Healthcare industry

The NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen organised its biannual MEA conference from 8 to 11 July 2008. More than 200 developers and microelectrode array users from 18 countries came together in Reutlingen to present their latest developments and results.

The Starting Independent Researcher Grants supports postdocs in the creation or consolidation of young researcher teams.

Starting in the winter semester 20092010 the new Tuttlingen University Campus of Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences will offer 35 university places each in medical technologymedical engineeringproduction engineering and mechatronics.

How can a doctor reach a brain tumour with a scalpel? Stockert devices which use catheter technology and probes to localise and electrically neutralise problematic tissue help to solve the problem in hospitals all over the world.

In the next winter semester Freiburg University will offer a new masters course in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology. The objective of the two-year course is to train experts at the interface of the computer sciences and life sciences.

The new iNNOVATION fORUM of the Baden-Württemberg MicroMountains Network offered researchers and the medical device industry an intensive moderated dialogue and the chance to make new contacts and to improve their chances for future innovations.

An excellent idea: a new technology or innovative methods and products for which patents have been filed or already granted, might be eligible for the Patent Award 2008, a brand new prize, on offer for the first time in 2008. Due to the popularity of the prize, the application deadline has been extended to 30th September 2008.

The resolution of the magnetic resonance imager is so good that it can visualise molecular structures. Siemens has provided the cancer researchers from Heidelberg with the powerful imager.

The deadline for submitting project proposals for the third round is 15 October 2008.

nadicom GmbH has received the GMP certificate from the Regional Council Tübingen. Good Manufacturing Practice compliance ensures that the specific microbiological analyses carried through by nadicom are quality-controlled.

The International Business School Tuttlingen is pleased about the growing number of applications and the interest shown from foreign students. The sixth Master of Business Administration MBA course will begin on 2 October 2008.

Scientists of the Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics at the German Cancer Research Center DKFZ in Heidelberg have simulated on the computer how cells decide whether or not to migrate. The method forges new paths in cancer medicine.

Tübingen-based Hölle & Hüttner AG is taking over the entire share capital of Cologne-based INTAVIS Bioanalytical Instruments AG retroactively as of 1 January 2008. Both companies specialise in the development and marketing of systems for the automation of biochemical and molecular biological processes.

Patients will often see several doctors. Computer scientists at the Centre for Information and Medical Technology at the University of Heidelberg are developing a new electronic patient file to enable the smooth transfer of patient data.

Under the agreement Nycomed will receive the exclusive worldwide rights to develop manufacture and commercialise the subcutaneous formulation of veltuzumab for the treatment of all non-cancer indications.

Communication is a tricky business. You must do the best you can said Dr. Hermann Stamm who is a great supporter of nanotechnology. The physicist has plans to show the current and especially future potential of this technology which is celebrated by many but feared by others. He also speaks openly about potential risks and dangers.

In his paper entitled "Why can’t science be popular?", science historian Ernst-Peter Fischer shows that it is very difficult to communicate life science issues. Michael Statnik spoke with Professor Fischer from Constance about the reasons for this and potential ways of making the natural sciences easier to comprehend.

Frank Kirchhoff an AIDS researcher from Ulm has learnt to pose important questions and find the right answers during his post-graduate studies. This recipe has brought him and his research group international recognition and makes him one of the best AIDS researchers worldwide. Important publications within a very short time and numerous awards are clear evidence of his outstanding achievements. In addition he has just started a clinical trial…

Proposals must be submitted by 30 September 2008.

The first Web log was initiated in 1991. Since then an ever increasing number of scientists have been using these Internet diaries to communicate knowledge report about science comment on it and classify it. Web logs are an enrichment for science communication.

Proposals have to be submitted by 1 December 2008.

Investments in research and development play a particularly important role in this highly innovative industry. However the introduction of innovations in reimbursement systems requires further improvements.

Due to high safety requirements the development of medical and pharmaceutical products takes a long time and requires a lot of money - a situation that often puts off investors. The High-Tech Gründerfonds provides a solution to this situation.

About a year ago Prof. Dr. Martin Schwemmle and his team at the University Hospital of Freiburg discovered a new starting point in the fight against the H5N1-virus. In the meantime the scientists are working together with the company Pike Pharma to develop a compound.

Press release - 28/07/2008

The processing of olfactory cues in animals

Olfactory researchers have received the go-ahead for a DFG priority programme coordinated by the University of Constance. Funding will be provided for research projects dealing with animals sense of smell and what happens in the brain during this process.