Inside the fight against COVID-19 - 28/10/2020 A new immunotherapeutic agent for treating severe COVID-19 cases Apogenix, a Heidelberg-based biopharmaceutical company specialising in innovative immunotherapeutics, has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with asunercept, the company’s lead drug candidate for treating severe cases of COVID-19. The fusion protein blocks the CD95-ligand-mediated death of epithelial cells in the lung and thus prevents damage to the organ.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-immunotherapeutic-agent-treating-severe-covid-19-cases
Biochip systems - 02/09/2020 Miniature organs with great potential Dr. Peter Loskill and his team at the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart and the University Hospital of Tübingen are developing what is known as an "organ-on-a-chip" (OoC). An OoC is a microfluidic system that simulates small functional units of organ tissue. OoCs can be used in different ways: in basic and pharmaceutical research as well as in clinical research and application, where they might render many animal experiments…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/miniature-organs-great-potential
Affimed GmbH - 01/07/2020 "Innate cell engager" fighting against cancer In the fight against tumour cells, d Affimed GmbH from Heidelberg relies entirely on the weapons of the innate immune system. Affimed has developed special innate cell engagers, which are bispecific antibodies that recognise tumour cells and bring them together with natural killer cells and macrophages of the innate immune system, which then kill the tumour cells. Clinical trials using the AFM13 molecule are ongoing.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/innate-cell-engager-fighting-against-cancer
Multiple sclerosis - 12/03/2020 Direct application of biopharmaceuticals through the nose into the brain There is currently no cure for multiple sclerosis, the most common neurological autoimmune disease in humans. Biopharmaceuticals that can delay the course of the disease or diminish its effects are often prevented from being fully effective by the blood-brain barrier. A European consortium led by the Fraunhofer IGB, Stuttgart is developing a new technology that can transport an innovative active ingredient directly to the central nervous system.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Direct-application-of-biopharmaceuticals-through-the-nose-into-the-brain
Article - 11/06/2019 New pathogens in beef and cow's milk contributing to the risk of cancer A team of researchers led by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. Harald zur Hausen has discovered a new type of infectious agent in dairy and meat products produced from European cattle that increases the risk for colon and breast cancer. These so-called Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) are small DNA molecules that are similar in sequence to both bacterial plasmids and certain viruses.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-pathogens-in-beef-and-cows-milk-contributing-to-the-risk-of-cancer
Expert interview - 13/05/2019 Innovation management in the life sciences – Inova DE provides insights Personalized medicine, medical technology, digital health and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing diagnostics and product development. Analyses are becoming faster and more precise, and data volumes can now be networked and used effectively. The goal of improving people's quality of life is within reach, and this will also strengthen Germany’s future viability. However, not every good idea can be turned into a marketable commodity.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/innovation-management-in-the-life-sciences-inova-de-provides-insights
Article - 16/04/2019 Tumour monitoring using liquid biopsy Liquid biopsy, the analysis of cancer biomarkers and circulating tumour cells in body fluids such as blood, is revolutionising the diagnosis and monitoring of cancer. It has also been possible to expand circulating tumour cells from the blood under laboratory conditions. It is expected that in the future, liquid biopsy will be able to precisely characterise tumour cells at every stage of a cancer.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/tumour-monitoring-using-liquid-biopsy
Expert interview on NTDs – part 1 - 11/04/2019 Neglected tropical diseases – Carsten Köhler: impulses from Baden-Württemberg More than one billion people worldwide suffer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are mostly poverty-related infectious diseases that prevail in tropical countries due to lack of research and measures to detect, prevent and control them. Dr. Dr. Carsten Köhler reports on the political, economic and scientific contributions Germany and Baden-Württemberg can make to successfully change this situation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vernachlaessigte-tropenkrankheiten-carsten-koehler-impulse-aus-baden-wuerttemberg
Article - 03/04/2019 HKK Bionics empowers hand gripping functions A spin-off from the Ulm University of Applied Sciences is aiming to provide people whose hands have been paralysed due to accident or illness with a new kind of orthopaedic aid. Dominik Hepp and Tobias Knobloch are currently starting serial production of a hand orthosis prototype. The two medical engineers from Ulm, who founded HKK Bionics GmbH in 2017, plan to commence final tests in 2019.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hkk-bionics-empowers-hand-gripping-functions
Article - 22/03/2019 Personalised therapies for treating metastasing breast cancer Breast cancer is characterised by broad genetic diversity. Successful treatment is made even more difficult by the fact that, in advanced breast cancer, the properties of metastases often differ significantly from the primary tumour. The Heidelberg CATCH study is now collecting genetic profiles from patients' metastasis tissue samples, which can be used to tailor therapy to individual requirements.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalisierte-therapieansaetze-bei-metastasiertem-brustkrebs
Article - 24/01/2019 Scientists to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater In Germany, around 1,500 tonnes of antibiotics per year are administered to humans and animals. As a result, more and more bacteria are developing resistance to common antibiotics. As part of HyReKA, a cooperative project funded by the BMBF, scientists led by Professor Thomas Schwartz from the KIT are investigating how antibiotic-resistant pathogens spread and how they can be prevented from doing so.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/scientists-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-in-wastewater
Dossier - 14/06/2016 CRISPR/Cas – genome editing is becoming increasingly popular https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/crisprcas-genome-editing-is-becoming-increasingly-popular
Dossier - 09/03/2015 Advances in the study and treatment of liver diseases https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/advances-in-the-study-and-treatment-of-liver-diseases
Dossier - 09/02/2015 Chemical tools for biological applications https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/chemical-tools-for-biological-applications
Dossier - 02/06/2014 Bioanalysis techniques for the characterization of biological material Science constantly provides researchers with new challenges biologists and bioanalysts have to deal with and which come from sources as varied as the ever increasing number of resistant pathogenic bacterial strains or the famine conditions in Third-World countries. In the search for scientific truths bioanalysis is the development optimization and application of the entire range of analytical methods available. However we need to keep in mind…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/bioanalysis-techniques-for-the-characterization-of-biological-material
Dossier - 28/04/2014 Data mining new opportunities for medicine and public health https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/data-mining-new-opportunities-for-medicine-and-public-health
Dossier - 10/03/2014 Cancer therapy and cancer diagnostics https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/cancer-therapy-and-cancer-diagnostics
Dossier - 02/12/2013 RNA interference confidence is returning The 15-year history of RNA interference is not short on dramatic effects. It begins with the unexpected discovery and publication of the process of post-transcriptional gene silencing in 1998 for which the two Americans Andrew Fire and Craig Mello were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine just eight years after their discovery. In 2001 Thomas Tuschl succeeded in switching off genes in human cells with small synthetic pieces of RNA…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/rna-interference-confidence-is-returning
Dossier - 05/08/2013 Progress expands bioethical boundaries https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/progress-expands-bioethical-boundaries
Dossier - 21/05/2013 No new drugs to be placed on the market without clinical trials New pharmaceuticals are subject to approval by drug authorities. Prior to approval of a new pharmaceutical several hurdles such as preclinical and clinical studies need to be cleared. Clinical trials are performed to ensure the quality efficacy and safety of a medicinal product. Clinical development is a time-consuming and costly process and takes on average ten to fifteen years before a pharmaceutical company can apply for the approval of the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/no-new-drugs-to-be-placed-on-the-market-without-clinical-trials
Dossier - 01/04/2013 Retroviruses from infectious agent to therapeutic assistant Viruses are infectious particles that use the machinery and metabolism of a host cell to replicate. Despite some similarities with accepted forms of life viruses are not considered as such. The family of retroviruses is particularly known for its most notorious representative i. e. the human immunodeficiency virus HIV which leads to AIDS and for which no cure or effective vaccine is currently available. However retroviruses are not only of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/retroviruses-from-infectious-agent-to-therapeutic-assistant
Dossier - 26/11/2012 Genetic diagnostics technology reaches the limits of what is medically reasonable Rapid progress in sequencing technologies is poised to set the imagination of biomedical researchers on fire. Experts now believe that progress is about to make possible what seemed to be utopian a few years ago – it seems likely that it will soon be possible to sequence the human genome in only a few minutes and store and automatically analyse it using tiny automates. However, is everything that is technically feasible also reasonable?https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/genetic-diagnostics-technology-reaches-the-limits-of-what-is-medically-reasonable
Dossier - 08/10/2012 Marine biotechnology unknown sources of hope from the depths of the sea Biotechnological methods are used to investigate marine life and the results obtained from these investigations advance research in the fields of medicine and energy and into substances used as food supplements and cosmetics. The area of marine biotechnology is fairly diverse. Although it is not on the coast even the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg is involved in marine biotechnology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/marine-biotechnology-unknown-sources-of-hope-from-the-depths-of-the-sea
Dossier - 01/10/2012 Systems biology understanding complex biological systems Systems biology studies complex interactions within biological systems on the genome proteome and organelle level. Many techniques from the fields of systems theory and associated fields can be used to gain an understanding of the behaviour and biological mechanisms of cellular systems.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/systems-biology-understanding-complex-biological-systems