News

In addition to essential metabolic functions, the level of zinc in the body also affects the heart muscle. When oxidative stress occurs, it may be due to a shortage of zinc, which can be determined by examining the heart muscle. A study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shows the relationship between the total amount of zinc in the body and cardiac function.

The molecule microRNA-210 stabilises deposits in the carotid artery and can prevent them from tearing. Thus, it may prevent dangerous blood clots from forming. This is what scientists headed by Prof. Lars Mägdefessel, Professor of Vascular Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and head of a junior scientist group in the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) have discovered. Their results open up new treatment approaches to reduce stroke risk in patients with carotid arteries at risk of rupturing.

As many as six spin-offs from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) appear on this year's "Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe" list. The US magazine ranks 300 particularly innovative personalities under 30 years of age. Among the ideas developed by the entrepreneurs are a wheelchair control unit operated by head movements and a lightweight vertical take-off aircraft. At the same time the German commercial daily "Handelsblatt" has included five TUM spin-offs in its selection of "100 German Innovators". All the start-ups were supported by the TUM.

Plant pollen and fungal spores can be found at variable heights in the air, even at elevations up to 2000 meters. This is the conclusion of a report by researchers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München  together with Greek colleagues, which was published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’. Hitherto it was assumed that such allergens are mainly present close to where they are released, namely near ground level.

A team of German plant researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and from the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben (IPK) reports on a whole-genome draft sequence of rye. This rye whole-genome sequence closes a gap in Triticeae genome research and represents a genome resource of high value for comparative genomics, functional studies and genome-based breeding for sustainable crop production.

A newly developed small molecule selectively kills the pathogen causing sleeping sickness and Chagas disease. Scientists from the Technical University of Munich, the Helmholtz Zentrum München and from the Ruhr University Bochum first determined the parasite's Achilles heel by using modern structural biology techniques and then developed an inhibitor with a perfect fit.

Two years after its founding at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Munich School of BioEngineering (MSB) is expanding its scope of action: The upcoming opening of the MSB-associated Central Institute for Translational Cancer Research  (TranslaTUM) will give physicists, engineers and physicians a shared new laboratory building for transdisciplinary research in the midst of the TUM’s  Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich. In addition, a new structure for the Bavarian NMR Center (BNMRZ) will soon open on the Garching campus. The new building for protein research, expected to be finished in two years and also located in Garching, completes the most topically diverse bio-engineering structure in all of Europe. The new construction represents an investment of more than 135 million Euros, half of which is being financed by the German Federal Government. Leibniz Prize winner Prof. Franz Pfeiffer (44) will succeed the founding director Prof. Axel Haase as of April 1, 2017.

One in five persons in Germany suffers from a pollen allergy. During pollen season, the question of how to air rooms without triggering allergies constantly arises. A team at the Professorship of Ecoclimatology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) systematically investigated pollen concentrations in office spaces and derived practical tips for airing rooms from the data.

How does type 2 diabetes develop? A team of researchers headed by the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich has come closer to finding an answer to this problem. The team examined the functional effects of exemplary genetic variations relevant for type 2 diabetes. Their approach can be applied to many clinical pictures.

Florian Praetorius and Prof. Hendrik Dietz of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new method that can be used to construct custom hybrid structures using DNA and proteins. The method opens new opportunities for fundamental research in cell biology and for applications in biotechnology and medicine.