Research in Germany

Deep learning approaches have transformed how scientists predict activity and function of DNA sequences in the genome. An new AI tool called Corgi (Context-aware Regulatory Genomics Inference), developed by Martin Vingron's bioinformatics groupat the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Berlin, Germany) allows researchers to predict how the genome behaves across different cell types. The findings could help improve efforts to mimic the activity of cells virtually, with potential applications in basic research and medicine. The study was published in Nature Communications.

Researchers have developed a new type of optical fiber by freezing a glass capillary filled with liquid. It guides light and sound waves simultaneously and enables highly efficient coupling between them. The high coupling strength lowers the energy consumption of photonic neuromorphic computing schemes and quantum signal processing applications by several orders of magnitude.

A team from the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has described a new bacterial genus and named it after Prof. Axel Brakhage, the scientific director of the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI). The four newly classified species of the genus Brakhagea originate from aquatic habitats in northern Germany. Modern genomic analyses point to their genetic potential for producing bioactive natural products. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

People with type 2 diabetes were hospitalized less frequently for alcohol or substance use disorders while undergoing treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists. This is shown by a large Swedish registry study involving the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH). For the first time, the researchers examined how the observed associations evolved after discontinuation of the medication. They found that the reduction in alcohol-related hospitalizations was still detectable for up to six months after the end of treatment, but was no longer evident after twelve months. The results were published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.

Player protection measures in online gambling are still insufficient. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the University of Bremen and the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD). The authors provide recommendations for policymakers.

A team from the University of Bonn and the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) has discovered a previously unknown mechanism of action for a synthetic peptide that mitigates excessive inflammatory responses in allergic asthma. This mechanism specifically inhibits a key inflammatory switch in the immune system and opens up new avenues for treating chronic inflammatory diseases. The findings have now been published in the journal Advanced Science.