(Braunschweig/Germany – 21 May 2026): Research takes place within a complex legal framework. The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, together with an international consortium, has now published two timely articles on this topic in the renowned journal “Sustainable Microbiology”. DSMZ researchers Davide Faggionato and Melania Muñoz-García are the lead authors of the articles, with Amber H. Scholz, Head of the DSMZ Department of Science Policy & Internationalisation, serving as corresponding author. The first article, “Policy in practice: How to do the Nagoya Protocol”, cleans up common misconceptions and offers researchers from around the world practical guidance/help on the ethical and legally compliant use of biological resources.
Microorganisms are the driving force behind biotechnological innovations Microorganisms are central to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and biotechnological innovation. Research into microbial genetic resources is, however, increasingly shaped by a complex web of international and national legal frameworks. The two articles tackle this challenge from complementary perspectives: one publication offers a step-by-step guide to compliance with the Nagoya Protocol, the other provides an overview of the broader regulatory environment governing microbial resources, including rules on access and benefit-sharing, intellectual property, biological safety, ethics, and sector-specific agreements.
No more “Take what you want!” The days of colonial research expeditions are long gone. Since the Nagoya Protocol came into force, access to genetic resources is bound by clear rules: the sovereign rights of the countries of origin must be respected and profits are to be shared fairly. “Many scientists still confuse the Nagoya Protocol with the Kyoto Climate Protocol,” explains Dr Amber H. Scholz. “The only thing they have in common is their Japanese origin. Life scientists need to be aware of the Nagoya Protocol.” Breaches of ABS (Access and Benefit-Sharing) rules can have drastic legal consequences.
A man spends 50 years teaching at MIT. He knows his time is running out. So he records one last lecture — everything he knows, distilled into a single hour. He died 5 months later. This is that lecture.
It’s no secret that drinking the odd glass of red wine can have positive health benefits, but did you know that a non-alcoholic equivalent could also do the same good? Non-alcoholic red wine could help lower cholesterol just as effectively as the regular stuff, according to an expert in cardiovascular diseases. Ioannis Zabetakis, associate professor in food chemistry at the University of Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, says both regular and non-alcoholic red wine contain polar lipids—molecules that contain fatty acid chains—that can help reduce inflammation, a key factor in cardiovascular diseases. [the rest of the article is here]
====== Our relevant article is here Bioactive lipids derived from red wine, beers, and their dealcoholized variants inhibit platelet-activating factor (PAF) induced platelet activation in vitro
This study investigates the effects of a novel marine byproduct oil extracted from the cephalopod Nototodarus sloani (Arrow squid) on human platelets and red blood cells (RBCs). The oil was produced using enzyme-assisted extraction under varying pH conditions without further refining. The level of oxidation of the different oils was determined. Hemocompatibility and oxidative effects were evaluated after 24 h of incubation at physiological and fever-like conditions. Hemolysis levels varied with extraction conditions and with the amount of oil in contact with the cells. Oils extracted using 0.5% Alcalase® and 1% ProtamexTM ® at pH 5.9 demonstrated superior hemocompatibility. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels presented a dose-dependent increase, with higher levels observed in oils extracted at a higher pH. Although there was no direct correlation between hemolysis rate, ROS levels and oxidation, the less oxidized oils presented lower ROS formation and better hemocompatibility. Additionally, the oils exhibited a strong anticoagulant effect and low IC50 values against TRAP-6-induced platelet aggregation. These findings highlight the potential of Nototodarus sloani as a source of bioactive compounds, providing initial evidence of potential cardiovascular benefits and resource valorization, underlining the importance of extraction conditions in determining the biological properties of marine byproduct oils.
Cholesterol has long been seen as a key culprit in cardiovascular disease. While it’s true that cholesterol does play a role, not all cholesterol is bad for us.
The first type is low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. This is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol because it causes fat to collect in the arteries as plaques. This makes it harder for blood to pump throughout the body, leading to greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The second type is high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — often referred to as “good” cholesterol.
HDL cholesterol has two key roles in the body. It removes excess bad cholesterol from the tissues and arteries and returns it to the liver so it can be removed from the body. HDL cholesterol also protects the artery walls so there’s less risk of a blockage forming.
Boosting HDL
The ratio of LDL to HDL in a person’s body is related to their cardiovascular disease risk. If you have a higher ratio of HDL to LDL, your cardiovascular disease risk will be lower. But if you have a lower ratio of HDL to LDL, you’ll have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Fortunately, it’s possible to shift this ratio and increase HDL cholesterol levels. This can be achieved by exercising, quitting smoking and managing your weight, for example.
Certain foods can also improve HDL ratios.
The main way that diet helps boost HDL ratios is by reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a key problem in cardiovascular disease.
Inflammation makes it possible for blood platelets to stick together in our arteries at a much higher rate. This makes it difficult for the HDL cholesterol to do its job, which increases risk of blood clots forming and raises likelihood of heart disease.
By eating anti-inflammatory foods, it makes it easier for HDL cholesterol to do its job of sweeping away excess LDL cholesterol. Here are four examples you can include in your diet:
1. Fruits and vegetables
Research shows that people who have diets high in fruits and vegetables have higher HDL cholesterol levels and a better total cholesterol ratio. They also have lower blood pressure and healthier blood sugar levels, all of which can be supportive to heart health.
Free radicals are highly reactive, unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells and trigger inflammation in the body. By preventing inflammation, this makes it possible for HDL cholesterol to continue doing its job of removing bad cholesterol and protecting the arteries.
2. Oily fish and olive oil
Oily fish (such as salmon, sardines and tuna) and olive oil are rich in a type of fat called “polar lipids”.
These lipids are able to reach the bloodstream more quickly compared to other types of fat, allowing them to reduce inflammation and prevent the aggregation of platelets more effectively.
Cell and animal studies have shown that a diet rich in the polar lipids from oily fish is effective in preventing blood clots from forming. This effect can help cholesterol ratios stay balanced, meaning cardiovascular disease risk is lower.
3. Fermented dairy
Fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese, can all have a positive effect on HDL levels.
During fermentation, the lipids are broken down into smaller compounds that have a greater anti-inflammatory effect than milk. They can also be metabolised faster by the body.
Fermented dairy products are also rich in polar lipids, which means that they can considerably reduce cardiovascular risk.
Research found that for every 20g of fermented dairy products people consumed each day, there was a modest reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
4. Red wine
Finally, red wine is completely misunderstood. According to the latest research, moderate consumption of red wine (the equivalent of one to two small glasses per day) is linked with better HDL ratios.
Wine reduces inflammation when consumed in small quantities because it contains polar lipids. However, if wine intake is high, the negative, pro-inflammatory effect of alcohol outstrips the positive effect of the lipids.
This is why it’s important only to drink small amounts and in moderation – otherwise, alcohol can have many negative effects on the body. Indeed, the World Health Organization has said there is no safe level of alcohol consumption as the negatives, such as increased cancer risk even from light drinking, outweigh any positives.
Non-alcoholic wines also contain polar lipids. Research suggests that polar lipid extracts from non-alcoholic beverages have comparable benefits on preventing the formation of blood clots as their alcoholic counterparts.
Inflammation is a key factor in heart disease. By eating foods that reduce inflammation in the body, it’s possible to look after your heart health and lower cardiovascular disease by improving the ratio of HDL to LDL in the body.
There has been a lot of discussion about the public health impact of ultra-processed foods in recent times. First Chris Van Tulleken’s bestseller Ultra-Processed People, and more recently the pre-eminent medical journal The Lancet published three papers on why UPFs are harmful to human health. It summarised the results of more than 100 studies that showed associations between ultra-processed food and an increased risk of 12 chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, depression and dementia. It also zeroed in on what we can do to reduce the harm: not more consumer education, but rather to clamp down on the “corporate political activity” of the food industry which blocks the development of policies to limit the production and mass normalisation of UPFs.
Dramatic changes in how we produce food have been driven by an understandable preoccupation with food security and the avoidance of famine after the second World War. Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for inventing a strain of wheat with a shorter stem that made it easier to grow and harvest. It saved a billion people from starvation. This and numerous other developments in food production and processing have been good for humanity. Nobody is saying that extending shelf life and reducing cost and scarcity by freezing, tinning or pasteurising foods is bad. Nobody who is worried about chocolate breakfast cereals for six-year-olds has a problem with pickling gherkins. That’s because processing is not the same as ultra-processing.
Three things put the “ultra” in ultra-processing. Firstly, when bulk commodities such as maize, wheat, sugar cane and fat are extracted from their whole sources and chemically modified by processes such as industrial heating, fractionation and extrusion, the resulting product has a substantially degraded food matrix. So, if you eat an orange, you are getting a lot of things from that whole – the cell structure, the fibre, the pith that’s full of bioactive compounds. That “matrix” is lost in an orange cordial, even if it is fortified with zinc and Vitamin C.
Second, the bulk is enhanced with flavours (usually to disguise the unpleasant taste from the first process) and texturised to improve the feeling in your mouth with bulking, gelling or foaming agents. You know you’re eating UPF when that crunchy, moreish feeling turns quite suddenly to a gluey string.
The biggest criticisms of the science of ultra-processed food are that there’s no food that is “good” or “bad” – moderation and balance are what count. That is 100 per cent correct, and it misses the point entirely. The point is that the nutritional science model and the business model exist together. You cannot separate them. So a UPF firm and its scientists of course say to eat in moderation, that balance is important, that fortified food is good for you and so on. But its business model is laser-focused on making sure we eat more of that food, year-on-year.
This drive to grow displaces less processed food, and that is the entire point. In 2018 it was estimated that UPF food accounted for 45.9 per cent of all food we ate in Ireland.
Critics will often revert to the age-old advice of “energy-in-energy-out”; one of the many problems with this advice is that UPFs affect the entire body; the strongest evidence in UPF research is the link between UPF and anxiety and depression. Eating this food is not making us happy.
We ourselves recently researched the business model of supermarket baked goods over a 30-year time span. Why did we choose baked goods? They are a key “boundary food” in the global debate on UPFs – sliced bread is an affordable staple in most of our diets. Supermarket bread is certainly not the worst UPF. The point is that most supermarkets producing bread also produce cakes and tarts, doughnuts and muffins, savoury pies and Viennoiserie (croissants, pastries and brioche), categories that have grown the most in Ireland’s UPF consumption. It’s a key strategy known as “led by bread” where bread acts as an initial draw and casts a halo over the category.
The reality of baked-goods production is far from the imagined connotation of a traditional homely kitchen. We found that the lurch to ultra-processing by producers of ultra-processed baked goods has been driven by a growth imperative and a need to return a greater profit for investors than the previous year, every year. It is no wonder that the raw materials must get cheaper, the products must get even more hyperpalatable, and the lifestyle claims must get more sophisticated.
As Kevin Hall discovered, the problem is in the processing, as much as in the ingredients. In the old days we characterised problem foods as those with “high fat salt sugar” or “nutrients of concern”, and countries all over the world sought to cajole producers to reformulate: please pretty, please decrease the salt, sugar and saturated fat in your foods, but at your own pace of course.
Ironically this led to more processing to square the circle of making food salty without salt, or sweet without sugar. The problem is there is no such thing as a healthy reformulated food. With reformulation, “bad” ingredients are just replaced with more intensive processing and new types of ingredients, rather than with whole or minimally processed foods. We’ve seen the pitfalls of reformulation in the past: trans-fats, now known to be harmful, were intended to be a healthier replacement for saturated fats in the 1960s. That didn’t go well.
Reformulation will be about as effective as low-tar cigarettes or guns with fewer bullets – an inadequate public health strategy that suits commercial interests and distracts legislators and the public from more decisive, effective public action.
This is the part where it is necessary to say what consumers should do. Of course the answer is to eat less processed food, but doing that is not a lifestyle hack. It will require shifting subsidies to make organic fruit and veg cheaper, widening the sugar tax to encompass other food, giving citizens time to prepare, cook and eat food.
Consumers cannot shift subsidies, tax and so on. For this to happen, we have to think of ourselves less as consumers gazing at labels and working out lifestyle hacks from Instagram, and more as citizens who ask the politicians who come to our door what their proposals are to make cheap, healthy food a dedicated part of our daily lives.
Francis Finucane is an honorary full professor in medicine at the University of Galway.
Norah Campbell is an associate professor in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin.
A human study reveals how naturally occurring fat-derived molecules help switch off inflammation.
Researchers at University College London (UCL) have identified an important biological process that helps the body bring inflammation to an end, a finding that may eventually support new treatments for chronic illnesses that affect millions of people worldwide.
