generate that wave new research shows that cells must first grow large enough to produce four key proteins in adequate amounts, according to research published in Cell Systems.

For the first time, scientists have shown that a small cluster of cells in the human embryo dictates the fate of other embryonic cells. The discovery of this developmental 'organizer' could advance research into 'any human diseases, and it suggests we have more in common with birds than meets the eye.

This study provides a blueprint of how fruit flies can be used as a rapid screening tool to identify potentially pathogenic human genes.