Research in Germany

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine and CNIC Madrid have discovered how blood vessels can grow even when the key VEGF-VEGFR2 pathway is blocked. Using a novel genetic mosaic technology, they found that endothelial cells reprogram into venous-like cells – a process called “venous reprogramming.” This adaptation and resistance mechanisms may explain why anti-cancer drugs inhibiting vascular growth often fail long-term. The findings open new avenues for combination therapies that block multiple pathways simultaneously. The study is published in Nature.

The p97 protein plays a central role in cellular quality control by preparing defective or no-longer-needed proteins for degradation and recycling. Researchers at the University of Münster, in collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen, have investigated how p97 and its auxiliary proteins interact in this process. The study has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

The results of the latest Political Panel Germany (Politikpanel Deutschland) survey show that whilst most citizens reject a coalition between the CDU/CSU and the AfD at the federal level, there is significantly greater acceptance of cooperation between the parties at the local level. The online survey also provides insights into attitudes towards compulsory military service, artificial intelligence, organised crime, and other social issues.

How do human cells defend themselves against the Ebola virus – and how does the virus manage to evade these defenses? A research team at Tübingen University Hospital, working with scientists in Hamburg and Greifswald, has identified a previously unknown defense mechanism: The cellular protein CD81 can inhibit certain stages of Ebola virus infection. At the same time, the virus uses two of its own proteins to counteract CD81. The findings, published in The EMBO Journal, could open up new avenues for combating Ebola virus infections in the long term.

A new research data infrastructure, the “Geolinking Service SoRa,” is now available. The service makes it possible to link survey data from the social sciences with spatial data, thereby opening up new opportunities for interdisciplinary research. The service was developed by the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Mannheim, and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).

A study funded by the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence has identified a leprosy pathogen – previously undetected in Europe – in a 5th-century burial ground on the North Sea coast.