Bioengineering improves photosynthesis

The number of people on the planet and thus the number of hungry mouths to feed is constantly growing and is expected to exceed 9 billion by the year 2050. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve crop yield for food output. To meet this demand, researchers lead by Manajit Hayer-Hartl at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich aim to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and thus crop productivity by artificially engineering the plant Rubisco enzyme.

Transforming plants into bio-factories

Plants produce a number of metabolites with diverse functions. Many of these metabolites are not only useful to the plant itself, but also have positive effects in humans and animals. However, the extraction of these compounds in sufficient quantities from the naturally producing resources is often laborious and costly. While some metabolites can be produced in bacteria, so far none can be manufactured in plants themselves.

3D skin models to reduce allergens

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and fulfils a number of vital functions. However, the skin is also under constant “attack” – by the sun, water or allergens in clothing and cosmetics. In order to minimise or even exclude allergens in such products, they are tested on skin models in cell culture. For a better understanding of skin physiology the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) and BRAIN AG are developing a new three-dimensional skin model with the aim to provide new insights for health care and cosmetic applications.

ERC funding for pioneering plant research

Whether pathogenic fungi or rising temperatures: plants are increasingly suffering the consequences of climate change, putting pressure on agriculture as a food sector. What mechanisms have plants developed to protect themselves against pests or changing environmental conditions? Marburg biochemist Gert Bange and Brandenburg molecular biologist Philip Wigge are addressing precisely these questions. The two scientists have now been awarded the prestigious ERC grant from the European Research Council for their pioneering research.

Beer

Not only beer but also bread is very popular in Germany. . However, bread is unfortunately one of the foods most often thrown away after fruit and vegetables. According to a study by the WWF, more than a third of all baked goods, namely 1.7 million tonnes, are thrown away in Germany every year. To produce these baked goods, about 398,000 hectares of farmland must be cultivated and 2.46 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted.

Leibniz-IZW (2021): How the loss of forest fauna undermines the achievement of the SDGs

The current loss of biodiversity is unprecedented and the rate of species extinction exceeds comparable natural processes many times over. This loss of abundance and diversity of wildlife caused by human intervention is particularly pronounced in the tropics. A new study by scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) looks at the link between increasingly animal-less tropical forests and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Discovering new sources of protein

Proteins form an important part of our diet. The vast majority of vital nutrients are still covered by animal protein sources such as meat. Yet factory farming, pesticide use and climate change are increasingly endangering soils and groundwater and putting pressure on agriculture. The switch to new protein sources can be a solution. This is where the FutureProteins project comes in. Researchers from six Fraunhofer institutes are working together to develop novel protein sources as an alternative to meat and turn them into new food products.