News articles
Nasty nematodes
Tiny worms are already causing havoc among beech in North-America. New research shows that also European beech is susceptible to this invasive pest, raising concerns for the health of European forests.
0.0, yet full of flavour
Alcohol-free beer still needs improvement in taste. Scott Lafontaine’s research in ACS Food Science & Technology looks at alternative yeasts that can be used to brew tastier beers.
Dutch biotech enters clinical phase
Nijmegen-based Tagworks has passed the investigational new drug (IND) review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its antibody-drug conjugate TGW101. A Phase 1 clinical trial is now being initiated in the US.
Des solvants verts pour les membranes de purification du biogaz
Pour contribuer à rendre le secteur agricole plus durable, une équipe de la KU Leuven a mis au point une membrane utilisant une stratégie à base de solvants verts pour la purification du biogaz. « Nous ne visons pas une efficacité maximale du processus, mais plutôt un coût abordable. »
Bulles protectrices
Le tissu adipeux est une réserve essentielle d’énergie. Mais il joue aussi un rôle inattendu en servant de véritable « film à bulles » ultra-stable pour protéger les parties fragiles du squelette.
Poplar or eucalyptus? Lignin source influences fuel
In the search for the most suitable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), researchers at KU Leuven have come up with a new approach that combines two catalytic steps, as reported in ChemSusChem.
L’Oréal For Women in Science fellowships 2025 awarded
On 17 April, at the NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam, the For Women in Science 2025 fellowships were awarded to four female scientists working at Dutch universities.
Glue as a new clue to treating diabetes
A collaboration between researchers from Eindhoven, Essen and New York is proposing a ‘molecular glue’ as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The glue targets the ChREBPα protein involved in processing glucose and activating insulin production.
Bitter pill now easier to swallow
For (young) children, swallowing large pills or capsules is difficult or even impossible. The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium succeeded in developing a modified version of an existing Schistosomiasis drug that is also suitable for young children.
Stress-resistant algae
Plants have a lot to endure. Burning heat, extreme drought, hungry insects, destructive fungi and so on. Researchers in Göttingen have looked at the response to these stress factors in detail from algae and compared them to land plants.
Bringing hidden chirality to vibrational light.
When a molecule is cryptochiral, it is particularly difficult to determine its stereochemistry. Using vibrational circular dichroism, a group from Groningen has managed to crack this tough problem, as they report in Chemistry A European Journal.
Stem cell switch
A single molecular ‘switch’ seems sufficient to activate stem cells. This finding has the potential to significantly improve the efficacy and reliability of cell therapies and bone marrow transplants.
Electrons for green molecules
Two papers from a group in Amsterdam show insights in electrochemical pathways. ‘If you want to transfer these processes towards the industrial scale, you need to understand the pathway.’
Organic semiconductor emits spinning light for more efficient OLED screens
Researchers at TU Eindhoven and the University of Cambridge have created an organic semiconductor in which electrons move in a spiral pattern. The light emitted could make OLED screens in televisions and smartphones much more energy efficient.
Microwave recycling of bulletproof vests
Researchers have succeeded in recycling powdered aramid fibres using microwave radiation, according to a paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Carnivore prefers bamboo
The dietary choice of giant pandas is a mystery to scientists because of their carnivorous gastrointestinal tract. The presence of bamboo microRNAs in the blood of pandas sheds new light on the exchange of microRNAs between plants and animals.
All tied up: germanene nanoribbons could be useful for quantum computers
Researchers from Twente and Utrecht have made strips of germanium atoms that are one atom thick and a few nanometres wide. The two-dimensional nanoribbons have properties that could be useful in future quantum computers.
Shedding light on off-targets
Using photoaffinity probes based on a motif found in kinase-targeting anticancer drugs, researchers from KU Leuven have shown that their off-targets are not only found in the kinase families, but also in other proteins. They have published their findings in Communications Chemistry.
Vici grants awarded
Dutch research funding organisation NWO selected 43 proposals for a Vici-grant. Among the laureates are four KNCV-members.
Borrowed hydrogen makes ‘green’ soap
Ben Feringa’s group has developed a simple, green method for attaching unprotected alcohols to amino acids, with only water as a by-product. All the possibilities are described in Chemistry A European Journal.
