Press release - 29/11/2023 EU funds research into causes and new therapies for multiple sclerosis The progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) can usually be slowed down with medication, but a cure is currently not possible. It is now established that Epstein-Barr viruses are involved in the development of MS. However, it is not known how the pathogens trigger the disease. The European Union is now funding the international research consortium BEHIND-MS as part of its HORIZON Europe program.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/eu-foerdert-forschung-zu-ursachen-und-neuen-therapien-der-multiplen-sklerose
Recent research shows effectiveness of biosurfactants - 28/11/2023 Combating oil spills - biosurfactants can stimulate microbial oil degradation Oil spills from drilling platforms and tankers cause environmental pollution and a loss of biodiversity. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart, among others, are now using biosurfactants to improve the management of oil spills: their latest research shows that biosurfactants lead to better microbiological degradation of oil components in seawater compared to conventional dispersants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/combating-oil-spills-biosurfactants-can-stimulate-microbial-oil-degradation
The AlbLavendel project - 20/11/2023 Swabian lavender cultivation: aesthetic and sustainable Blue-violet, fragrant fields like those in Provence may soon become a common sight in the Swabian Alb. As part of the AlbLavendel project, the University of Hohenheim along with the company naturamus GmbH and the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf has started to investigate the cultivation of lavender, the production of essential oils and the use of distillation residues for producing textile fibres in the local region.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/swabian-lavender-cultivation-aesthetic-and-sustainable
Press release - 15/11/2023 Nanoparticles for optimized cancer therapy Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancers in humans. Chemotherapies attack not only the tumor cells but also healthy cells throughout the body. Innovative nanoparticles could be a new approach to treat cancer more precisely. The approach was developed by a research team from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences, the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/nanopartikel-fuer-optimierte-krebstherapie
Augmented reality for visual orientation - 15/11/2023 Fall prevention with the help of balance-enhancing AR glasses As we age, our eyesight deteriorates and we have increasing difficulties with orientation. This can lead to balance problems and fatal falls. A team led by Dr. Lorenz Assländer from the University of Konstanz is currently developing a prototype of augmented reality (AR) glasses that use superimposed patterns to facilitate visual orientation in space, thereby helping to improve balance control and prevent falls.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fall-prevention-help-balance-enhancing-ar-glasses
Press release - 10/11/2023 Therapy resistance in multiple myeloma: molecular analyses of individual cancer cells reveal new mechanisms All cancer cells - even those within the same tumor - differ from each other and change over the course of a cancer disease. Scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital, the Medical Faculty in Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center discovered molecular changes in multiple myeloma that help individual cancer cells to survive therapy.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/therapy-resistance-multiple-myeloma-molecular-analyses-individual-cancer-cells-reveal-new-mechanisms
Press release - 06/11/2023 Improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy with modified CAR-T cells CAR-T cell therapy is a last hope for many patients with blood, bone marrow or lymph gland cancer when other treatments are unsuccessful. A limiting factor of this very effective and safe therapy is that the cells used in the process quickly reach a state of exhaustion. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have now been able to prevent this exhaustion and thus significantly improve the effect of the therapy in a preclinical animal model.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/improving-efficacy-cancer-immunotherapy-modified-car-t-cells
Press release - 02/11/2023 Sustainability Innovation Campus The Sustainability Innovation Campus (ICN) initiated by the University of Freiburg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which will begin its work in January 2024, has announced a two-year funding programme for start-up projects. Scientists from the University of Freiburg, KIT and cooperating universities and research institutions are invited to submit their project outlines by 30 November 2023.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/sustainability-innovation-campus
Press release - 30/10/2023 New research group: construction of tissue in laboratory An interdisciplinary research group combining mechanical engineering and biotechnology has taken up its work at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) of Heidelberg University. The team under the direction of Dr Kai Melde will pursue an innovative approach to biofabrication – 3D cell culture using ultrasound. Tools are being developed that can be used as an alternative to or enhancement for 3D printing. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/neue-forschungsgruppe-konstruktion-von-gewebe-im-labor
Press release - 26/10/2023 Innovative research aims to improve wound healing and cancer therapy Jun.-Prof. Dr. Priscilla Briquez, junior professor at the Department of General and Visceral Surgery at the Freiburg University Medical Center and member of the Medical Faculty at the University of Freiburg, has received a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant from the European Commission. Her DRESSCODE project will receive a total of 1.5 million euros funding for five years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/innovative-forschung-soll-wundheilung-und-krebstherapie-verbessern
Press release - 25/10/2023 Epigenetically acting drugs could support cancer immunotherapy Epigenetically active drugs enable the cell to read parts of the genome that were previously blocked and inaccessible. This leads to the formation of new mRNA transcripts and also new proteins, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the University Hospital Tübingen have now published. These "therapy-induced epitopes" could help the immune system recognize cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetically-acting-drugs-could-support-cancer-immunotherapy
Press release - 25/10/2023 Epigenetically acting drugs could support cancer immunotherapy Epigenetically active drugs enable the cell to read parts of the genome that were previously blocked and inaccessible. This leads to the formation of new mRNA transcripts and also new proteins, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the University Hospital Tübingen have now published. These "therapy-induced epitopes" could help the immune system recognize cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetisch-wirkende-medikamente-koennten-krebs-immuntherapie-unterstuetzen
Press release - 20/10/2023 Why tuberculosis bacteria form long chains A researcher team from Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne led by Dr. Vivek Thacker now group leader at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital have studied why tuberculosis bacteria form long strands and how this affects their infectivity. Their findings could lead to new therapies and have now been published in the journal Cell.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/why-tuberculosis-bacteria-form-long-chains
Microorganisms degrade biobased turf infill - 17/10/2023 Eco-friendly artificial turf: a sports pitch that’s good for people and the environment There are thousands of artificial turf pitches in Germany. They are extremely practical, but often not at all environmentally friendly. When it rains or the pitch is used, plastic particles from the rubber granules can be released into the envronment, where they remain. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart along with the company TECNARO are now developing an artificial turf with an infill that biodegrades as soon as it leaves the pitch.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/eco-friendly-artificial-turf-sports-pitch-s-good-people-and-environment
Press release - 17/10/2023 BioCopy and YUMAB announce partnership for development of innovative safeTY-engager® platform The development of highly specific T-cell engagers directed against pHLA tumor targets will be quick and easy. BioCopy's innovative pHLA screening technology characterizes drug candidates in great depth for their specific binding against the desired pHLA tumor target. YUMAB develops highly specific antibodies with their advanced antibody technologies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/biocopy-und-yumab-verkuenden-partnerschaft-fuer-entwicklung-innovativer-safety-engager-r-plattform
Press release - 11/10/2023 The new Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart The new Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart aims to optimize the interaction between humans and technical systems in a fundamentally new way. Scientists from the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen, the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics are conducting research on intelligent bionic systems that will aid understanding and treatment of certain diseases of the CNS.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/zentrum-fuer-bionic-intelligence-tuebingen-stuttgart-gegruendet
Press release - 11/10/2023 Land Use: Producing More Food and Storing More Carbon Doubling food production, saving water, and increasing carbon storage capacity – this may sound paradoxical, but would be theoretically feasible. Reaching this goal, however, would require a radical spatial reorganization of land use. This is the conclusion of researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) of Heidelberg University.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/landnutzung-mehr-nahrung-produzieren-und-gleichzeitig-mehr-kohlenstoff-speichern
Press release - 09/10/2023 Microalgae: Environmentally friendly and healthy alternative to fish Researchers at the University of Hohenheim are working on an alternative to fish consisting of microalgae. Advantage: Microalgae have high quality ingredients and also contribute to carbon storage.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/microalgae-environmentally-friendly-and-healthy-alternative-fish
Preventing waste from instant meals - 05/10/2023 EDGGY: edible packaging film made from eggshell waste Many instant meals such as ramen soups have both a protective outer packaging and individual ingredients in small plastic sachets. To prevent this environmentally harmful waste, five students at the University of Hohenheim have developed a sustainable film based on eggshells and plant proteins that dissolves in hot water and is edible.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/edggy-edible-packaging-film-made-eggshell-waste
Press release - 04/10/2023 Therapeutic option for tumor patients with the rare DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion A phase I clinical trial is now starting at Tuebingen University Hospital in the Clinical Collaboration Unit (CCU) Translational Immunology, in collaboration with the Department of Internal Medicine I, which is investigating the therapeutic cancer peptide vaccine Fusion-VAC-XS15 in combination with immune checkpoint blockade by atezolizumab (Tecentriq®). https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/therapeutic-option-tumor-patients-rare-dnajb1-prkaca-gene-fusion
Press release - 27/09/2023 Raw material requirements for reducing global poverty calculated for the first time Researchers at the University of Freiburg quantify the amount of material needed to enable people to live without poverty. 1.2 billion people live in poverty. To lift them out of it, an average of about six tons of raw materials are needed per person and year – in particular minerals, fossil fuels, biomass and metal ores. This is the result of a study by researchers from the Chair of Sustainable Energy and Material Flow Management.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/raw-material-requirements-reducing-global-poverty-calculated-first-time
Help with osteoarthritis of the knee - 27/09/2023 Individualised knee-joint cartilage: artificial tissue that fits Knee joints are subject to considerable stress throughout our lives. The natural shock absorber cartilage wears out over a lifetime, so many people develop knee osteoarthritis. Treatment is available in the form of artificial cartilage. This "off-the-shelf" tissue often does not grow well. Researchers are developing an individualised cartilage replacement made from biomaterial that is produced by 3D printing based on MRI images.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/individualised-knee-joint-cartilage-artificial-tissue-fits
Press release - 21/09/2023 Mutation-specific peptide vaccine against midline gliomas used in patients for the first time Tumor vaccines can help the body fight cancer. These vaccines alert the patient's immune system to proteins that are harbouring cancer-typical alterations. Physicians and cancer researchers from Heidelberg and Mannheim have now treated adult patients with advanced midline gliomas, difficult-to-treat brain tumors, with a peptide vaccine for the first time.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mutation-specific-peptide-vaccine-against-midline-gliomas-used-patients-first-time
Press release - 19/09/2023 Better distinguish chronic inflammation and cancer of the pancreas Current diagnostic methods do not always reliably distinguish between chronic inflammation of the pancreas and pancreatic cancer. About one third of all diagnoses are inconclusive. Scientists from the German Cancer Research (DKFZ) and from Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) therefore searched for molecular markers that could specify this diagnosis.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/chronische-entzuendung-und-krebs-der-bauchspeicheldruese-praeziser-unterscheiden
Press release - 28/08/2023 Innovative computational approach helps design proteins for cancer treatment The computational design of new proteins for biomedical or other applications involves long computing times on powerful servers. A joint team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen and the University Hospital Tübingen has now developed and tested a new computational method to greatly speed up the necessary energy calculations. Their framework allows for a precise and efficient design of functional proteins.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/innovative-computational-approach-helps-design-proteins-cancer-treatment