Nucleic Acid-, Protein and Cell-related Technologies

Cancer remains a major health burden and is the second leading cause of death globally (WHO). The microenvironment of cancer cells plays an important role in disease progression. In particular, the composition of the extracellular matrix regulates angiogenesis, cell proliferation, differentiation, cell survival and apoptosis. Dysregulation and accumulation of the extracellular matrix promotes cellular transformation and metastasis leading to cancer progression. A better understanding of the role ...

Our scientists developed a vector-based high tolerable and efficient antiviral (plasmid-derived defective interfering particles) to support IAV pandemic preparedness. The DIP also shows a broad-spectrum antiviral activity against other respiratory viruses, e.g. RSV and SARS-CoV-2 and is Intended for intranasal administration (droplet spray) for human use. A state-of-the-art, high-yield production process in a GMP-ready controlled and sterile environment in animal cell culture.

A double KO, a conditional KO as well as single KO mouse models for FFA2 and FFA3 (free fatty acid receptors 2 and 3), novel targets for diabetes therapies.

The RNA-programmable DNA-endonuclease Cas9 is widely used for genome engineering, where a high degree of specificity is required. Though this is a mechanism well controlled by canonical base-pairing, there is evidence that Cas9 does accept mismatches under certain circumstances.
This might be seen as a threat to precision needed in genome engineering at least in environments where such high precision is ultimately needed and acceptance of mismatches needs to be avoided, e.g.: cellular gene ...

Connectase is an enzyme that fuses target proteins or synthetic compounds via a small recognition tag, using a different reaction mechanism compared to known protein ligases. It prevents side reactions entirely and has absolute specificity, even in highly in complex solutions with minimum concentrations of target molecules.

An innovative high throughput screening method for measurement of RNA- and DNA-polymerase activity at room temperature, based on time-resolved FRET.

The LITESEC-T3SS (Light-induced translocation of effectors through sequestration of endogenous components of the T3SS) system represents a novel, fast, specific, and reversible method to control protein secretion into eukaryotic cells, enabling various medicinal and biotechnological applications, such as targeted drug delivery for tumor therapy.

A synthetic virus-like particle, comprising a lipid bilayer, that can be adjusted precisely to mimic biophysical features of various natural pathogens. The lipid bilayer can also be equipped with relevant molecules such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein ectodomain.

The technology, called CRISPRpad, was recently developed in  the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens under the direction of Emmanuelle Charpentier and has now been filed for a patent. CRISPRpad enables the simultaneous insertion of DNA into various organisms—from microbes to yeast and human cells—without modifying the DNA itself. This eliminates the need for time-consuming cloning processes across different species.

Crystallization is the limiting step in X-ray structure determination of biological macro-molecules. As crystallization experiments can be largely automatized, the diversity of precipitant solutions is often the determinant factor to obtain crystals of high quality.

To realize a circular, carbon-neutral economy, it will become important to utilize the greenhouse gas CO2 as a sustainable carbon source. One-carbon (C1) substrates, such as methanol or formate, are attractive feedstocks for bioeconomy due to their low cost and easy availability. These substrates are typically converted into formaldehyde, serving as the entry point into metabolism. Biocatalytic carbon-carbon bond formation is one of the most important reactions for green and sustainable C1 assimilation ...

Besides its four canonical nucleotides, RNA molecules can be capped with diverse canonical (N7-methylguanosine (m7G)) and non-canonical chemical modifications (including NAD, FAD, Coenzyme A and Ap(n)A). In ligation-based methods such as 5′ RACE and RNA-seq, decapping of RNAs is useful for detection and identification of RNA containing non-canonical initiating nucleotides. Nudix hydrolases, such as Dcp2 or NudC, are key decapping enzymes that hydrolyze phosphodiester bonds within these caps. ...

RNA plays a vital role in gene expression regulation, and its dysregulation is linked to diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and viral infections. Targeting RNA-binding proteins or RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs, represents an emerging area in drug discovery. However, traditional RNA-binding small molecules often rely on linear hydrophobic aromatic scaffolds, which limit chemical diversity and therapeutic potential. This invention introduces azetidine-based small molecules, ...

SUMOvera enables versatile purification strategies for broad applications in eukaryotic hosts.

Unique multifunctional oligonucleotide for the ultrafast transcriptome-wide identification of RNA-binding protein (RBP) targets.