Press release - 02/04/2024 Precise localization of miniature robots and surgical instruments inside the body In the medicine of the future, tiny robots will navigate independently through tissue and medical instruments will indicate their position inside the body during surgery. Both require doctors to be able to localize and control the devices precisely and in real time. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now described a signaling method based on an oscillating magnet that can significantly improve such medical applications.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/precise-localization-miniature-robots-and-surgical-instruments-inside-body
Epifadin from the nasal microbiome - 28/03/2024 From the nose: novel antibiotic substance discovered Antibiotics are becoming an increasingly blunt weapon against infectious diseases. The number of (multi-)resistant germs has been rising rapidly for years and even reserve antibiotics no longer work. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have now isolated a completely new antibiotic substance called epifadin from the microbiome of the human nose. It is effective against many different bacteria - including the dangerous hospital MRSA.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nose-novel-antibiotic-substance-discovered
Press release - 27/03/2024 Heidelberg Pharma granted orphan drug designation by FDA for its proprietary ATAC candidate HDP-101 Heidelberg Pharma AG (FSE: HPHA), a clinical stage biotech company developing innovative Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs), is pleased to announce that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for the treatment of multiple myeloma to its lead candidate HDP-101. Heidelberg Pharma is investigating the candidate in a clinical Phase I/IIa study for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/heidelberg-pharma-granted-orphan-drug-designation-fda-its-proprietary-atac-candidate-hdp-101
Press release - 22/03/2024 Decoding the shared genetic toolkit for male sex determination Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen broke new ground by demonstrating that an HMG-box gene in brown algae is crucial for determining male sex. This breakthrough significantly expands our understanding of sex-determination mechanisms in eukaryotic organisms. Until now, master sex-determination genes had been identified in only a select number of animals and plants. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/decoding-shared-genetic-toolkit-male-sex-determination
Press release - 22/03/2024 New Emmy Noether junior research group for biological data science An Emmy Noether junior research group at Heidelberg University is investigating how to gain new insights into fundamental biological mechanisms from large-scale molecular data sets. Led by Junior Professor Dr Britta Velten, it has started work at the Centre for Organismal Studies and the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-emmy-noether-junior-research-group-biological-data-science
Press release - 14/03/2024 Planned NMI spin-off: immuneAdvice successful in start-up competition Does our therapeutic approach work against cancer? The answer to this question can make the difference between life and death - and is still difficult to answer. A team from the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen and the Werner Siemens Imaging Center Tübingen has developed a technique for observing immune cells. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/geplante-nmi-ausgruendung-immuneadvice-bei-startup-wettbewerb-erfolgreich
Press release - 14/03/2024 Machine learning classifier accelerates the development of cellular immunotherapies Making a personalised T cell therapy for cancer patients currently takes at least six months; scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University Medical Center Mannheim have shown that the laborious first step of identifying tumor-reactive T cell receptors for patients can be replaced with a machine learning classifier that halves this time.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/machine-learning-classifier-accelerates-development-cellular-immunotherapies
Press release - 14/03/2024 Next milestone in the treatment of liver tumors and acute and chronic liver diseases The results of a Tuebingen-led study raise hope that a newly developed drug could herald a new era in oncological liver surgery and transplantation. The drug could even have the potential to significantly improve the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases. The drug candidate "HRX-215" is a so-called MKK4 inhibitor, i.e. the drug inhibits the MKK4 protein found in liver cells and thus leads to an increase in the regeneration of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/next-milestone-treatment-liver-tumors-and-acute-and-chronic-liver-diseases
Stem cell research - 14/03/2024 Using organoids to gain a better clinical understanding of pancreatic cancer Prof. Dr. Alexander Kleger carries out translational research at Ulm University Hospital to gain a better understanding of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and develop individualised treatments. He and his team are using organoid models and stem cell-based systems and have succeeded in simultaneously cultivating all three main cell types of the pancreas from pluripotent stem cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/using-organoids-gain-better-clinical-understanding-pancreatic-cancer
Press release - 13/03/2024 Diabetes: New technology opens up improved opportunities for research More than seven million people in Germany suffer from diabetes. At the same time, research into drugs to treat this widespread disease is still difficult. Scientists led by Prof. Dr. Peter Loskill from the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute and the Faculty of Medicine of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen have now developed a technique that significantly improves the view at the molecular and cell biological level in the pancreas.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/diabetes-new-technology-opens-improved-opportunities-research
Press release - 13/03/2024 Protection from an unexpected source Contrary to common belief, not all viruses are harmful to their hosts. Sometimes viruses can even protect their hosts from infection by other viruses. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg and their collaborators have now demonstrated that this is the case for so-called endogenous virophages: small DNA viruses that are mostly found inserted into the genomes of single-cell eukaryotes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/protection-unexpected-source
Press release - 05/03/2024 New Center for Synthetic Genomics Applying and developing new technologies for DNA synthesis to pave the way for producing entire artificial genomes – that is the goal of a new interdisciplinary center, 'Center for Synthetic Genomics', that is being established at Heidelberg University, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-center-synthetic-genomics
Press release - 04/03/2024 First Step Toward Early Diagnosis of Metastasis Team involving the University of Freiburg has developed a new analytical method for the basement membrane in human lungs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/first-step-toward-early-diagnosis-metastasis
Press release - 04/03/2024 Heidelberg Pharma Announces Royalty Financing Agreement with HealthCare Royalty for up to USD 115 million HealthCare Royalty to purchase royalties from worldwide sales of Telix Pharmaceuticals’ imaging diagnostic agent ZircaixTM (TLX250-CDx) Heidelberg Pharma is eligible to receive up to USD 115 million in three near-term tranches Cumulative royalties sold are capped at a maximum valuehttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/heidelberg-pharma-announces-royalty-financing-agreement-healthcare-royalty-usd-115-million
Press release - 01/03/2024 Using Data to Improve Understanding of Relationships between Proteins and Diseases Working with a new Emmy Noether Group, Dr. Pascal Schlosser is investigating how machine learning can aid in understanding the complex relationships between genes, proteins, and diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/using-data-improve-understanding-relationships-between-proteins-and-diseases
Neurosciences - 28/02/2024 Mesh microelectrode arrays: research with brain organoids on a new level How does the brain work? Brain organoids are derived from pluripotent stem cells and regarded as valuable model systems that can depict some aspects of neurological functioning. Dr. Peter Jones from NMI together with Dr. Thomas Rauen from the MPI for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, has taken organoid research to a new level. His novel mesh microelectrode array (Mesh-MEA) greatly improves the growth and electrophysiological analysis of tissue.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/mesh-microelectrode-arrays-research-brain-organoids-new-level
Press release - 22/02/2024 A new approach to recording cellular activities In living cells, a vast number of transient events occur simultaneously. The recording of these activities is a prerequisite for a molecular understanding of life. Scientists at the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg and their collaboration partners have created a novel technology that allows cellular events to be recorded through chemical labeling with fluorescent dyes for later analysis, opening up new ways to study cellular physiology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-approach-recording-cellular-activities
Press release - 15/02/2024 Modelling the spread of diseases Computer scientists from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behaviour developed a model, that explains how collective scenarios such as diseases may proceed.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/modelling-spread-diseases
Robotics in medicine - 15/02/2024 Copied from the pangolin: innovative flexible miniature robot for minimally invasive applications Wireless miniature robots that can penetrate hard-to-reach areas of the body for the purpose of medical treatment are currently still a vision of the future. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have now constructed the first flexible prototype modelled on the pangolin, which can generate heat and stop bleeding, kill tumour cells or release "cargo" in the model system.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/copied-pangolin-innovative-flexible-miniature-robot-minimally-invasive-applications
Event - 18/09/2024 - 20/09/2024 GCSB 2024 German Conference on Synthetic Biology 2024 Regensburg, Kongress/Symposium https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/event/gcsb-2024-german-conference-synthetic-biology-2024
Event - 10/07/2024 - 11/07/2024 Curious2024 – Future Insight™ Conference Mainz, Kongress/Symposium https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/event/curious-2024-future-insight-conference
Press release - 12/02/2024 AI-supported image analysis: metrics determine quality How well do the algorithms used in the AI-supported analysis of medical images perform their tasks? This depends to a large extent on the metrics used to evaluate their performance. An international consortium led by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the National Center for Tumor Diseases has compiled the knowledge available worldwide on the specific strengths, weaknesses and limitations of the various validation metrics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ai-supported-image-analysis-metrics-determine-quality
Press release - 07/02/2024 The unexpected long-term consequences of female fertility The constant remodeling of the organs of the female reproductive tract during the reproductive cycle leads to fibrosis and chronic inflammation over the years. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now uncovered these unexpected long-term consequences of female reproductive function in mice. The results have been published in the scientific journal CELL.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/die-unerwartete-auswirkung-der-weiblichen-fortpflanzungsfaehigkeit
Press release - 06/02/2024 New T-FINDER Platform Provides Deep Insights Into T Cell Responses Against Novel Cancer Vaccine BioMed X and the Universitätsmedizin Mannheim announced today the publication of two manuscripts in the field of cancer immunology in the journal Science Advances. The work is based on a collaboration bet- ween both institutions and researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg Uni- versity, and the Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/neue-t-finder-plattform-liefert-tiefe-einblicke-t-zell-antwort-auf-neuartigen-krebsimpfstoff
Press release - 02/02/2024 Epigenetic status determines metastasis Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Heidelberg University investigated in mice how spreading tumor cells behave at the site of metastasis: Some tumor cells immediately start to form metastases. Others leave the blood vessel and may then enter a long period of dormancy. What determines which path the cancer cells take is their epigenetic status. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetischer-status-entscheidet-ueber-metastasierung