Flows Govern how Veins Adapt

9/11/2023

Veins adapt to the flow to which they are exposed - this could be the key to new therapies against pathological changes in blood vessels. Also in this issue: Five research projects in the Global South examine current topics in medicine, economics, and AI ethics, and propose a new, circular view of water, energy, and food resources. Plus, what if? Urban simulations provide answers to key questions for the future.

Biophysics professor Karen Alim holds a petri dish with fungal colonies up to the light. — “The entire network architecture has an impact on each individual vein,” says Professor Karen Alim. The biophysics professor studies biological circuits, from fungal networks to the human circulatory system.

Content

Flows Govern how Veins Adapt

The physics of flows plays a fundamental role in the organization of networks, including the complex circulatory system. Karen Alim and her team are investigating how flows lead to blood vessels forming and vanishing.

Defeating Diseases with Artificial Intelligence

Fabian Theis harnesses artificial intelligence and machine learning to make large volumes of data available to users. Above all, he strives to understand the behavior of cells.

Cancer Treatment without Collateral Damage

The startup Plectonic has developed a nanoswitch made from DNA that enables targeted antibody immunotherapies.

What if…?

Saving energy, promoting autonomous driving and improving safety are goals that many cities share. But how can we achieve them? Urban simulations developed by Thomas H. Kolbe provide answers to such questions.

The World’s Largest Quantum Objects

Eva Weig develops sensors which are at the same time macroscopic mechanical objects and quantum objects. The extremely small strings made of semiconductor material could one day detect tiny magnetic fields and forces.

Global South

Vice President Juliane Winkelmann on why and how TUM is engaged in various partnerships in the Global South.

A Parasite with Side Effects

Pork tapeworm infection is one of the major causes of epilepsy in the Global South. Andrea Winkler investigates this connection, focusing not only on treatment and diagnosis, but also on improved prevention.

Affordable Electricity for Remote Rural Communities

Frank-Martin Belz works in rural regions of developing countries to examine which entrepreneurial activities unfold with the benefit of electricity. Esther Salvi investigates informal economies in such regions.

Resolving Conflicts between Artificial Intelligence and Ethics

A team around Christoph Lütge and Caitlin Corrigan has co-founded a platform that brings African AI experts together – and promotes ethical, sustainable AI development.

A Long-Term Menage à Trois

We need a circular perspective on water, energy and food rather than in a linear one, says Jörg Drewes. He and Daphne Keilmann-Gondhalekar are working on alternative solutions to reduce consumption of these resources.

How much CO₂ can Forests Absorb in the future?

The Amazon absorbs a significant part our CO₂ emissions and thus slows down global warming. But how well will it be able to do this in the future? An ecosystem-scale experiment aims to clarify this question.