A large global new partnership called 'MultipleMS', coordinated by Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has been awarded 15 million euro from the European Commission in the Horizon2020 program to find novel and better treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this project, 21 universities and companies from Europe and the USA will unite efforts to tailor the development and application of therapies to the individual MS patient.

The scientific goal of the new Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA) on the Garching Campus of the TUM is the interdisciplinary investigation of the functionalities and mechanisms of action of proteins – a key to understanding cells, tissues, and organs. Construction work will start in the spring of 2017. Now the building’s façade design has been decided on in a competition. All artistic designs are on exhibit in the b...

Cancer therapies harness the immune system to fight tumors. One of the main principles behind these therapies is to find out precisely which molecules on cancer cells trigger an immune response. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry has for the first time identified suitable protein structures directly from patients` tumor cells. The procedure therefore opens up new possibilities for indiv...

For years, small rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have reliably supplied billions of portable devices with energy. But manufacturers of high-energy applications such as electric cars and power storage systems seek for new electrode materials and electrolytes. Michael Metzger, researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has now developed a new battery test cell allowing to investigate anionic and cationic reactions separately. Recent...

Imagine if you could use your smartphone to take pictures of static and moving objects and “re-construct” the real world into a 3D image – almost instantaneously. Instead of the usual 2D photos snapped inside Rome’s Sistine Chapel, you’d be able to create an immersive 3D tourism experience to share with friends. A plastic surgeon could use the technology to measure the progress of rebuilding a nose in real time durin...

How much electricity flows through the grid? When and where? Where are the bottlenecks? What happens when wind turbines and solar cells feed in additional energy? The answer to these questions are essential for the global energy turnaround. However, for a valid planning, one first needs a solid understanding of the infrastructure. 

People confined to a wheelchair are still confronted with insurmountable obstacles in everyday life – even in today’s more wheelchair-accessible society. There are often no elevators in a building – or if so, they’re out of order. And while there are already wheelchairs that can climb stairs, persons with physical disabilities still require assistance to prevent tipping over. Researchers at the Technical University of Muni...

The immunoproteasome dismantles proteins and the resulting fragments are displayed on the surface of cells. This helps the immune system to recognise abnormal cells. However, in chronic inflammations and autoimmune diseases this “information channel” is overactive. Now researchers at the Technical University of Munich have determined the molecular mechanisms of inhibitors that can selectively thwart the human immunoproteasome - import...

Temperatures in the Earth's interior reach thousands of degrees Celsius. Geothermal technology makes use of this energy. It has enormous potential particularly in Bavaria. In response to an initiative of the Bavarian state government, three universities have formed the Geothermal Alliance Bavaria (GAB), headed by the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

  Doctors performing medical check-ups want a full picture of the patient's health without using the scalpel. Engineers who want to investigate the stability of a bridge without cutting into it are in the same position. Non-destructive testing methods play a major role in guaranteeing quality and safety, driving substantial interest in refined methodologies.

The project "Smart District Data Infrastructure – Intelligent 3D City Models" by the Chair of Geoinformatics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has been selected as one of the 100 award winners in the "Landmarks in the Land of Ideas" competition. The project "Satellite Guided Ground-Movement Map for Germany," with the participation of the Chair of Remote Sensing Technology, was also among the award recipients.

Working with physicists from the University of Rome, a team led by Professor Cordt Zollfrank from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) built the first controllable random laser based on cellulose paper in Straubing. The team thereby showed how naturally occurring structures can be adapted for technical applications. Hence, materials no longer need to be artificially outfitted with disordered structures, utilising naturally occurring ones...

Scientists from Technical University of Munich have used the accurate x-ray vision provided by DESY’s radiation source PETRA III to observe the degradation of polymer solar cells. Their study suggests an approach for improving the manufacturing process to increase the long-term stability of such organic solar cells. Unlike conventional solar cells, which are made of silicon, organic solar cells produce electricity in an active blended ...

When an electron moves in solid matter, it polarises its environment. Detailed insight into the interactions between electrons and their environment is the key to better performing future electronics components. However, since these processes transpire within only a few attoseconds, in the past they were practically impossible to investigate. Using an ingenious trick, an international team of physicists was able to study the birth of a quasiparti...

Sequencing data from biological samples such as the skin, intestinal tissues, or soil and water are usually archived in public databases. This allows researchers from all over the globe to access them. To be able to explore all these data, new evaluation methods are necessary. Scientists at the TUM have developed a bioinformatics tool which allows to search all bacterial sequences in databases in just a few mouse clicks and find similarities or c...

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), in cooperation with the Munich University of Applied Sciences and Wasserwacht (German Water Rescue Service) at Riem, have developed a technique for locating drowning people faster with support from Autel. Images captured by drones are expected to help in this respect. Researchers, however, still face many challenges.

A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded in linking graphene with another important chemical group, the porphyrins. Porphyrins are well-known because of their striking functional properties which for example play a central role in chlorophyll during photosynthesis. These new hybrid structures could also be used in the field of molecular electronics, catalysis or even as sensors.

  Nokia Bell Labs, Deutsche Telekom T-Labs and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have achieved unprecedented transmission capacity and spectral efficiency in an optical communications field trial with a modulation technique. The breakthrough research could extend the capability of optical networks to meet surging data traffic demands.

It is the double helix, with its stable and flexible structure of genetic information, that made life on Earth possible in the first place. Now a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered a double helix structure in an inorganic material. The material comprising tin, iodine and phosphorus is a semiconductor with extraordinary optical and electronic properties, as well as extreme mechanical flexibility.

The Wind Energy Institute at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and its ground breaking study has used wind lidars originating from ZephIR Lidar to demonstrate the possibilities that total wind farm control offers the industry. Wakes were deflected along a line of wind turbines resulting in an increase of 15% actual power output from the combined wind farm production.