N1SRP — broadcast
20260920 043000 UTC
347 transcript segments
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive.
Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record.

[00:00:01] experiments with human embryos, however, remain strictly
[00:00:04] regulated. What we call the 14-day rule
[00:00:08] is a period of time where scientists
[00:00:11] around the world have agreed that we can
[00:00:14] actually culture human embryos up to that day. And
[00:00:17] so that's the day basically allow
[00:00:20] scientists to grow human embryos until day 14 of
[00:00:23] development.
[00:00:26] Those first few days are exactly where success or failure is decided.
[00:01:30] He wants everything to be just perfect.
[00:01:33] Researchers in Germany are developing new testing methods to
[00:01:37] detect rare metabolic disorders and vitamin deficiencies in
[00:01:40] newborns.
[00:01:48] For Neo, this is the final checkup. After today's
[00:01:51] blood test, he won't need to return to Heidelberg University Hospital in
[00:01:55] Southwest Germany. Shortly after he was born, doctors
[00:01:59] discovered he had a vitamin B12 deficiency, a condition
[00:02:02] that can seriously affect brain development if left
[00:02:05] untreated.
[00:02:09] When infants have a vitamin B12 deficiency, it usually becomes
[00:02:12] noticeable from around 4 to six months of age. They
[00:02:16] may show significant developmental delays and muscular
[00:02:19] hypotonia, meaning they're a bit floppy and not learning to move
[00:02:22] properly. It can cause brain damage, and in some cases those
[00:02:26] effects may not be fully reversible, even if the deficiency is identified. Few
[00:02:37] days after birth, a small blood sample is
[00:02:40] taken from the baby and analyzed for signs of metabolic and other serious
[00:02:44] disorders. Until now, screening for vitamin B12
[00:02:47] deficiency, as in Neo's case, was part of a research
[00:02:50] study. The results showed that the test
[00:02:53] reliably identifies affected
[00:02:55] children.
[00:03:00] screening is carried out, far fewer children go to develop the
[00:03:03] severe infantile vitamin B12 deficiency, so screening
[00:03:07] and early treatment really do make a difference.
[00:03:11] As a result, vitamin B12 deficiency has now been added to
[00:03:14] Germany's routine newborn screening program.
[00:03:18] Vitamin B12 is found primarily in animal
[00:03:20] products. A deficiency can develop when mothers are unable to take
[00:03:24] in enough of the vitamin during pregnancy. A vegan
[00:03:27] diet can be one reason, although there are many. Others
[00:03:31] once detected, the deficiency is usually easy to
[00:03:34] treat. The infants receive vitamin supplements and are
[00:03:37] monitored regularly. In most cases, the problem resolves
[00:03:41] once they begin eating animal-based foods themselves.
[00:03:45] Every day, between 500 and a thousand blood samples from newborns
[00:03:49] arrive at the metabolic laboratory at Heidelberg University
[00:03:52] Hospital. Over the past decades, newborn screening has
[00:03:56] expanded dramatically. When it was first introduced in 19
[00:04:00] '69 it looked for just one rare disorder, today it screens for
[00:04:04] 33. Originally, there weren't
[00:04:07] machines. Testing was based on microbiological inhibition
[00:04:11] assays. Today, as you see, we have large analytical
[00:04:14] machines that can measure metabolites and amino acids very
[00:04:17] precisely. That means we can test for far more and with much greater
[00:04:21] accuracy.
[00:04:24] On average, one blood sample each day in Heidelberg produces an abnormal
[00:04:27] result, but screening for
[00:04:30] B12 deficiency has only become reliable in recent
[00:04:33] years. That was made possible by advances in laboratory
[00:04:37] analysis. Developments that researchers in Heidelberg also helped
[00:04:40] towards.
[00:04:43] Vitamin B12 deficiency is far more common than many of the disorders
[00:04:47] that were already included in newborn screening. And in most
[00:04:50] cases, this test also identifies deficiency in the
[00:04:53] mother that's been passed on during pregnancy. George
[00:04:57] Hoffman's team also investigated.
[00:05:00] it would be possible to detect the deficiency even earlier during
[00:05:03] pregnancy, but clear indicators are not always easy to
[00:05:06] find. Erstaunlicherweise
[00:05:09] zeigt
[00:05:11] Anemia. Around 10% of all pregnant women are anemic
[00:05:14] anyway, and the more specific signs of vitamin
[00:05:18] B12 deficiency that are described in textbooks simply
[00:05:22] aren't very often
[00:05:22] seen.
[00:05:26] So for now, the focus remains on screening newborns.
[00:05:30] Neo's mother's vitamin B12 deficiency has since been
[00:05:33] treated. She's simply grateful that she agreed to the additional
[00:05:37] screening test when Neo was born a year and a half
[00:05:39] ago.
[00:05:44] "I took part in the newborn screening program and also volunteered to have some
[00:05:48] additional tests done because I just thought, well it can't
[00:05:51] hurt," but I hadn't really read all the information in
[00:05:54] detail, and I didn't give it much thought. It was only when our
[00:05:58] pediatrician called to say something wasn't right that I went back and looked through the
[00:06:01] paperwork from the hospital. That's when I
[00:06:04] realized what the consequences could have been, erst dann wurde mir überhaupt
[00:06:07] bewusst, was das überhaupt für Folgen haben kann.
[00:06:10] Fortunately, never became a
[00:06:13] reality.
[00:06:18] Now let's go back to the beginning. After
[00:06:21] fertilization, the human egg cell divides again and
[00:06:24] again. This process forms embryonic stem
[00:06:27] cells, cells that can develop into every tissue in the
[00:06:30] human body. We still have stem cells as
[00:06:34] adults. They're vital for the body's repair processes, but
[00:06:37] they're already specialized for particular tasks.
[00:06:41] Around 20 years ago. Research has discovered how to reprogram
[00:06:44] adult cells, returning them to a state much like an embryonic
[00:06:48] stem cell. Now scientists hope tiny
[00:06:51] nanorobots can persuade these artificial stem cells to
[00:06:55] become bone cells. Sounds crazy, take a
[00:06:58] look.
[00:07:01] In these dishes are human stem cells and tiny microscopic
[00:07:05] robots.
[00:07:07] It's only under the microscope that their remarkable ability becomes
[00:07:11] visible. The robots can trigger stem
[00:07:15] cells to transform into bone cells, a breakthrough that could
[00:07:18] one day help damaged bone tissue
[00:07:20] regenerate.
[00:07:23] Artificially grown bone tissue like this could help shorten recovery times
[00:07:27] for diseases such as bone cancer or after
[00:07:30] serious accidents and may even prevent the need for
[00:07:33] amputations in some cases.
[00:07:36] And this is how it works: inside the dishes are tiny
[00:07:40] gel-filled cushions packed inside.
[00:07:45] They're made up of chemical molecules that can
[00:07:47] contract. A laser activates the tiny
[00:07:50] robots. As they contract, they press against the stem
[00:07:54] cells. This constant gentle pressure, almost like
[00:07:57] massage, switches on the stem cells genetic
[00:08:00] program. That causes them to transform into bone
[00:08:04] cells. Here we can see the cells after
[00:08:07] activation and the resulting fully differentiated bone
[00:08:10] cells.
[00:08:12] is to use this process to repair damaged tissue, and
[00:08:16] potentially not just bone, depending on how
[00:08:19] long and how intensely they're massaged by the robots, the same stem
[00:08:23] cells can also become heart muscle cells or cartilage
[00:08:26] cells.
[00:08:29] Our gel cushions can do two things:
[00:08:32] first, they can train a patient's stem cells,
[00:08:36] and second, they can transport the important cargo, for example,
[00:08:39] heart muscle cells, into the patient.
[00:08:46] At the bottom of this tube are 400 thousand of these gel
[00:08:49] cushions, each containing molecular nano robots
[00:08:53] and stem cells, but it could still be several years before the
[00:08:56] technology is ready for use in patients.
[00:09:00] Research on insulin-producing cells is already much further
[00:09:03] advanced. In people with diabetes, these cells are
[00:09:06] damaged or destroyed. The team led by stem cell
[00:09:09] researcher is developing
[00:09:13] into insulin-producing cells, known as islet
[00:09:16] cells.
[00:09:19] Since the discovery of these stem cells, we've now reached the point
[00:09:22] where we can produce islet cells that look almost identical to those found
[00:09:26] naturally in the human body. These cells are
[00:09:29] already being transplanted into patients as part of clinical trials
[00:09:32] and those patients no longer need insulin
[00:09:35] injections.
[00:09:39] can also now grow living organ components from stem cells?
[00:10:25] molecules we use today will very likely continue to be necessary as
[00:10:28] well.
[00:10:31] The hope is that combining both approaches could make it faster and
[00:10:35] more precise to regenerate damaged tissue using stem
[00:10:38] cells.
[00:10:42] A small cut usually heals all by itself within a few
[00:10:45] days. Put a band-aid on it and the body does the
[00:10:48] rest. But it's a very different story when internal organs such
[00:10:52] as the heart are damaged. Heart muscle cells only
[00:10:55] regenerate to a limited extent, and when the heart
[00:10:58] becomes weak, the consequences can quickly become
[00:11:01] life-threatening.
[00:11:04] Open heart surgery in Göttingen in Central Germany. The
[00:11:08] patient is suffering from advanced heart failure. Part of his
[00:11:11] heart muscle has died and can no longer help to pump blood around the
[00:11:15] body. As a result, the heart grows progressively
[00:11:18] weaker, until eventually it can no longer keep
[00:11:21] going.
[00:11:24] These unassuming... hexagonal patches could offer a
[00:11:26] lifeline.
[00:11:29] They're a kind of band-aid for the heart, made up of millions of
[00:11:33] heart muscle and connective tissue cells grown in the
[00:11:35] lab.
[00:11:43] Further north at Schleihof Holstein University
[00:11:45] Hospital, Frank Tieger is also a heart failure
[00:11:48] patient. After a total of nine heart attacks,
[00:11:52] large numbers of his heart muscle cells have died.
[00:12:36] If the heart's pumping capacity remains above 40%, the
[00:12:40] condition can usually be kept stable, allowing patients to lead
[00:12:43] a largely normal life, but when that
[00:12:46] figure sinks further, the risks increase
[00:12:49] dramatically.
[00:13:05] Both are serious, high-risk procedures. The heart patch
[00:13:09] could offer a life-saving alternative. As
[00:13:12] part of an ongoing clinical trial, Stephan
[00:13:15] Ensminger has already implanted 10 of these
[00:13:17] patches. Some of his patients are on the waiting list for a
[00:13:21] donor heart. Across Germany, nearly 700 people are
[00:13:24] currently waiting, but only around 350 donor hearts
[00:13:27] become available each year. If the heart patch proves successful, it
[00:13:31] could save many more lives.
[00:13:34] There are around 25,000 patients in Germany living with advanced
[00:13:38] heart failure, all of whom could potentially benefit. But there
[00:13:41] are still many unanswered questions. We're running a clinical
[00:13:44] study with strict inclusion criteria, and there are
[00:13:47] limitations. Some patients respond very well, others
[00:13:50] less so, but so far we haven't had a single patient who showed no
[00:13:54] improvement.
[00:13:58] If these early results continue to hold up, one man in particular will be
[00:14:01] delighted.
[00:14:03] The heart patch is in many ways the culmination of Volfram Hubertus
[00:14:07] Zimmermann's life's work.
[00:14:10] For 30 years he's been researching artificial heart
[00:14:14] tissue.
[00:14:17] Now that research is finally helping patients who are fighting for their
[00:14:20] lives.
[00:14:23] Wir sehen ja Patienten.
[00:14:55] currently takes around 3 months. The process
[00:14:58] begins with stem cells from a donor cell bank. Researchers
[00:15:01] induce these cells to develop into beating heart muscle
[00:15:04] cells. By the time the patch is finished, no stem cells
[00:15:08] remain.
[00:15:13] Once manufactured, the patches must be implanted within 14
[00:15:17] days. To meet what could become enormous demand,
[00:15:20] researchers are now focusing on making production faster and more
[00:15:23] efficient.
[00:15:37] That means patients would no longer have to wait 3 months. Instead, we
[00:15:41] would have them readily available for immediate clinical
[00:15:44] use. Back in the operating theater in
[00:15:47] Göttingen, the surgeons stitched together 10 individual heart
[00:15:50] patches to create a larger graft. The yellow sponge
[00:15:54] acts as a supporting base and later breaks down naturally inside the
[00:15:58] body. Researchers estimate that around
[00:16:01] half of the 800 million implanted cells will survive.
[00:16:05] Eventually they contract in sync with the patient's heartbeat. If
[00:16:09] the heart's pumping function simply stops getting worse, that alone would be
[00:16:13] considered a success. If it improves, the patient may no longer
[00:16:17] need a donor heart at all.
[00:16:20] The patches stitched directly onto the beating heart, where it gradually
[00:16:23] integrates with the surrounding tissue over the following
[00:16:26] weeks.
[00:16:29] It will be significantly less
[00:16:31] expensive.
[00:17:37] that would allow them to treat more hospital patients with these potentially
[00:17:40] life-saving heart
[00:17:42] patches.
[00:17:48] What if instead of simply swallowing medicines and allowing
[00:17:51] them to circulate throughout the entire body, we could deliver them
[00:17:55] directly to the precise location where they're
[00:17:58] needed, perhaps with the help of an
[00:18:01] implant produced a 3D
[00:18:04] printer.
[00:18:07] Research is underway in a lab in Würzburg in southern Germany,
[00:18:10] a technology that could one day transform the way medicines are
[00:18:14] delivered. Anna Flyher is leading the project and first had the
[00:18:17] idea in 2019.
[00:18:21] Heutzutage werden Medikamente medications are usually administered as
[00:18:25] tablets or through infusion. They enter the
[00:18:28] bloodstream through a vein or in some cases through a
[00:18:30] port, but that means the drugs are distributed throughout the entire
[00:18:34] body, reaching organs where they're not actually needed.
[00:18:38] So we thought, wouldn't it make more sense to release medications exactly where
[00:18:42] they're required, without putting unnecessary strain on the rest of the
[00:18:45] body, restlichen Körper unnötig
[00:18:47] belasten. The project is called Endorelease, short for
[00:18:51] endovascular release. The idea is
[00:18:54] to use an implant placed inside a blood vessel to deliver
[00:18:57] medication directly where it's
[00:18:58] needed.
[00:19:01] The system works by implanting a drug- filled device into the body using a
[00:19:05] minimally invasive procedure.
[00:19:08] A catheter is then used to guide it through an artery to the target
[00:19:11] location.
[00:19:14] We're making use of the body's natural infrastructure. Over the
[00:19:17] course of evolution, arteries have become the ideal highways that we can
[00:19:21] use to transport our implant and capillaries
[00:19:24] the ideal sites for exchange where medications can pass into the target
[00:19:28] tissue.
[00:19:30] Experts from a wide range of disciplines are working together to make that vision a
[00:19:34] reality. The team is currently developing and testing.
[00:19:45] systems will make treatments both safer and more effective by delivering
[00:19:49] highly concentrated doses directly to the target
[00:19:52] site while avoiding systemic side effects in the rest of the
[00:19:55] body.
[00:19:58] Another potential advantage is that the technology could help reduce
[00:20:01] healthcare costs.
[00:20:07] come from using less medication, although we would
[00:20:10] be releasing much smaller amounts locally. The bigger
[00:20:14] benefit is that we may be able to treat diseases earlier and more
[00:20:17] effectively, potentially avoiding a huge amount of follow-up
[00:20:20] costs.
[00:20:23] The system has now been filed for patent protection in several
[00:20:26] countries, but there's still a long road ahead before it reaches clinical
[00:20:30] use. How quickly that happens will depend on future
[00:20:33] funding and on how successfully the technology performs
[00:20:36] in further testing?
[00:27:14] Young people in Albania, what does the daily life of a
[00:27:18] high school student in the capital of Tirana look like?
[00:27:21] French parenting, what do parents in France do
[00:27:24] differently?
[00:27:27] Walking in the Wadden Sea, what can you
[00:27:30] experience along the German North Sea coast? All this and much
[00:27:33] more in today's Euromax.
[00:27:53] Tirana, the Albanian capital, is very popular among
[00:27:56] tourists, but what is it like to grow up in this city? A young Albanian
[00:28:00] shows us his daily
[00:28:06] life. Hello, I'm Drin, I'm 16 years old and I live in Tirana.
[00:28:10] This is the city where I grew up and where I experienced many things for the first
[00:28:14] time. Come with me, I'll show you what a day of
[00:28:18] mine looks like.
[00:28:21] Hello, welcome to my
[00:28:23] home. I live with
[00:28:27] my parents. My grandparents live in an apartment that
[00:28:31] is connected to ours. This is my mother who always
[00:28:35] helps me get ready for breakfast, or for
[00:28:38] school. Drin's older brother works
[00:28:41] abroad. In Albania, it is normal for several generations of the same
[00:28:45] family to live under the same roof.
[00:28:48] This is my room, I love it, it reflects my character,
[00:28:52] it is also very practical because I spend most of my
[00:28:55] time here studying or
[00:28:58] playing music.
[00:29:05] Drin's day starts at 6 AM. He has to walk quite a bit to the
[00:29:09] bus that takes him to school.
[00:29:13] He attends a private Catholic high school. Classes start at 8
[00:29:17] AM. Today his class has an Albanian
[00:29:20] language test. Classes end after the sixth
[00:29:23] period.
[00:29:27] After school, Drin goes back to his grandmother's, his father's mother. Since
[00:29:31] his grandfather passed
[00:29:34] away, she lives
[00:29:36] alone. On the ground floor there is a room
[00:29:40] that has a special meaning for Drin.
[00:29:47] These are the ships that my grandfather and I built for years. These are
[00:29:51] models of real
[00:29:53] ships.
[00:29:57] My grandfather was very dedicated to it and he passed that love on to
[00:30:00] me.
[00:30:03] This is my grandfather, as a young man, he attended a naval
[00:30:07] academy, and later worked on a
[00:30:09] ship for years. And here's my
[00:30:13] grandmother.
[00:30:16] Hello.
[00:30:22] My grandmother and I are very close, so I try to visit her as
[00:30:25] often as possible. Three to four times a week, and even on
[00:30:28] weekends.
[00:30:32] In Albania, the most important
[00:30:33] thing.
[00:30:36] In the afternoon, Drin goes with his friend Boran to the city
[00:30:40] center. Both are part of the same group of school
[00:30:43] friends.
[00:30:46] We hang out outside of school too.
[00:30:49] We play sports, play video games and do similar
[00:30:53] things. Or, like today, they go
[00:30:56] to the bakery for Burek.