Article - 21/12/2009 A slightly different worm – Platynereis dumerilii The tiny marine ragworm Platynereis dumerilii was first used as a laboratory organism in order to investigate the dependence of its reproduction cycle on the phases of the moon. Recent work carried out by Detlev Arendt at the EMBL in Heidelberg and other researchers is transforming the worm into an evo-devo research model, in particular with regard to the development of its eyes and central nervous system.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-slightly-different-worm-platynereis-dumerilii
Press release - 21/12/2009 CHE Research Ranking 2009 Baden-Württemberg universities with a large proportion of faculties with a high research profile have achieved excellent results in the subjects covered by the CHE Research Ranking 2009 (ForschungsRanking). The University of Heidelberg has achieved an excellent ranking for the entire range of the natural sciences, mathematics and medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. The University of Tübingen has also achieved top results in the areas of medicine,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/che-research-ranking-2009
Press release - 17/12/2009 Germany Starts Its Part in the International Cancer Genome Project German scientists will participate in the largest and most ambitious biomedical research project since the Human Genome Project. Coordinated by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), the German participants of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) will start their work in early January. Their aim is to analyze the molecular causes of childhood brain tumors. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/germany-starts-its-part-in-the-international-cancer-genome-project
Article - 16/12/2009 Science meets Business Day 2009 The second part of the “Science meets Business Day” held in the Freiburg Concert House also provided guests with animated and exciting insights into the cooperation between research and industry. What enables neuroscientists to constantly obtain deeper insights into the dynamic network that is the “brain”? How do engineers manage to repress the extremely strong forces they encounter when handling the smallest quantities of liquid?https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/science-meets-business-day-2009
Article - 16/12/2009 BioValley “Science meets Business Day 2009” This year’s presentations at the “Science meets Business Day 2009” once again showed that the exchange between science and the industry in the BioValley works extraordinarily well. The “Science meets Business Day 2009” concluded this year’s BioValley Life Science Week, where researchers from five completely different disciplines and their industrial partners presented their views on what makes the economic location in the area bordered by…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biovalley-science-meets-business-day-2009
Article - 15/12/2009 Jochen Staiger – Looking for the basic module in the brain The neuroanatomist Prof. Dr. Jochen Staiger from the University of Freiburg is investigating the so-called barrels in the somatosensory cortex of rodents which represent a body map with which the tactile environment can be perceived. Prof. Staiger is looking for the basic circuit in this highly ordered and structured part of the brain which enables the connection between perception and behaviour.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/jochen-staiger-looking-for-the-basic-module-in-the-brain
Article - 15/12/2009 Arming the immune system against cancer The theory that immune cells are able to attack tumours has long been a theory with only a minority of supporters. However, this theory is currently experiencing a renaissance. In the future, it might even be possible to specifically alter T-lymphocytes in order to improve their ability to identify and destroy certain tumour types. Prof. Dr. Hanspeter Pircher and his team at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are focusing on the development…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/arming-the-immune-system-against-cancer
Article - 15/12/2009 AppliedSensor GmbH – Chemical gas sensors to detect contaminants Sensors and sensor systems are the speciality of Reutlingen-based AppliedSensor GmbH. The company develops gas detectors for the detection of harmful inorganic and volatile organic compounds. The application of the detectors is as broad as the presence of such gases, and they can be used anywhere from small family houses to offices, from cattle sheds to cars.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/appliedsensor-gmbh-chemical-gas-sensors-to-detect-contaminants
Article - 14/12/2009 Clever surveillance system keeps yeast in check The spectrum of human diseases (mycoses) caused by fungi ranges from trivial nail infections to life-threatening systemic infections. The latter are mainly caused by Candida albicans. The dermatologist Prof. Dr. med. Martin Schaller from Tübingen is investigating how this fungus, which is actually part of the normal microbial flora of humans, becomes a pathogen. At the same time, he is looking into the role the patient’s immune system plays in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/clever-surveillance-system-keeps-yeast-in-check
Article - 14/12/2009 s4s Tries – thorough and reliable pharmaceuticals services provider s4s stands for ”service for success” and Tries stands for Susanne Tries, the founder of the Ehingen-based company. Since 2002, the pharmacist has been offering services to the pharmaceutical industry and in this time the company has more than lived up to its claim of “service for success”. In fact, the company’s success is now enabling it to go one step further. The company founder envisages complementing her company’s established service…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/s4s-tries-thorough-and-reliable-pharmaceuticals-services-provider
Press release - 10/12/2009 Hydrogen from microalgae Hydrogen (H2) produced from water has great potential to be an environmentally friendly energy carrier of the future. However, the future application of hydrogen and other CO2-neutral sustainable fuels also requires the development of production methods that can contribute to the energy supply of tomorrow. Some unicellular green algae and cyanobacteria use light to break up water into hydrogen and oxygen. In cooperation with eight partners, KIT…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/hydrogen-from-microalgae
Press release - 08/12/2009 Official opening of the BioRN Academy in Mannheim On 7th December 2009, the BioRN Academy was opened with an official ceremony at the MAFINEX Technology Centre in Mannheim, Germany. This marks the beginning of a project, which is the only one of its kind in Germany, aimed at the further qualification of life scientists as managers in the biotechnology industry. The Rhine-Neckar Graduate School, Graf & Associate, Roche Diagnostics and the SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg are all…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/official-opening-of-the-biorn-academy-in-mannheim
Press release - 08/12/2009 Vaccination of honeybees against the Varroa mite is possible For the first time ever, honeybees were orally ‚vaccinated’ with a genetically engineered product that was later detected in the bloodsucking Varroa mite. This product is a DNA-plasmid that is normally used for man, horses, swine and also for fish. The inventor of this innovative DNA-vaccination system for bees is Matthias Giese, PhD, who launches his own Institute for Molecular Vaccines (IMV) in Heidelberg/Germany starting in 2010.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/vaccination-of-honeybees-against-the-varroa-mite-is-possible
Article - 08/12/2009 Karl Stock helps turn ideas into products Karl Stock takes abstract ideas and turns them into useable technological possibilities. The 44-year-old works in what could best be described as the one-man engineering office at the Ulm-based Institute of Laser Technologies in Medicine and Metrology (ILM). In contrast to university institutes, Stock’s work does not simply finish with a “paper” published in a journal. Stock strives to go further and his real work starts where others often stop,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/karl-stock-helps-turn-ideas-into-products
Article - 08/12/2009 Sentinels against microbial invaders Dendritic cells are sentinels of the innate immune system that activate the adaptive immune system when infectious microorganisms enter the body. Prof. Dr. Klaus Heeg and his team from the Department of Infectiology at the University of Heidelberg are focusing on the complex signalling pathways that link the innate and adaptive immune systems.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/sentinels-against-microbial-invaders
Press release - 08/12/2009 17th Annual Meeting of Baden-Württemberg Business Developers Speaking at the 17th Annual Meeting of Baden-Württemberg Business Developers, the Baden-Württemberg Minister of Economic Affairs, Ernst Pfister, specifically highlighted the “Mittelstand Zukunftsprogramm” and the huge importance of cluster policy for the development of Baden-Württemberg. He also highlighted the Ministry’s plans to combine cluster policy with the promotion of foreign trade, location marketing and the fair and convention industry.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/17th-annual-meeting-of-baden-wuerttemberg-business-developers
Press release - 07/12/2009 Curetis AG - € 18.5 million Series A Financing Round closed A consortium of leading life-science venture capital funds invests € 18.5 million in the German medical diagnostics company Curetis AG. This financing will enable Curetis to complete development of its innovative diagnostic products through to market entry.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curetis-ag-18-5-million-series-a-financing-round-closed
Press release - 04/12/2009 Signalling molecules play a key role in the immunological defence of cancer Whether tumours develop and spread is dependent, amongst other things, on the body’s ability to defend itself against them. Scientists from the University Women’s Hospital and the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg have identified two signalling molecules in breast cancers that play a key role in activating defence cells against tumours. The scientists also found that patient prognosis improves when activated defence cells are present.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/signalling-molecules-play-a-key-role-in-the-immunological-defence-of-cancer
Press release - 04/12/2009 Papillomavirus oncogene silences innate immune response Human papillomavirus type 16, the most frequent cause of cervical cancer, is able to silence a signalling molecule in the host cells that is needed for immune responses to occur. If the body is unable to defend itself against intruders, the viruses can successfully invade the cells of the cervical mucosa. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Centre have discovered that the viral E6 oncogene is responsible for this mechanism.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/papillomavirus-oncogene-silences-innate-immune-response
Article - 03/12/2009 Matthias Giese: DNA vaccine to combat worldwide honeybee deaths Varroa mites attach to the body of bees and weaken them by sucking hemolymph infecting them with viruses that are believed to be the cause of the mass death of European honeybee colonies. Matthias Giese of the Heidelberg-based Institute for Molecular Vaccines developed a DNA vaccine that might just lead to a breakthrough in the quest to get rid of the Varroa parasites. Giese tells us about his project in the following interview.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/matthias-giese-dna-vaccine-to-combat-worldwide-honeybee-deaths
Press release - 03/12/2009 Vetter to open new facility in suburban Chicago On 1st December 2009, the Ravensburg-based contract manufacturer Vetter dedicated its new production facility which will focus on early clinical projects. At the new site in Chicago, Vetter Development Services USA, Inc. will fill very small quantities of product required for pre-clinical through Phase IIb projects. Phase III projects and commercial large-scale production will in future be conducted by the company’s German facilities in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/vetter-to-open-new-facility-in-suburban-chicago
Press release - 03/12/2009 ELARA Pharmaceuticals receives EUR 4.6 Million funding ELARA Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a biotech company focused on the development of drugs for the treatment of different cancers, announced today the closing of a € 2.6 million Series A financing round, which will trigger an additional € 2 million from the BMBF GOBio and the Biotechnologie Rhein-Neckar (BioRN) Spitzencluster programs, leading to a total funding of € 4.6 million. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/elara-pharmaceuticals-receives-eur-4-6-million-funding
Press release - 01/12/2009 Stefan Wiemann elected new spokesman of the German Genome Research Network Associate Professor (PD) Dr. Stefan Wiemann of the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) has been elected spokesman of the Project Committee of the National Genome Research Network. This funding programme supports projects in medical genome research aimed at fighting relevant widespread diseases. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/stefan-wiemann-elected-new-spokesman-of-the-german-genome-research-network
Article - 01/12/2009 Ralf Takors – a bio-engineer Multidisciplinary talent, people who can combine biological knowledge in an outstanding way with engineering, is in great demand. Ralf Takors, who has been head of the Institute of Bioprocess Engineering (IBVT) at the University of Stuttgart since July 2009, is one such talent. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ralf-takors-a-bio-engineer
Press release - 01/12/2009 Treating gene defects with enzymes The American biotechnology company Genzyme has its German company site in the Stromeyersdorf industrial area in Constance where 26 Genzyme staff service the Eastern European and Central Asian markets. 35 other staff man local offices in Russia Romania Bulgaria Serbia Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Ukraine in order to boost the companys Eastern European business All the overseas staff speak the local language of the country where they are based.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/treating-gene-defects-with-enzymes