SCIENCEALERT STAFF
Vitamin is a term used to describe the range of organic compounds an organism produces in insufficient quantities (if at all), yet still requires for important functions in its body.
To acquire these essential micronutrients, the organism must scavenge them from appropriate food sources. Since organisms make these vital molecules in varying amounts, a much-needed nutrient for one living thing won t be scarce enough to be considered a vitamin in another. For example, dogs synthesize their own vitamin C (in their livers), but fish, birds, guinea pigs, and humans cannot.
These chemicals carry out a wide variety of tasks to help an organism grow, reproduce, or simply survive. Some act as signals, regulating metabolism of other materials. Others help enzymes work either directly as a cofactor, or indirectly in the production of one.
Date Time
Beter treatment of allergies through collaboration between WUR and Rijstate
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Rijnstate Hospital are to collaborate closely in the Rijnstate Allergy Centre. This collaboration aims to innovate and further improve the diagnostics and treatment of patients suffering from allergies.
WUR immunologists and allergists of Rijnstate Hospital have been collaborating for some time now. Janneke Ruinemans-Koerts works as a clinical chemist at Rijnstate Hospital and has recently been appointed to a part-time position at WUR. She will focus on the implementation of new diagnostic methods. ‘With this collaboration, we hope to bridge the gap between scientific insights and clinical practice’, says Ruinemans-Koerts. ‘Thus, we hope to make new developments accessible and available to patients sooner’.