News Archive

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CodeChi Kick-off Meeting: A Remarkable Success!

The eagerly awaited SPP 2416 (CodeChi) Kick-off Meeting unfolded at the University of Siegen on February 1st and 2nd, marking a significant milestone in the fields of chitin-related research in Germany. Welcoming scientists from 20 esteemed German research institutions, alongside one representative…

Kelvin Anggara’s work featured in Science Journal

We are excited to announce Dr. Kelvin Anggara’s recent publication in Science, representing a significant breakthrough in glycoconjugate analysis. Dr. Anggara’s work introduces a novel approach utilizing low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy for single-molecule analysis of glycoconjugates. This technique enables the direct…

Biotechnologically produced chitosans behave different

In a recent article published in Nature Communication it was demonstrated that biotech chitosans with specific acetylation patterns possess different physicochemical properties and biological activities compared to conventional technical chitosans with random acetylation. Sreekumar, S., Wattjes, J., Niehues, A., Mengoni,…

Structural basis for directional chitin biosynthesis unraveled

In a recent article published in Nature cryo-EM structures of chitin synthase 1 from Phytophthora sojae (PsChs1) are presented in the apo, GlcNAc-bound, nascent chitin oligomer-bound, UDP-bound (post-synthesis) and chitin synthase inhibitor nikkomycin Z-bound states of the enzyme, providing detailed…

New DFG Priority Programme

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) richtet ab 2023 acht neue Schwerpunktprogramme ein. Einer dieser überregionalen und interdisziplinären Forschungs-Verbünde wird von Prof. Dr. Hans Merzendorfer vom Institut für Biologie der Universität Siegen koordiniert. Die Substanz „Chitin“ ist vielen Menschen von Insekten-Panzern oder…