Press archive

The "SpaceLife" programme of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is the winning entry in response to a call for proposals by the Helmholtz Association (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft) for research scholarship programmes for early-stage researchers, beating competing entries from other Helmholtz Centres. The programme proposed by the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine (DLR-Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin) will receive funding amounting to 1.8 million euro over a period of six years. Together with additional funds made available by the DLR executive for space research and development, this will allow a scholarship scheme to be set up as of April 2009 for 13 excellent graduates wishing to undertake doctoral research.

DLR scholarship for interdisciplinary research

Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the University of Jena have discovered that cancer-causing papillomaviruses accelerate cell growth by a previously unknown mechanism. Substances intervening at this point might check the process.

Discovery of New Target for Papillomavirus Oncogene

Today, on 12 December 2008, the research centre DESY commissioned two consortia of renowned building contractors to construct the underground buildings (tunnels, shafts, halls) for the 3.4-kilometre-long X-ray laser facility European XFEL. The two contracts for the sites Schenefeld in the Pinneberg district (Schleswig-Holstein) and Osdorfer Born in Hamburg, which add up to nearly 206 million Euro, were awarded to the consortium Hochtief/Bilfinger Berger. The commission for the civil engineering works at the Hamburg site DESY-Bahrenfeld amounts to 36 million Euro and goes to the consortium Züblin/ Aug.

Contracts awarded for European XFEL civil engineering works

Climate change will cause Europe to lose much of its biodiversity as projected by a comprehensive study on future butterfly distribution. The Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies predicts northward shifts in potential distribution area of many European butterfly species. As early warning indicators of environmental change, butterflies are a valuable tool to assess overall climate change impact and to provide some indication on the chances to come nearer to the target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 set by the EU Heads of State in 2001.

Butterflies across Europe face crisis as climate change looms

During his trip to Europe, Prof. Dr. LU Yongxiang, Deputy President of the National People’s Congress of China and President of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), visited the GKSS research centre in Geesthacht on 11th December with a delegation. The activities of the Geesthacht coastal researchers drew particular attention during his visit. In future there should be suitable scientific cooperation invested in this.

China and Germany – working together for the good of the coasts

Do people in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) experience their surroundings? Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have now been able to demonstrate that these patients do indeed react if addressed directly. In a recently published study, researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences and Biophysics showed that in future functional imaging could be able to give new insights into what is experienced by comatose patients.

"She can understand us" - New insights into what is experienced by comatose patients

Fluorescent molecules – i.e. substances which can be stimulated to emit light – are extremely valuable tools in biological research and medical diagnosis. Fluorescence can be used for instance to analyze the regulation and expression of genes, to locate proteins in cells and tissues, to follow metabolic pathways and to study the location and migration of cells. Of particular importance is the combination of fluorescence imaging with novel techniques that allow tomographic three-dimensional visualization of objects in living organisms.

Novel technique for fluorescence tomography of tumors in living animals

The Meyenburg Award 2008 is presented to the Dutch stem cell researcher Professor Dr. Hans Clevers. The biologist receives the price for the elucidation of a biological pathway that plays a central role in both stem cells and cancer cells. The price which is currently worth 50.000 Euros will be awarded on Thursday, December 11, 2008, during a symposium at the German Cancer Research Center.

Stem cells and Cancer speak the same language

Glioblastoma is one of the most common but also most aggressive brain tumors, almost invariably leading to death in a short time. It consists of different cell types and their precursors, complicating successful treatment. To fight the driving force of the tumor – the tumor stem cells – scientists have been trying to initiate apoptosis in these cells. However, Dr. Ana Martin-Villalba (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany) suspects that the activated apoptosis program accelerates the progress of the disease. “The tumor growth declines when apoptosis is blocked,” she reported at the conference “Brain Tumor 2008” at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany.

Supposed Help Against Tumors – How Tumor Cells Use the Body's Protection

A small group of stem cells in the bone marrow remains dormant almost throughout life. Only in case of injury or blood loss do they awaken and become active. Then they start dividing immediately to make up for the loss of blood cells. The possibility of specifically waking up these dormant stem cells opens up new prospects for cancer treatment. This is shown in recent publications by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum) in Heidelberg and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Lausanne in the latest issues of "CELL" and "CELL Stem Cells".

Dormant Stem Cells for Emergencies