Article - 29/07/2013 Food supplements from blue-green algae do more harm than good Dietary supplements containing different types of algae claim to be rich in minerals that help improve mental acuity and concentration. While many of these products are neither useful nor harmful, products containing blue-green algae have raised serious concerns. Consumers have repeatedly complained about pain and discomfort after consumption. A study carried out by toxicologist Prof. Dr. Daniel Dietrich from the University of Konstanz has now…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/food-supplements-from-blue-green-algae-do-more-harm-than-good
Article - 29/07/2013 Genetic fingerprinting - a useful method in fruit production Genetic fingerprinting is a well-known technique used for paternity testing and in forensic science. However, the technique is also used in the field of agriculture. Molecular genetics makes it possible to develop and apply new research and breeding methods to the field of fruit production in order to improve production and quality standards. Dr. Haibo Xuan from the Competence Centre for Fruit Production (KOB) at Lake Constance has been working…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/genetic-fingerprinting-a-useful-method-in-fruit-production
Article - 29/07/2013 ‘Go back to start’ in the field of meiosis Researchers have long thought they knew exactly how meiosis, meiosis regulators and the complex that forms between homologous chromosomes during meiosis work. The research group headed by Dr. Andrea Pichler from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has now discovered a new mechanism that plays an important role in meiosis. The study carried out by Pichler and her colleague Dr. Helene Klug has shown why it is…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/go-back-to-start-in-the-field-of-meiosis
Press release - 23/07/2013 International Workshop: High Performance Mass Spectrometry The integration of new tools & methods of "High Performance Mass Spectrometry in Life Sciences" is the focus of this year's "Mass Spectrometry Workshop" at the University of Konstanz. The workshop is hosted by the University of Konstanz and the German Society for Mass Spectrometry. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/international-workshop-high-performance-mass-spectrometry
Press release - 22/07/2013 BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg's international relations bring Heidelberg-based Medicyte GmbH in contact with new distribution partner BIOPRO Baden-Württembergs business development activities have led to the establishment of a new distribution partnership between Heidelberg-based Medicyte GmbH and Dutch Westburg BV. When BIOPRO searches for international partners for Baden-Württemberg companies the state agency often makes use of its international network partners and in this case BIOPROs contact with the Netherlands Business Support Office Stuttgart NBSO brought the desired…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/biopro-baden-wuerttemberg-s-international-relations-bring-heidelberg-based-medicyte-gmbh-in-contact
Article - 22/07/2013 Marcus Fändrich strengthens protein biochemistry at Ulm University After quite a long vacancy the directors post of the Institute for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at the University of Ulm has finally been filled. Marcus Fändrich and his team moved into the laboratories and offices of the new life sciences building on the Oberer Eselsberg Ulm University campus in November 2012. Fändrich fills a gap in the Ulm Bioregions biopharmaceutical education activities as he will not only be teaching biochemistry…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/marcus-faendrich-strengthens-protein-biochemistry-at-ulm-university
Article - 22/07/2013 FESTO – tapping into the bioproduction market Festo AG Co. KG is a leading provider of factory automation and process automation. The company has been involved in and contributed to shaping the development of such automation solutions ever since its foundation in 1925. Festo markets electrical and pneumatic drive technology valves sensors and other automation components as well as complete control units. Moreover when industrial bioproduction involving living microorganisms was gaining in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/festo-tapping-into-the-bioproduction-market
Article - 15/07/2013 A horse in cow’s clothing Control is good dual control even better. Blind trust in the food industry is not always the best idea. Dioxin EHEC and the horsemeat scandal show how vulnerable safety of the food chain is in a globalised world and also highlights the continuously changing challenges facing food inspectors. Food inspection aims to protect consumers from potential harm caused by food and against fraud committed by the industry.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-horse-in-cow-s-clothing
Article - 08/07/2013 Götz Gresser - new director of the ITV Denkendorf Dr.-Ing. Götz Gresser succeeds Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinrich Planck as director of the Institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering (ITV) Denkendorf. Gresser regards the application-oriented research and development in the fields of medical technology and biotechnology as an important success factor of the institute and will continue to further develop this.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/goetz-gresser-new-director-of-the-itv-denkendorf
Article - 08/07/2013 Christine Goffinet: independent and successful AIDS researchers Christine Goffinet, 36, from the Institute of Molecular Virology at the University of Ulm has already received numerous awards for her research on AIDS. She was recently awarded a scholarship for postdoctoral lecture qualification under the Margarete von Wrangell Habilitation Programme. However, before she became a virologist, Goffinet chose a career path that was quite different from the standard career path seen on many scientific CVs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/christine-goffinet-independent-and-successful-aids-researchers
Article - 04/07/2013 Experimental evidence of stem cells for metastasis For the first time, scientists from Heidelberg have characterised cancer cells that initiate metastasis in the blood of breast cancer patients using an in-vivo xenograft mouse model. These cells have the properties of cancer stem cells and are characterised by three surface molecules that can be used as biomarkers for disease progression. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/experimental-evidence-of-stem-cells-for-metastasis
Dossier - 01/07/2013 Electrophysiology – from cardiac pacemakers to drug discovery Electrochemical reactions are involved in many processes in the human organism. Electrophysiology is the study of the central processes of electrical and chemical interaction and communication between neurons and muscle cells, including the transmission and processing of signals in the nerves and the subsequent contraction of the muscles. For example, electrophysiology studies examine the rhythm which which our heart pumps blood through the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/electrophysiology-from-cardiac-pacemakers-to-drug-discovery
Article - 28/06/2013 A world champion of regeneration Planarians can be cut into pieces, and each piece can regenerate into a complete organism. The flatworms are able to do this as they have a huge pool of adult totipotent stem cells that can differentiate into any body cell whatsoever, including germ cells. Scientists from the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies are using new algorithms to analyse the complex planarian genome structures with the aim of obtaining insights into the genetic…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-world-champion-of-regeneration
Article - 27/06/2013 Annegret Wilde – jetlagged cyanobacteria Sleep-deprived bacteria? Prokaryotes that move towards the light? Yes, they actually exist, as demonstrated by Prof. Dr. Annegret Wilde from the Institute of Molecular Genetics at the University of Freiburg. For the past 15 years Wilde has been studying the requirements and capabilities of cyanobacteria and she was appointed chair for molecular genetics at the University of Freiburg in August 2012.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/annegret-wilde-jetlagged-cyanobacteria
Article - 24/06/2013 Cloned human beings are not to be feared An international team of scientists led by Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov at the Oregon Health & Science University, USA, succeeded for the first time ever in cloning human embryonic stem cells by somatic cell nuclear transfer. This breakthrough raises questions about the potentials and dangers of creating human stem cells by cloning. Prof. Dr. Marcel Leist from the University of Konstanz, who uses human embryonic stem cells for his research, gives…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cloned-human-beings-are-not-to-be-feared
Article - 24/06/2013 Cells and biomaterials for the treatment of intervertebral disc defects A new therapeutic method uses a patient’s own cartilage cells for the regeneration of intervertebral discs. The NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen and its partners are scientific partners in the first clinical application of the new method. The key aim of the researchers from Reutlingen is the validation of the safety, efficiency and efficacy of the new method in order to prepare for approval for broad application in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cells-and-biomaterials-for-the-treatment-of-intervertebral-disc-defects
Article - 17/06/2013 EHEC prevention: mission ‘safe salad’ Raw fruit and vegetables are popular and healthy, at least as long as they are not contaminated with pathogens such as those that caused the EHEC outbreak in 2011 where sprouted foods were identified as the source of the E. coli outbreak. Researchers from the University of Hohenheim are looking into how the risk of consumers being infected by ready-to-eat vegetables and salads can be minimised. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ehec-prevention-mission-safe-salad
Article - 17/06/2013 New software systems for patient-friendly cancer radiotherapy The new large-scale cooperative project SPARTA is aimed at developing adaptive, intelligent and flexibly expandable software systems for the improved radiotherapy of cancer. The Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology (HIRO), which integrates the common research interests of all institutions in Heidelberg active in the field of radiotherapy, plays a pivotal role in the project.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-software-systems-for-patient-friendly-cancer-radiotherapy
Article - 17/06/2013 Evolution of light perception networks in plants Genetically identical plants develop rather differently depending on the light conditions in which they live. In the dark the plant grows in length in order to reach the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. Exposed to light the plant then switches to a different development programme becomes green and assembles its photosynthesis machinery. Prof. Dr. Andreas Hiltbrunner from the University of Freiburg is interested in finding out how the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/evolution-of-light-perception-networks-in-plants
Article - 10/06/2013 Stem-cell tests to provide protection to unborn babies The development of unborn babies may already be impaired in the womb by pollutants from the environment food and drugs to which their mothers are exposed. Reliable and informative toxicity tests are necessary in order to assess and prevent the effects toxic substances may have on unborn babies. Biologist Dr. Tanja Waldmann from Konstanz University is developing toxicity test systems based on human embryonic stem cells which contribute to improved…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stem-cell-tests-to-provide-protection-to-unborn-babies
Article - 03/06/2013 With metabolomics food analytics goes all the way In the not-too-distant future, food analysts hope they will be able do more than just detect mycotoxin traces and determine the concentration of individual nutrients such as vitamin C. Their ambition is in fact much broader: “We would like to understand the nutritional and physiological effect of food,” said Prof. Sabine Kulling from the Max Rubner Institute in Karlsruhe. As with other life sciences areas, metabolomics is seen as a key technology…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/with-metabolomics-food-analytics-goes-all-the-way
Dossier - 03/06/2013 Food analytics – applied consumer protection Consumers – in other words, all of us – rightly expect to be supplied with healthy, high-quality and safe foods. However, over the past few years, food scandals have frequently hit the headlines. They are brought to light in laboratories that have a huge arsenal of methods and procedures to analyse food. Although the media would have us believe otherwise, the vast majority of foods are safe and very rarely hazardous to human health. This is in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/food-analytics-applied-consumer-protection
Article - 03/06/2013 Laser light for the diagnosis of stroke Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in the Western world and in Germany the most common cause of moderate to severe disabilities. Besides effective prevention, the rapid and specific diagnosis of impaired blood circulation in the brain is key in the effective treatment of stroke patients. PD Dr. Thomas Gisler from the University of Konstanz has developed CereFLux, a method that allows the flow of blood in the human brain to be…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/laser-light-for-the-diagnosis-of-stroke
Article - 03/06/2013 Red light to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of gene expression The interaction of proteins and RNA is a crucial factor in the regulation of gene expression. These protein-RNA interactions can be specifically controlled and investigated inside the cell using proteins with customised chemical functions. In his doctoral thesis, chemist Moritz Schmidt from the University of Konstanz addresses the possibility of conveying new functions to proteins by introducing non-natural amino acids. He has developed a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/red-light-to-elucidate-the-regulatory-mechanisms-of-gene-expression
Article - 27/05/2013 Economic factors outpace medical factors – are regulatory authorities brakes to innovation? The Pharmaceuticals Market Reorganisation Act (AMNOG) of January 2011 aims to limit the rising costs of pharmaceuticals and to create a balance between innovation and the affordability of drugs. For the pharmaceutical industry this means that the price of new pharmaceuticals depends on their proven additional benefit. The ‘healthcare industry provider network’ (hipnet) invited representatives from Boehringer Ingelheim and SocraTec R&D GmbH to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/economic-factors-outpace-medical-factors-are-regulatory-authorities-brakes-to-innovation