Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Researchers find controlling element of Huntington's disease

A three molecule complex may be a target for treating Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder affecting the brain. This finding by an international research team including scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 26, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

GI tract bacteria may protect against autoimmune disease

Early life exposure to normal bacteria of the GI tract (gut microbes) protects against autoimmune disease in mice, according to research published on-line in the January 17 edition of Science. The study ...

Immunology created Jan 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

How individuality develops? Experience leads to the growth of new brain cells

How do organisms evolve into individuals that are distinguished from others by their own personal brain structure and behavior? Scientists in Dresden, Berlin, Münster, and Saarbrücken have now taken a decisive step towards ...

Neuroscience created May 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Metastasis stem cells in the blood of breast cancer patients discovered

Individual cancer cells that break away from the original tumor and circulate through the blood stream are considered responsible for the development of metastases. These dreaded secondary tumors are the ...

Cancer created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Transmission routes of spreading protein particles

In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's endogenous proteins accumulate in the brain, eventually leading to the death of nerve cells. These deposits, which consist of abnormally formed proteins, are supposed to migrate ...

Neuroscience created Mar 27, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New insights into the development of the heart

Viewed from the outside, our body looks completely symmetrical. However, most internal organs – including the heart – are formed asymmetrically. The right side of the heart is responsible for pulmonary circulation; the ...

Medical research created Mar 26, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Evolution in the antibody factory: How immune cells are able to advance their own evolution

Immune system B cells play a crucial role in the defence of pathogens; when they detect such an intruder, they produce antibodies that help to combat the enemy. They concurrently and continuously improve ...

Immunology created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'Healthier hormones' through diet and exercise

Weight loss—by dietary changes alone or combined with physical exercise—has a positive impact on the production of adipose tissue hormones: Adipose tissue produces less leptin but, instead, more adiponectin, which counteracts ...

Health created Mar 07, 2013 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Misplaced molecules: New insights into the causes of dementia

A team of German and Belgian researchers has succeeded in gaining new insights into the causes of certain movement disorders and forms of dementia. Scientists including Bettina Schmid and Christian Haass from the German Center ...

Neuroscience created Mar 01, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Translation error tracked in the brain of dementia patients

In certain dementias silent areas of the genetic code are translated into highly unusual proteins by mistake. An international team of scientists including researchers from the German Center for Neurodegenerative ...

Neuroscience created Feb 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Pair of proteins gets brain cells into shape

Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn have gained new insights into the early phase of the brain's development. In cooperation with researchers of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, ...

Neuroscience created Dec 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cocktail boosts immune cells in fighting cancer

Natural killer cells, as part of the body´s immune system, can effectively fight cancer. Unfortunately, they quickly lose their aggressiveness and hence are unable to reject solid tumors. Scientists from the German Cancer ...

Cancer created Dec 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Molecular knock-out alleviates Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have identified an enzyme as a possible target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The protein ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Nov 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Feel-good hormone helps to jog the memory

The feel-good hormone dopamine improves long-term memory. This is the finding of a team lead by Emrah Düzel, neuroscientist at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the University of Magdeburg. The researchers ...

Neuroscience created Nov 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists find Achilles' heel of cancer cells

Several substances inhibiting so-called HDAC enzymes have been studied in trials searching for new anti-cancer drugs in recent years. "Trials have shown that HDAC inhibitors are very effective in arresting growth of cultured ...

Cancer created Nov 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast