Simplified screening of individual bacterial species in biosamples

Method saves time and costs when analysing complex microbiological samples

30-Mar-2023 - In medical research and diagnostics, the microbiome, i.e. the microbial colonisation of the intestine, is increasingly gaining attention. A stool sample can be used to precisely analyse the complex microbial ecosystem of the gut. There are basically two methods for this: traditional cultivation ...

Point-of-care diagnostics for multiple diseases, courtesy of photonics technology

New generation of diagnostic systems

21-Mar-2022 - COVID 19 has turned PCR and other antigen tests from tools known only to medical professionals into an everyday experience for all of us. To mark the successful completion of their research on the PoC-BoSens platform, the project consortium led by Fraunhofer IZM can announce the birth of a new ...

PCR: Activated by light

New approach could help to significantly improve diagnostic tests based on PCR

20-Dec-2021 - DNA polymerases and other enzymes that modify DNA are essential tools in biotechnology and diagnostics. They are the key component for COVID-19 diagnostics by PCR. As useful as they are, DNA processing enzymes often have important flaws. Some of them display significant activity during the ...

New corona mass test up to 100 times more sensitive than rapid antigen tests

The innovative corona test "LAMP-Seq"

02-Jul-2021 - A new corona test developed at the University Hospital Bonn can analyze a large number of swabs simultaneously using sequencing technology and has a similarly high sensitivity as the common qPCR test. The innovative method offers great potential, especially for systematic testing in daycare ...

Analysis system enables targeted investigation of antiviral surfaces for material developers

Use of real-time polymerase chain reaction to test antiviral effectiveness

28-Oct-2020 - The need for everyday objects with antiviral surfaces is high due to the COVID 19 pandemic. It is known that the material composition of an object has an influence on the viability of viruses on surfaces. This is where the work of the Fraunhofer IFAM comes in: In cross-disciplinary research ...

A Small Piece Of Jurassic Park

DNA extracted from insects embedded in resin

01-Oct-2020 - For the first time, Senckenberg scientist Mónica Solórzano-Kraemer, together with lead authors David Peris and Kathrin Janssen of the University of Bonn and additional colleagues from Spain and Norway, successfully extracted genetic material from insects that were embedded in six- and ...

Gene editing: Taming CRISPR’s collateral damage

Simple method to detect unintended alterations in the target gene itself – results indicate that such on-target events occur at high frequency

28-May-2020 - CRISPR-Cas9 can alter genes at pre-defined sites in specific ways, but it does not always act as planned. An LMU team has now developed a simple method to detect unintended ‘on-target’ events, and shown that they often occur in human stem cells. The gene-editing system CRISPR-Cas9 has ...

University of Innsbruck develops novel corona test method

02-Apr-2020 - Michael Traugott and the spin-off company Sinsoma GmbH, together with the Departments of Zoology and Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck, are developing a new PCR system for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new PCR method works with different analytical materials that are ...

Recognise and control new variants of the deadly Ebola virus more quickly

11-Feb-2020 - The situation is extraordinary: there have only ever been four declarations of public health emergencies of international concern in the past and now there are two at the same time. Whilst the risks associated with the novel coronavirus are still unclear, people in the Democratic Republic of the ...

Using quantum dots and a smartphone to find killer bacteria

Scientists develop cheap and rapid way to identify antibiotic-resistant golden staph (MRSA)

19-Aug-2019 - A combination of off-the-shelf quantum dot nanotechnology and a smartphone camera soon could allow doctors to identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in just 40 minutes, potentially saving patient lives. Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph), is a common form of bacterium that causes serious and ...