"Programmable" polymer materials - 24/04/2023

Medicine of the future: intelligent 4D polymers from the printer

It is impossible to imagine medicine without 3D printing, which can be used to make implants or for culturing cells and tissues. It is now possible for 3D objects to be given an added dimension, namely an ability to make simple autonomous movements, by changing their size. Researchers at Heidelberg University have been able to produce microscopically small 4D structures from intelligent polymers that can be tailored to individual requirements.

Effective drugs against viral diseases like COVID-19 are urgently needed now and in the future. The emergence of viral mutants and yet unknown viruses could push vaccines to their limits. The DZIF scientist and bioinformatician Andreas Dräger from the University of Tübingen is working on a computer-based method that can help to accelerate the time-consuming identification and development of antiviral agents. Using a novel analysis technique that…

Development of anti-tumour agents - 20/03/2023

Targeting the protective shield of cancers

Cancer cells have different mechanisms to help them escape destruction by the immune system. Solid tumours, for example, are often surrounded by a protective layer of lactate, which has a strong immunosuppressive effect. WMT AG from Heidelberg is developing small drug molecules that reduce lactate production and thus make cancer cells vulnerable to immune system attacks.

Immune complexes in COVID-19 - 01/03/2023

Vicious circle of hyperinflammation

Whether a person experiences only a mild malaise or a critical course of disease after a coronavirus infection apparently depends on the antigen-antibody complexes that form in our body. The discovery of these immune complexes set a group of researchers, headed up by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Hengel from the Freiburg University Medical Centre, on the trail of a vicious circle of constantly escalating inflammation.

Review - 09/02/2023

5th Gene Technology Report – a critical observation of a cutting-edge technology

The societal importance of genetic technologies was demonstrated during the coronavirus pandemic, when it was possible to rapidly develop suitable vaccines thanks to genetic engineering methods. As a result, the Fifth Gene Technology Report published in autumn 2021 reads like a validation of many years of work, as well as making it clear that the will to continue the detailed long-term monitoring is very much present.

Patients have 30 percent fewer serious side effects when medication doses are tailored to their genetic profile. This is what an international research consortium has found out, including the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at the Bosch Health Campus. With an individual DNA medication pass, as used in the study, treatments can be made more effective and safer in the future.

Acute Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a life-threatening complication after leukemia treatment with allogeneic stem cell transplantation i.e. the transplantation of cells from another person. GvHD occurs when the transplanted immune cells are overly active and damage the receiving patient's healthy tissue. Researchers found that an endogenous molecule can mitigate this misdirected immune response.

In our bones, specialized cells called osteoblasts are responsible for building up bone substance. A team of researchers led by scientists from the DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim* and the University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf has now identified an enzyme that controls the activity of osteoblasts.

Inhibition of a protein complex in cells of the immune system prevents rejection of transplanted organs – this has been shown in a study by immunologists from the University of Konstanz, the Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) and Chongqing Cancer University Hospital.

On December 13, 2022, the European Commission granted approval to a drug against metastatic prostate cancer whose active ingredient was developed under the leadership of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University. The drug can significantly improve the survival chances of patients.

Neurodegenerative diseases - 12/12/2022

Blood-based biomarkers allow the early prediction of Alzheimer's risks

Most dementia diseases develop insidiously and are only detected at an advanced stage. Researchers at the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now identified the glial fibre acidic protein (GFAP) in the blood as a promising biomarker that can be used to determine an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease up to 17 years before diagnosis.

From human intestines to the bottom of the sea: Microorganisms populate nearly any habitat, no matter how hostile it is. Their great variety of survival strategies is of huge potential in biotechnology. Most of these organisms, however, are unknown, because they cannot be cultivated.