Development of a novel tobramycin dependent riboswitch.

We herein report the selection and characterization of a new riboswitch dependent on the aminoglycoside tobramycin. Its dynamic range rivals even the tetracycline dependent riboswitch to be the current best performing, synthetic riboswitch that controls translation initiation. The riboswitch was selected with RNA Capture-SELEX, a method that not only selects for binding but also for structural changes in aptamers on binding.

An Attenuated Strain of Human Cytomegalovirus for the Establishment of a Subviral Particle Vaccine.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with severe disease conditions either following congenital transmission of the virus or viral reactivation in immunosuppressed individuals. Consequently, the establishment of a protective vaccine is of high medical need. Several candidates have been tested in preclinical and clinical studies, yet no vaccine has been licensed.

Non-Invasive Three-Dimensional Cell Analysis in Bioinks by Raman Imaging.

3D bioprinting is an emerging biofabrication strategy using bioinks, comprising cells and biocompatible materials, to produce functional tissue models. Despite progress in building increasingly complex objects, biological analyses in printed constructs remain challenging. Especially, methods that allow non-invasive and non-destructive evaluation of embedded cells are largely missing.

Marker-Independent Monitoring of and Degradation of Supramolecular Polymers Applied in Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

The equilibrium between scaffold degradation and neotissue formation, is highly essential for tissue engineering. Herein, biodegradable grafts function as temporal roadmap to guide regeneration. The ability to monitor and understand the dynamics of degradation and tissue deposition in cardiovascular graft materials is therefore of great value to accelerate the implementation of safe and sustainable tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) as a substitute for conventional prosthetic grafts.