Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Individually tailored RNA or DNA-based molecules are able to reliably fight off viral infections in plants, according to a new study. The researchers were able to fend off a common virus using the new active substances in up to 90 per cent of cases. They also developed a method for finding substances tailored specifically to the virus. The team has now patented the method. Individually tailored RNA or DNA-based molecules are able to reliably fight off viral infections in plants, according to a new study by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), which was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The researchers were able to fend off a common virus using the new active substances in up to 90 per cent of cases. They also developed a method for finding substances tailored specifically to the virus. The team has now patented the method. During a viral infection, the plant's cells are hijacked by the virus to multiply itself. Key products of this process are viral RNA molecules that serve as blueprints for the production of proteins. "A virus cannot reproduce without producing its proteins," explains Professor Sven-Erik Behrens from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at MLU. For years, his team has been working on ways to disrupt this process and degrade the viral RNA molecules inside the cells. In the new study, the researchers describe how this can be achieved using the so-called "antisense" method. It relies on short, synthetically produced DNA molecules known as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). In the plant cells, the ASOs direct cellular enzymes acting as scissors towards the foreign RNA so they can degrade it. "For this process to work, it is crucial to identify a suitable target structure in the viral RNA which the enzyme scissors can attach to," explains Behrens. However, findings those accessible sites is really tricky: most potential target RNA molecules have a very complex structure, and they are also masked by other cell components. "This makes it even more difficult to attack them directly," says Behrens. Behrens' team faced this problem several years ago when they sought to use short RNA molecules (siRNA) to optimise a similar process in plants known as RNA interference. At the time, the researchers were able to develop a method for identifying suitable and accessible sites in viral RNA. The new study shows that the same approach can also be used for ASOs and that these active substances have a similar protective effect in plants. "We were pleasantly surprised by the results because we were not sure if it would work. Even though RNA interference and antisense operate in a similar way, the active enzyme complexes are completely different. However, we were able to show that the RNA sites determined using our method are actually accessible for both processes," says Behrens. The results were impressive: Experiments using the optimised ASO active substances showed that plants were protected against infection with a model virus in up to 90 percent of the cases. The team has since patented the method. Behrens now hopes to fine-tune the approach. "ASOs are not only very precise, they are also relatively easy and inexpensive to produce. Similar active substances have also been used in humans for several years with few side effects. This is another argument in favour of their potential use in food," says Behrens. The biochemist is also looking into other applications of the newly developed methods, for example in fending off viruses that infect humans. Both the patent and the study represent an important milestone in the "RNA PROTECT" research project at MLU, which is receiving around 1.2 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The aim is to test the marketability of MLU's research work in this area and, ideally, to set up a company. The study was also funded by the State of Saxony-Anhalt and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG).

An online survey conducted in Germany and Poland shows that large parts of the participants support the return of large carnivores and herbivores, such as wolves and elk, to the Oder Delta region. Presented with different rewilding scenarios, the majority of survey participants showed a preference for land management that leads to the comeback of nature to the most natural state possible. Locals, on the other hand, showed some reservations. An online survey conducted in Germany and Poland shows that large parts of the participants support the return of large carnivores and herbivores, such as wolves and elk, to the Oder Delta region, according to a study published in People and Nature. Presented with different rewilding scenarios, the majority of survey participants showed a preference for land management that leads to the comeback of nature to the most natural state possible. Locals, on the other hand, showed some reservations. In recent years, the concept of rewilding has captured the attention of conservationists, who see it as a promising and cost-effective tool to combat biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems. The Oder Delta area, which spans the northern border between Germany and Poland, is particularly suitable for the natural comeback of wildlife. It comprises diverse natural habitats, like riparian forests, standing- and flowing waters, open and semi-open inland dunes, and heathlands, and is surrounded by diverse landscapes of forests, rivers, and wetlands. To measure public sentiment towards rewilding in the Oder Delta, a team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) carried out an online, choice experiment survey. Given the geographic position of the area across both Germany and Poland, the survey offered a unique opportunity to investigate differences in attitudes between the two countries. Approximately 1,000 respondents from each country were presented with different scenarios describing the ecological status of the Oder Delta in 2050 as a result of various management interventions. The scenarios included, for example, the conditions of rivers and forests and the presence of large animals such as elk, lynx, or wolves. Beyond the "status quo" option, an intensification of land use in the region, respondents were presented with two alternative scenarios with varying biodiversity benefits. Importantly, only the status quo option came at no additional cost. The two alternative options were associated with tax payments to fund the necessary interventions, meaning that respondents were faced with a trade-off: an increase in nature benefits went hand in hand with an increase in taxes. "This allowed us to calculate the respondents' willingness to pay for different management interventions in the Oder Delta region," says lead author Rowan Dunn-Capper from iDiv and MLU. "This helps us understand broader preferences for rewilding." Strong preferences for rewilding The study revealed a significant appetite for rewilding initiatives at the national scale, particularly for the presence of large animals, such as wolves, lynx, elk, and bison in the Oder Delta. Willingness to pay for scenarios in which large animal species were present was almost three times larger than for restoring the most natural landscape elements. "To find such preference was surprising given the often-negative portrayal of large animal species, notably the wolf, in the popular media," says Dunn-Capper. "It suggests the public may be more welcoming of wildlife return than first thought." This preference was also true for forests and agriculture: respondents in Germany as well as in Poland had a strong preference for the most natural rewilding levels with minimum human intervention on the ecosystem. Additionally, the fact that results for Germany and Poland were broadly comparable indicates that preferences for rewilding hold across political and cultural contexts. Locals are less enthusiastic about rewilding Survey participants living near the Oder Delta (within 100km)did not show the same appetite for rewilding initiatives. Local respondents showed a preference for large herbivores, such as elk and bison, but were less enthusiastic about the presence of large carnivores, like wolves. Similarly, local respondents showed contrasting preferences for certain rewilding interventions in rivers and agricultural landscapes compared to the national sample. For example, a significant share of local respondents were not willing to pay for scenarios in which flooding regimes were fully restored in the Oder Delta. "This underscores the intricacies of conservation planning and highlights the importance of local input to foster biodiversity democracy, this is the management of natural resources as a democratic process," says senior author Professor Henrique Pereira, head of Biodiversity Conservation at MLU and iDiv. "Generally, our findings support rewilding as a novel ecosystem restoration approach that has public acceptance to become mainstream across Europe."

Dr. Keilhack has a 20-year track record of translating novel biological targets into first-in-class therapeutics for a range of diseases BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ROME Therapeutics, a biotechnology company harnessing the power of the dark genome to develop breakthrough medicines for serious diseases, today announced the appointment of cancer biology and immunology expert Heike Keilhack, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Keilhack brings to ROME more than 20 years of experience leading target validation and preclinical and translational efforts for multiple first-in-class therapeutics at both small biotechnology companies and large pharmaceutical companies. “Heike is an incredible addition to our experienced leadership team, bringing with her an extensive history of leading translational efforts for previously unproven targets, resulting in first-in-class clinical candidates and an FDA-approved treatment,” said Rosana Kapeller, M.D., Ph.D., President, CEO and Co-founder of ROME. “Heike’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for ROME as we continue readying our lead program, a novel LINE-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor for autoimmune disease, for clinical entry. Our LINE-1 program is just one example of how we are applying our unique understanding of the dark genome’s role in disease pathology to develop new treatments. We look forward to drawing on Heike’s insights and expertise as we continue to advance and build our pipeline of novel programs to treat a range of serious diseases.” Dr. Keilhack joins ROME from Ribon Therapeutics, where as Chief Scientific Officer she led the research and development of two PARP inhibitors currently in clinical development for inflammatory disease and solid tumors. Dr. Keilhack was instrumental in building Ribon’s research organization and contributed to the company’s fundraising and business development efforts. Prior to Ribon, Dr. Keilhack held roles of increasing responsibility at Epizyme (acquired by Ipsen), including as project leader for tazemetostat (Tazverik®), a first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor that received FDA approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma and for metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma. Before Epizyme, Dr. Keilhack was a research fellow at Merck and the biology project lead for the company’s clinical-stage AKT inhibitor. Dr. Keilhack earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in Germany and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She earned a B.S. in biochemistry at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. Dr. Keilhack served on the Board of Directors of Civetta Therapeutics and is an author of more than 40 manuscripts in leading journals. “I was drawn to ROME because of its compelling scientific approach to drug discovery and development, as well as its highly talented team of business and scientific leaders,” said Dr. Keilhack. “I am impressed with the rigor and dedication of this team, which is systematically validating untapped drivers of disease and designing novel development candidates that address underlying causes of autoimmune and other diseases. ROME has forged a path to developing a first-in-class LINE-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor and built an unparalleled platform enabling breakthrough discoveries in dark genome biology that represent opportunities for new therapeutic approaches. I am excited to work as part of the ROME team as we uncover and advance this science toward helping patients who need new options.” About ROME ROME Therapeutics is developing novel therapies for a range of serious diseases, including autoimmune disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration, by illuminating the role of the dark genome — the vast genomic expanse beyond the traditional genes, which includes virus-like repetitive elements and non-coding sequences — in human health and disease. Leveraging the company’s unprecedented data sciences platform, ROME has built a deep pipeline of therapies targeting the dark genome. To lead this exploration, ROME has assembled a team of world-class leaders in drug discovery and development across immunology, oncology, chemistry, and machine learning. ROME is based in Boston, Mass. For more information, please visit .