Current Covid-19 news

The pandemic has shown how central science is for many areas of society: researchers are creating new knowledge about the virus, they are developing vaccines and treatment options, and they are advising politicians and industry. Leading scientists from TUM and the Klinikum rechts der Isar are now providing insights into their current research on the pandemic in a public online lecture series - highlighting various disciplines.

A research group has built the world’s largest database on political decisions related to the coronavirus pandemic. With CoronaNet data on approximately 50,000 measures taken in 195 countries, some down to the municipal level, can be retrieved and filtered. As a result, the database offers a highly granular basis for governments, researchers and media to analyze the impact of pandemic policies. The project is being spearheaded by the Bavarian School for Public Policy at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Viruses are infectious organic structures that spread by transmission and can only multiply within a suitable host cell. To understand how new viruses are created, it is necessary to determine the position of the individual genes precisely and comprehensively and to clarify what these genes do. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has found a previously hidden gene that may have contributed to the unique biology of SARS-CoV-2 and thus to its rapid spread. 

Contain and treat the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as quickly as possible – the Bavarian research alliance "FOR-COVID" will contribute to this with scientific findings relating to the virus and the COVID-19 disease. The alliance will be receiving 800,000 euros in funding from the Bavarian Ministry of Science. The spokesperson is Virologist Ulrike Protzer from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The protein neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS CoV-2 cell entry. A research team including Prof. Mikael Simons of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) recently published these findings in the journal "Science". Because neuropilin-1 is expressed in the mucous membranes of the olfactory and respiratory tract, the findings may be important for understanding the spreading of SARS CoV-2.

How have the eating, drinking, and exercise habits of children changed since the beginning of the Corona pandemic? Experts from the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Center for Nutritional Medicine (EKFZ) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have devoted themselves to this topic. According to their research, approximately half of the children between 10 and 14 years old are less active than before the pandemic. Furthermore, especially among the older children, the eating of sweets and salty foods has escalated since the lockdown. The study marks the starting point for the new thematic focus “Nutrition in Childhood” at the EKFZ.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is starting five new research projects that focus on the coronavirus and the search for new active ingredients. For example, the use of algorithms could ensure a more precise classification of the illness in the future. New therapeutic methods and the targeted prevention of the long-term effects will also be researched in other projects. The Bavarian Research Foundation (BFS) is funding the projects with around € 1.5 million.

Kinexon, the start-up founded by graduates of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), develops hardware and software that traces the movements of athletes, but which can also be used to automate production processes in industry. A new contact tracing technology developed by the company is now playing a role in the restart of the major US sports leagues.

The digital transformation in companies is being accelerated by the corona crisis – current trends towards greater sustainability and a changed economic order are likely to be only temporary, however. This prognosis is the result of a survey of more than 200 experts on digitization, artificial intelligence and technology in Germany by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Münchner Kreis.

The historical challenges of the coronavirus pandemic also harbor opportunities for social progress. This insight inspired 90 authors to formulate stimulating ideas on how to shape a sustainable future. Their texts have now been released in an essay collection published by the Emeriti of Excellence of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).