Healthcare industry

The major focus of the planned research initiative is precompetitive and application-oriented basic and initial research.

Christiane Pelzer and Ingrid Kassner biologists at the University of Constance recently discovered a previously unknown protein that plays a role in the binding of ubiquitin to target proteins. This discovery is a milestone in the research of basic enzymatic processes.

Article - 09/03/2008

Successful attack on resistant tumour cells

In laboratory experiments Dr. Anja Apel from the University Hospital in Heidelberg proved that cancer cells that are resistant to radiation therapy can be made to become susceptible to this kind of treatment again by blocking the cells own recycling system.

The German Health Regions Network association was instituted on the 14th February 2008. The association acknowledges the growing importance of the health care industry and hopes to strengthen it with a particular focus on the project-related cooperation between the German health regions.

Since the 1st March 2008 the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University Hospital in Heidelberg has a new medical director Professor Dr. Hans-Ulrich Kauczor 45 succeeds Professor Dr. Günter Kauffmann.

Manfred Hönig paediatrist from Ulm University Childrens Hospital has received the Friedrich Linneweh Award for the promotion of young scientists in the field of paedriatrics. Hönig received the prize for his research on the development of immune cells.

The leaders of the two countries research policy groups met in the French capital to discuss strategies on how to cope with challenges that are faced by both countries in the field of research. Several Agreements signed at the end of the Forum are the basis of strategic partnerships.

Red biotechnology became commercially successful because process engineering succeeded in expressing foreign genes in microorganisms and got a grip on cells tissue cells were not only cultivated using technical methods but also purified for medical application on an industrial scale. However the biopharmaceutical industry is now facing rising costs.

The history of Bt-maize is a strange mix of opportunities risks scientific contradictions market authorisations and recalls. It is also an excellent example of why the public scepticism towards genetically modified organisms GMO is growing.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.