Press

A recent multidisciplinary study led by Dr. Alexandra Furch (University of Jena) in collaboration with apl. Prof. Gundula Noll and Prof. Dirk Prüfer (Fraunhofer IME, Münster), along with further experts, explores how plants convert pathogen perception into electrical signals, triggering local and systemic defense responses. Surprisingly, the evidence indicates that sieve element occlusion proteins, previously thought to be mainly involved in phloem sealing, also contribute to the signal transmission process.

The Fraunhofer IME in Giessen organises networking meetings between science, politics and industry to promote the sustainable and energy-efficient use of insects for the circular bioeconomy.

On the 29th and 30th of October, the joint Fraunhofer IME PhD seminar took place at our Institute Branch for Bioresources in Giessen, where we had the pleasure of welcoming 34 PhD students from our sites in Aachen and Schmallenberg.

As venomous animals, spiders use their chemical arsenal for prey capture or defence. Small neurotoxins target the central nervous system of their victims. While the toxins are intensively investigated, scientists at the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) in Hesse, Germany, have turned their attention to the enzymes also contained in the complex venom cocktail. They discovered a large, previously overlooked diversity of these proteins that facilitate biochemical reactions. According to the researchers, these could be of great value for bioeconomic applications.

A collaborative study between researchers from the Fraunhofer IME and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research has shown how a single metabolite can render bacteria toxic to plants under high salt conditions. Their findings may have important implications for agriculture and plant health in changing climates.

Today, on May 12th, we join the global community in recognizing the International Day of Plant Health.

In October 2023, the EU project "SUNGATE" commenced under the coordination of the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME and in collaboration with 11 partners from research and industry. SUNGATE aims to engineer a novel, circular, sustainable and cost-efficient bio-hybrid technology to achieve the highly-efficient and scalable production of solar fuels in systems ranging from portable temporary installations to larger-scale solutions.

The successor project to "Aspirant" - "Perspective" - started at the beginning of February. The research and development project made it through the second phase of the initiative "Tailor-made biobased ingredients for a competitive bioeconomy" of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Based on the success of the first phase "Aspirant", in "Perspective" the network is intensifying its focus on the production and application of triterpenes.

Inflammation research is becoming more ethical and economical: caterpillars help to understand gut inflammation and enable the faster and more efficient development of new therapies.

In the crowdfunding competition 2022 "ScienceForGood" of the Fraunhofer Future Foundation, the motto is "On your marks, get set, go!". Six research teams compete together with their heartfelt projects. From October 6, to November 30, 2022, the scientists from the participating Fraunhofer institutes have time to convince as many people as possible of their idea and reach their funding goal. The Fraunhofer Future Foundation supports this commitment with cofunding and prize money. The decision on this is up to civil society.