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A flash of electricity in milliseconds, followed by a chemical wave and the tissue begins to grow. Researchers at TU Dresden and the Max Planck Institute have discovered how electrical signals control the healing of organs. A small fish provided the decisive insights.
Researchers in Leipzig have developed a new method to prevent dangerous rejection reactions after blood stem cell transplants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology treats donor cells with special antibodies prior to transplantation. Unlike previous approaches, this therapy does not weaken the entire immune system. Initial tests in the laboratory have been very promising.
Every human being begins as a single cell. Researchers at TU Dresden have now deciphered how this becomes a complete organism. Their discovery: the first cell divisions function through controlled chaos. Thread-like structures called microtubules divide the cell material - although they are actually unstable. The study published in Nature also shows why different animal species use different developmental strategies.
How do cells talk to each other? A team at TU Dresden has succeeded in making the most important sensors on the cell surface visible for the first time. The so-called proteoglycans receive signals and control how cells grow and react. The new method could help to better understand cancer and develop new therapies in the future.
How do cells divide when they are too big for the classic mechanism? Researchers at TU Dresden have discovered a surprising trick of nature in zebrafish embryos. A rhythmic alternation between solid and liquid states inside the cell enables division over several cycles. The discovery changes our understanding of one of the most fundamental processes of life.
Over two million people die of liver disease every year. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden have now developed a three-dimensional liver model from real patient cells. The mini-liver can mimic important functions and should help to better understand diseases, test new drugs and develop personalized therapies. The study was published in Nature.
Learning happens in milliseconds - far too fast to observe directly. Researchers at Leipzig University have now refined a method that makes exactly this possible. They freeze nerve cells at lightning speed and can thus see how they transmit signals. The technique works in both mice and humans and could help to better understand diseases and ageing processes in the brain in the future.
A research group at TU Dresden has decoded a central mechanism in cancer cells. This enables safer therapies.