Research

They have become part of our daily lives almost without us noticing – nanoparticles are responsible for unique properties in cosmetics, food and medication, but also in catalysts. Until recently researchers were only able to use theoretical modelling to show whether and how the internal structure of a liquid changes at the surface of a nanoparticle. Physicists at FAU have now been able to prove this in an experiment for the first time.

What should production processes look like in order to integrate systems which transmit data using light into existing components in the best possible way? This is the main research question that a newly established DFG Research Unit will be investigating. Researchers at FAU will play a key role in the Research Unit.

Since 2011, the Australian Dr. Clancy James has worked as a scientist in the projects ANTARES and KM3NeT at the Erlangen Center for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP). He is chair of the ANTARES Publications Committee and the future head of the Simulations Follow-Up Experimental Unit KM3NeT. In addition to his own research, Clancy James is a supervisor for doctoral candidates and students at the ECAP.

Neurosurgeons at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen have discovered a new function of a cancer drug. The active agent sunitinib has so far been used to treat gastrointestinal connective tissue tumours, known as gastrointestinal carcinoma, and advanced renal carcinoma. The doctors found that the drug is also effective against brain tumours.

With instruments such as financial equalisation schemes or subsidies for investments politicians seek to create equal living conditions across the regions. But are these measures effective? Are they accepted by the population? Researchers at FAU and Philipps-Universität Marburg have been examining these questions in a project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

As many as four young researchers at FAU have succeeded in securing research funding in one of the toughest European selection processes

Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology and FAU have shown that the secret of iron oxide lies in the unique structure of its surface. Their findings have recently been published in the renowned journal Science.

Medical researchers have proven in a study that a mutation in the risk genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 plays an important role in the development of an aggressive type of breast cancer. They recommend tests for genetic mutations for patients under 60 because the incidence of these mutations was particularly high in this age group.

A comparative study involving 25 German hospitals, including Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, has proven the efficacy of the enzyme inhibitor Sorafenib in younger patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) for the first time.