The technology company KyooBe Tech GmbH and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on future research and development projects. The aim of the collaboration is to evaluate an innovative technology for inactivating pathogens using the specific effect of low-energy accelerated electrons (Low Energy Electron Irradiation—LEEI) and to make it available to DZIF scientists.

At the new Institute for Adaptive Mechanical Systems (IAMS) at the University of Stuttgart, the focus is on a new generation of walking robots and “soft robotics”. The researchers are developing adaptable robots inspired by natural movement patterns and made from innovative soft materials. The applications range from healthcare and industrial production to energy supply.

LICIT Solutions completes Series A financing to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation sustainable active ingredients for hygiene, preservation, and protective applications LICIT Solutions GmbH, a spin-out from the Institute for Clinical Anatomy and Cell Analysis at the University of Tübingen, has successfully completed its Series A financing round.

Worldwide, almost one third of women of childbearing age suffer from bacterial vaginosis. Such a disorder of the vaginal flora can cause urogenital infections, abscesses on the ovaries or fallopian tubes or premature births. As part of a BW Sprint project, the DITF have laid the basis for the development of a panty liner that supports the health of the vaginal environment and can prevent bacterial vaginosis.

A method developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB enables bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic pathogens in sepsis patients to be identified much faster than before and with the highest precision. The approach is based on high-throughput sequencing of cell-free DNA circulating in the blood and was honored with the EARTO Innovation Award in the "Impact Delivered" category on October 14,…

Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are insidious. They can evade the immune defence and antiviral drugs by becoming "latent". In this state, they are largely invisible and unassailable. As long as these dormant viruses persist, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. However, researchers at Ulm University Hospital have discovered a new way to reactivate latent HI viruses.

On the basis of the cooperative relations that have developed over time, Heidelberg University and Harvard University are going to deepen and expand their cooperation. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect. As an institutional internationalization project, the state of Baden-Württemberg is providing ten million euros to support this initiative, which is part of the state’s “Global Partnership in Science” activities.

With the FeMEA project – Ferroelectric Microelectrodes for Biomedical Applications – Hahn-Schickard is setting a pioneering course in bioelectronics research. The aim of the project is to develop novel microelectrode arrays in which ferroelectric materials are used as functional interfaces in CMOS chips for the first time.

Researchers at Heidelberg Uni Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human genome. A research team identified RNA:DNA hybrids as molecular signposts for the virus. These findings reveal a vulnerability in the life cycle of HIV and provide therapeutic approaches for specifically controlling HIV reservoirs in the body. This has been one of the obstacles to curative HIV therapies.

Soft robots, robot systems made of soft materials, open up new perspectives for medical technology and industry. Jun.-Prof. Dr. Aniket Pal from the University of Stuttgart is conducting research into viscoelastic materials that have the potential to embed intelligent functions in soft robots. He is receiving 1.5 million euros in funding for this research as part of the Emmy Noether Program. The funding period began on September 1, 2025.

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target cancer cells. The team showed that virus peptides coupled to silica nanoparticles can elicit effective T-cell responses against HPV-related tumors.

Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been cost- and time-intensive. Researchers at KIT have developed a platform on which extremely miniaturized nanodroplets with a volume of 200 nanoliters per droplet and containing 300 cells per test can be arranged. This platform enables the researchers to synthesize and test thousands of therapeutic agents on the same chip, saving time and resources.

If the brain no longer responds properly to insulin (insulin resistance), this can lead to overweight, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the DZD in Potsdam and Tübingen have discovered small chemical modifications to genetic material (epigenetic changes*) in the blood that indicate how well the brain responds to insulin. These markers could help to detect insulin resistance in the brain – by means of a simple blood test.

The targeted engineering of artificial proteins with unique properties – that is possible with the assistance of a novel method developed by a research team of Heidelberg University. It centers around a new AI model. This allows for forecasting how two proteins have to be fitted together at the molecular level from individual parts – subunits – in order to engineer a functional, adjustable new protein.

Less radiation exposure during diagnosis and treatment for breast and lung cancer: New Fraunhofer method combines X-ray imaging and radar. In the MultiMed project, which explores multimodal medical imaging in 3D, researchers are developing a method that combines X-ray imaging and radar. It´s not only expected to improve the accuracy and efficacy of diagnosing, monitoring and treating breast and lung cancer but also lighten the burden on patients.

How can the transformation to increase sustainability in hospitals succeed? Participants in the SustainMed project presented their answers at the closing event on 27 June 2025 in Stuttgart. The Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector Baden-Württemberg provided approximately 500,000 euros in funding to develop solutions for goals such as reducing volumes of waste in hospitals.

A team of researchers from HITS and MPIP have developed a model that learns how to generate proteins whose structures are highly flexible, even with patterns that are uncommon in natural proteins. Their work, presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), marks a step towards the goal of designing new proteins for applications in biotechnology, therapeutics and environmental research.

An international research team has deciphered a mechanism of evolutionary arms race in human cells. The findings provide insights into how mobile elements in DNA hijack cellular functions – and how cells can defend themselves against this in order to prevent conditions such as tumour formation or chronic inflammation.

Cancer can take decades for cancer-promoting changes in the genome to eventually lead to the formation of a malignant tumor. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center have now developed a method that allows for the first time to reconstruct the temporal development—the evolution—of cancerous cells from a single tissue sample.

A building with 7400 m² of research space for robotics and artificial intelligence is being built on the Max Planck Campus in Büsnau. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and the University of Stuttgart will be working there with partners from science and industry as well as start-ups from 2027.

VDI Guideline 5708 “Bioprinting, methods and definitions”: What sounds technical and sober at first glance is an important step forward in the future field of 3D bioprinting. The guideline was developed under Dr. Hanna Hartmann from the NMI in Reutlingen and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Groll from the University Hospital of Würzburg. It creates a binding, practical basis for reproducible and quality-assured bioprinting procedures.

3D bioprinting is a great hope in the field of regenerative medicine to produce miniaturized tissues and organ precursors with biological functionality. Today, however, scientists are still working on the challenge of producing a printable and at the same time compatible starting material.

Researchers from the universities in Konstanz and Vienna discover a new class of antibiotic that selectively targets Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhoea. These substances trigger a self-destruction program, which also operates in multi-resistant variants of the pathogen. The novel findings are published in the current issue of Nature Microbiology.

SpecPlate: an innovative multiwell plate - 26/03/2025

Focus on innovative drug development - accurate, time- and cost-saving

Drug research is a complex and costly process that requires extensive laboratory analyses and vast quantities of consumables, with disposable sample carriers in particular being used in their millions. PHABIOC GmbH has come up with a solution in the form of the SpecPlate, a ground-breaking alternative to sample carriers that reduces the time taken to perform analyses as well as the quantity of materials consumed. Serial production is underway.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed a single-cell green microalgae coated with magnetic material. This miniature robot was put to the test: would the microalgae with its magnetic coating be able to swim through narrow spaces and, additionally, in a viscous fluid that mimics those found in the human body? Would the tiny robot be able to fight its way through these difficult conditions?