During a heart attack, heart muscle cells die and are replaced by scar tissue. This delays the electrical conduction in the heart and favours the onset of cardiac arrhythmia. To reduce this potentially life-threatening complication, researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn intended to partially restore electrical conduction in the scar tissue. To this end, they developed a gene therapy in mice to enrich the gap junction protein connexin 43 in the scar area in order to improve electrical conduction. By this approach, the research team could significantly reduce the frequency of arrhythmia in lesioned hearts. The results are recently published in the Journal of Physiology.

A wearable technology developed by Technion Professor Hossam Haick and colleagues in China enables real-time, non-invasive tracking and optimized treatment for diabetic patients.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission intend to work together even more closely in the areas of nuclear safety and security as well as nuclear safety monitoring. They want to make an effective contribution to understanding and solving scientific issues – both in fundamental research and in other nuclear applications such as medical research. To this end, the two institutions have signed a new cooperation agreement. The public will benefit from the results.