Healthcare industry

The latest ranking of the Centre for Higher Education Development CHE awarded two gold medals and one silver medal to the Freiburg Faculty of Biology. The CHE awarded approximately 500 departments at some 250 universities in 20 European countries.

The Heidelberg-based start-up company S-DH GmbH which is active in the field of neutron optics has recently acquired large orders from the USA England and Japan clearly asserting itself as a serious force agains international competition.

The Dietmar Hopp Foundation has donated one million euro for a new small-animal tomograph at the University Hospital in Heidelberg. The new system is suitable for small animals such as rats and mice and can be used to investigate diseases and therapies.

The Expert Commission for Research and Innovation EFI established by the German government presented its first report on research innovation and technological capabilities to Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan.

The professorship is unique in Europe In January 2008 Bernd Pichler received an endowed chair from the Werner Siemens Foundation for developing new non-invasive imaging methods for research and clinic. The engineer is in charge of the Laboratory for Preclinical Imaging and Imaging Technology at the University Hospital in Tübingen.

Holger Barth works with a special kind of Trojan horses. The toxicologist from Ulm is investigating bacterial toxins. These proteins manage in a similar way to the ancient Greeks before them to open the barricaded portal of the cells with a trick whereupon they start wreaking destruction.

Article - 01/03/2008

New active substance against hepatitis B

Scientists at the University Hospital in Heidelberg have discovered a hepatitis B virus peptide that can prevent viral infections in a mouse model. A team led by Professor Stephan Urban is developing a virus blocker against hepatitis B infections. Despite vaccinations every year about 750000 people die from the consequences of hepatitis B infections.

A wide spectrum of high quality support is available to young scientists in Germany. This is the conclusion of the government report on support for young scientists Bundesbericht zur Förderung des Wissenschaftlichen Nachwusches - BuWiN presented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Dr. Gilbert Gorr has been fascinated by the moss Physcomitrella patens for many years in fact it occupies a great deal of his waking moments. The enthusiasm with which the CSO of greenovation Biotech GmbH talks about the key object of his work is both intoxicating and contagious. The latest discovery The moss produces a therapeutic antibody that is far more effective than its predecessors created in animal cell cultures.

Article - 25/02/2008

How crustaceans help bridge the gaps of knowledge in early evolution

The team of researchers led by Dieter Waloßek zoologist at Ulm University is working on the organisation of knowledge in their discipline. The taxonomists are documenting living creatures in particular arthropods which also includes issues of evolution. Only recently Waloßek along with Andreas Maas and their foreign colleagues have hit the headlines.

The Heilbronn region has many years of experience with telematics projects. In October 2007 the region started a field test in which GPs and pharmacies were asked to test the functionality of the electronic health card in the region.

Dossier - 25/02/2008

Evolutionary research - from classical biology to molecular phylogeny

The conclusion that common features of different species can be traced back to a common ancestor has not been seriously questioned by scientists since the time of Darwin. However 150 years after Darwin ample evidence can be found of the anger bold statements and untruths that religious and pseudoreligious zealots still use to deny this reality.

Young medical professionals or young scientists are eligible to apply for funding.

Biametrics Marken and Rechte GmbH has developed new analytical devices based on reflectometric interference spectroscopy thus adopting the trend of label-free detection methods. This is because labelling tends to interfere with the natural activity of the biomolecules under investigation.

The forensic scientist Dr. Frank Wehner from the University of Tübingen has developed a method that enables him to determine the time of death to within a few days. The method is based on the degradation of proteins like insulin or cystatin C.

Nycomeds Board of Directors has appointed Michael Kuner Executive Vice President Legal. He joins the companys Executive Committee with immediate effect.

In Germany junior researchers will find it easier in future to network with international colleagues. Science centres which the German government is planning to set up around the world will also contribute to the attractiveness of Germany as a science location.

Article - 21/02/2008

The females choose their mates

The team of researchers led by evolutionary biologist Dr. Gerrit Begemann at Constance University is using swordtails to investigate the development of traits that evolved by sexual selection. Their major focus is the molecular mechanism of growth control in the caudal fin. Or put more simply why do these fish have swords?

The basic classification of bilateral animals is based on the comparison of their embryonic development and was confirmed in modern molecular phylogeny by the analysis of the relationship of the genes involved. Conserved groups of genes are responsible for the formation of the body axes.

Article - 20/02/2008

Threadworms throughout time

Threadworms are versatile research objects and are excellent models for investigating fundamental evolutionary principles. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology use the Caenorhabditis and Pristionchus threadworm genera to study the molecular mechanisms of biodiversity.

The Centre for Regenerative Biology and Medicine ZRM in Tübingen has joined forces with Naturin GmbH based in Weinheim. The partners plan to develop new carrier materials on the basis of collagen which improve cell cultures and medical implants.

The German Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan launched the Health Regions of the Future contest.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart is investigating the potential for system leaderships in computer-assisted medical technology from a holistic perspective. The project is part of the SysteMedic project.

Article - 18/02/2008

Baden-Württemberg to fund MediCyte research

MediCyte GmbH based in the Heidelberg Technology Park is among the winners of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science Research and the Arts biotechnology funding programme. The company will establish innovative cell culture systems.

Nycomed is about to establish its own marketing and sales organisation in Venezuela. With this the company will operate from an own subsidiary in all four leading Latin American pharmaceutical markets Mexico Brazil Venezuela and Argentina.