Tag: Medicine

Projects

Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing

Cochlear implants enable people with hearing impairments to communicate with others using spoken language. Noisy environments and diverse sources of interference are still making conversation difficult, however. The Innsbruck biologist Anneliese Schrott-Fischer and her interdisciplinary team have now succeeded in laying the foundations for individually perfecting the implants. Continue reading “Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing”

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Here’s a tobacco plant that saves lives

By Margit Schwarz-Stiglbauer

Molecular biologist Herta Steinkellner and her team have succeeded in producing highly effective antibodies against Covid-19. What is amazing about her method is that these medical wonder weapons are produced by – humanised – plants. This feat could be performed because at the genetic level the boundaries between living beings are blurred. Continue reading “Here’s a tobacco plant that saves lives”

Projects

The impact of epilepsy on emotions and social skills

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases. It often occurs in childhood and adolescence and has psychosocial consequences. A research team in Salzburg led by neurologist Eugen Trinka was the first to prove a connection between deficits in emotion recognition and social cognition. The results will lead to new therapeutic approaches. Continue reading “The impact of epilepsy on emotions and social skills”

Projects

Can cell ageing be stopped?

What changes does our organism undergo as we age? The biotechnologists Johannes Grillari and Markus Schosserer study healthy ageing at the cellular level. They have now succeeded in prolonging the lifespan of flies, worms and yeast cells, while increasing their fitness at the same time. The researchers achieved this by making changes to the ribosomes. Continue reading “Can cell ageing be stopped?”

Projects

Why corona will not disappear and new vaccines will be needed

In a new research project, virologist Andreas Bergthaler is investigating how coronavirus mutations emerge in human hosts. He is seeking an explanation, among other things, for the sudden appearance of greatly mutated variants such as the ones dubbed British and South African. While the expert does not consider it certain that the virus could become […] Continue reading “Why corona will not disappear and new vaccines will be needed”

Projects

Important jigsaw piece for the therapy of rare genetic diseases discovered

Many human cell types have a precise calcium uptake mechanism. One gene in which part of the blueprint for these so-called calcium channels is encoded is also partly to blame for a rare human developmental disorder that triggers epilepsy and autism. A research group from Innsbruck is exploring these links and working on a potential […] Continue reading “Important jigsaw piece for the therapy of rare genetic diseases discovered”