Iron is essential for healthy cells. Cancer cells also require this trace element. Researchers in Freiburg have now found evidence that high levels of iron directly in the tumor microenvironment promote the spread of certain cells in a particularly aggressive type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma. In the long term, iron metabolism could therefore serve as a target for more precisely influencing particularly invasive tumor cells.

A revolution in glass processing technology for the medical technology sector - 07/10/2026

The Freiburg-based start-up Glassomer is rethinking materials

Glassomer has developed an innovative process for producing pure quartz glass. The result is geometrically complex glass components with micrometre-level precision that can be reproduced consistently at a fraction of the energy cost of conventional glass-melting processes. The company focuses in particular on customised products for diagnostic, therapeutic and microfluidic applications.

The start-up xenko has been awarded an EXIST grant of 143,500 € from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The team of founders from Ulm University is developing a digital health platform designed to encourage more physical activity in everyday working life through virtual reality. This development is of interest to companies with occupational health management schemes and, in the long term, to the physiotherapy sector as well.

How can cell-based immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases become more widely available in the long term? The SYNTHIA project is addressing this challenge: The Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI are collaborating on new research approaches to advance the development of cell-based immunotherapies.

CAR-T cell therapies have proven successful in treating several types of blood and lymphoid cancers. However, their use in treating other tumors is significantly more challenging, in part because suitable target structures are lacking.