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The human body operates by a precisely regulated interplay of different cell types such as blood, nerve and muscle cells. Together with colleagues from the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria, scientists of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now succeeded in identifying all genes of the fruit fly Drosophila that play a role in the development and function of muscles.
In order to defend ourselves from viruses, germs and parasites, the immune cells of our body are equipped with different defense systems. For the first time, scientists of the MPI of Biochemistry and the biotech company Bavarian Nordic GmbH in Martinsried have now investigated the proteins of a highly specialized family of immune cells.
Professor Axel Ullrich is the winner of the Wolf Prize in Medicine 2010, which is endowed with 100 000 dollar. Ullrich, director of the Department Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, receives the prize for his ground-breaking work in cancer research. He laid the scientific basis for the development of several innovative cancer drugs. Herceptin is highly efficacious against metastatic breast cancer that is associated with a specific genetic abnormality in 25% of all the tumors. Another innovative cancer drug, developed on the basis of his research results, is Sunitinib which effectively fights kidney cancer and a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer (GIST). “Prof Ullrich belongs to a small number of basic scientists, whose work has impacted not only basic research, but also aided millions of patients suffering from diverse chronic diseases,” states the International Jury of the Wolf Foundation.
The Wolf Prize was established in 1978 to honor scientists in six different disciplines. After the Nobel Prize, the Wolf Prize belongs to the most prestigious awards in natural sciences worldwide. On Mai 13, Prof. Ullrich will receive the award from President Shimon Peres in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
The human brain consists of more than 100 billion nerve cells, and each of them is able to communicate with thousands of its neighbors. Nerve signals let us move, act and think. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich have now succeeded in obtaining detailed 3D images of synapses, the connections where communication between nerve cells takes place.
The World Climate Conference recently took place. Reports about carbon dioxide levels, rising temperatures and melting glaciers appeared daily. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry and the Gene Center of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich have now succeeded in rebuilding the enzyme Rubisco, the key protein in carbon dioxide fixation.
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Research Group Chaperon-assisted Protein Folding (Manajit Hayer-Hartl) Research Department Cellular Biochemistry (F.-Ulrich Hartl)
In order to effectively fight pathogens, even at remote areas of the human body, immune cells have to move quickly and in a flexible manner. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. “Similar to a car, these cells have an engine, a clutch and wheels which provide the necessary friction,” explains Michael Sixt.
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