Scientists develop novel nanoparticles that could serve as contrast agents

Special feature: The properties of these unique nanoparticles change in reaction to heat

20-Oct-2023 - Special nanoparticles could one day improve modern imaging techniques. Developed by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the properties of these unique nanoparticles change in reaction to heat. When combined with an integrated dye, the particles may be used in ...

Coronavirus: Researchers develop new rapid and reliable detection method

22-Aug-2023 - Commercially available mass spectrometers can reliably detect the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In the journal "Clinical proteomics" researchers from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) present a new method which employs equipment that is already being used in hospitals and laboratories ...

Researchers produce special nanoparticles and reveal their inner structure for the first time

New single-chain nanoparticles could be used in medicine or as nanoreactors in which chemical reactions take place

12-Feb-2021 - Tiny nanoparticles can be furnished with dyes and could be used for new imaging techniques, as chemists and physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) show in a recent study. The researchers have also been the first to fully determine the particles' internal structure. Their ...

Metabolism: Researchers first to shed light on structure of huge enzyme complex

A new method has enabled the natural structure of particularly large and complex enzymes to be revealed

11-Feb-2021 - Scientists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and TU Berlin have published their findings in the journal "Cell Reports". They investigated a multi-enzyme complex that plays an essential role in metabolism and have discovered that it functions differently than previously thought. ...

More precise Cas9 variant

More specific CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors makes genome editing even more precise

04-Mar-2020 - CRISPR-Cas9 has revolutionized the field of genetics by its ability to cut DNA at defined target sites. Researchers are using the Cas9 enzyme to specifically switch off genes, or insert new DNA fragments into the genome. But no matter how specific the Cas9 enzyme is – sometimes it cuts where it ...

Immune system of plants: It works differently than expected

18-Jul-2019 - What happens at the molecular level when plants defend against invading pathogens? Previously it was assumed that the processes were roughly the same in all plants. However, this is not true, as a team of biologists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) has demonstrated in a new ...

New study shows people used natural dyes to colour their clothing thousands of years ago

23-Apr-2019 - Even thousands of years ago people wore clothing with colourful patterns made from plant and animal-based dyes. Chemists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have created new analytical methods to examine textiles from China and Peru that are several thousand years old. In the ...