GMP-compatible Methods for producing tissue-engineered human heart muscle from stem cells
Heart tissue engineering using stem cells is a recently developed technique to construct a three dimensional cell structure from cardiomyocytes or directly from progenitor cells. Scientists at the University of Göttingen developed two new and fully defined methods for serum-free production of engineered human heart muscles.
Improved PCR Diagnostic for detection of Paratuberculosis (or Johne’s disease)
Paratuberculosis or Johne's disease is a contagious, chronic and also fatal bacterial infection, which generally occurs early in life. The disease can exist undetected in a herd for many years. Scientists at the University of Göttingen developed an improved PCR diagnostic test for fast and early detection of Paratuberculosis.
EYA1 — Biomarker and therapeutic target for kidney fibrosis
The EYA1 splicing was found to be linked with the progression of fibrosis. Patients expressing predominantly EYA1-A ("bad" variant) end up in the end stage renal disease earlier and suffer from a higher mortality. A shift of splicing towards EYA1-C ("good" variant) effectively attenuates fibrosis in vivo (mouse model).
Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Germany developed a new test for a genetic defect causing bleeding disorders in dogs. It allows breeders to improve targeted mating by omitting genetic carriers to avoid genetic diseases in offsprings. This is especially important for autosomal recessive mutations.
New Genetic Test for Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID)
Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID) is a complex inflammatory disease. Typical signs are recurrent bouts of fever, inflammations of the ear, arthritis and a reddened skin. The dogs can also develop amyloidosis. Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover developed a genetic test for SPAID predisposition.
