Siegen molecular biologist Hans Merzendorfer and agricultural scientist Quing Yang from Beijing are leading a joint research project that might provide approaches for the development of environmentally friendly insecticides.
The exoskeleton of insects is known to be a highly resistant structure reinforced by chitin fibrils. Due to the special properties of chitin fibrils, they have long been researched for numerous applications in medicine and technology. However, little is known so far about how exactly chitin fibrils are produced by insects. This is now being investigated by a German-Chinese team of researchers led by Professor Qing Yang of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing and Dr. Hans Merzendorfer, Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Siegen.
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