Monthly Archives: October 2015

Fighting Neglected Diseases: Killing the worm’s best friend

Around three billion people – almost 40% of the world’s population – suffer from so-called “neglected diseases” such as tuberculosis and Dengue fever. Too little is being done in the fight against neglected diseases, which primarily occur in poor countries. Diagnostics, medication and vaccines either do not exist or are outdated and unsuitable for use in areas with poor infrastructure. Research funding for improving treatment … Continue reading Fighting Neglected Diseases: Killing the worm’s best friend »

Finding your way in Tokyo – Eva’s internship at Waseda University

Eva Beins recently completed a two-week internship at the Takeoka Lab in Tokyo, Japan to learn about “Nanosheet technology” and how to apply it to her PhD project. Eva is pursuing her PhD at the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry , where she studies the role of the endocannabinoid system in neuroinflammation and psychiatric disorders. Eva already specialized in her Masters on Neuroscience and is also … Continue reading Finding your way in Tokyo – Eva’s internship at Waseda University »

Unveiling the identity of a “super-immune stimulatory” DNA

It has long been known that recognition of microbial DNA in the cytosol induces an antiviral type I interferon immune response. However, until recently, only long double-stranded DNA had been considered as immune stimulatory. Thus, it has remained unclear whether other structural features than base paired DNA stretches are crucial for activation of cytosolic DNA sensors, and if for example single-stranded reverse transcripts of lentiviruses … Continue reading Unveiling the identity of a “super-immune stimulatory” DNA »