Research and Study at the University of Excellence in Bonn

The nucleus is much more than a storage compartment for chromosomes: It also contains the complex machinery that produces transcripts of the genes that are currently needed and releases them into the cell body. Some of the proteins involved herein are not evenly distributed in the nucleus, but cluster at specific sites. A study by the universities of Würzburg, Heidelberg and Bonn with the help of Evotec SE at the Martinsried site now shows how these "flash mobs" are regulated. In the long term, the results could also yield new therapeutic approaches for spinal muscular atrophy. They are published in the journal Cell Reports.

Researchers from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of Bonn have examined the way in which SARS-CoV-2 reprograms the metabolism of the host cell in order to gain an overall advantage. According to their report in Nature Communications, the researchers were able to identify four substances which inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in the host cell: spermine and spermidine, substances naturally found in the body; MK-2206, an experimental cancer drug; and niclosamide, a tapeworm drug. Charité is currently conducting a trial to determine whether niclosamide is also effective against COVID-19 in humans.

The University of Bonn is inviting the graduating class of 2020/21 to a "Unifest" again this year - in a new format due to the pandemic. The University of Excellence is breaking new ground with its Unifest, which holds digital offerings as well as a "Graduation Walk" around the Hofgartenwiese park for the future alumni.

The Magna Charta Observatory in Bologna has accepted the University of Bonn as a new signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum. Due to the ongoing pandemic, a digital launch ceremony for the release of the new Magna Charta has now taken place.