Healthcare industry

Press release - 22/03/2011

Bringing artifical vision clinical trials to US

Retina Implant AG Partners with Wills Eye Institute to Bring Artificial Vision Clinical Trials to the United States. Wills Eye to be the Primary Investigation Site to Offer the Subretinal Approach to Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients.

Press release - 21/03/2011

Polymer brushes with mini proteins protect implants

Patients who have had surgical implants are at risk of developing serious complications due to bacterial infections. This affects around two to six per cent of patients with implants. Scientists from the KIT Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG) have now succeeded in developing a protective layer that prevents bacteria from adhering to implants and creating dangerous biofilms that can lead to serious infections. The protective layer has proven…

Article - 21/03/2011

Immunotherapy: the rocky road to clinical application

Hans-Georg Rammensee has one major goal: he wants to contribute to the successful application of immunotherapy in clinical settings and is convinced that this will only be possible once individualised immunotherapies are used. Individualised immunotherapy refers to the induction of a specific immune response against specific tumour-associated antigens. Rammensee has made major progress in this area and is now focused on overcoming the obstacles…

Press release - 21/03/2011

Crop production - plate or tank?

As part of the “University of Hohenheim – strength through communication” thematic year 2011, Dr. Detlef Virchow, Executive Manager of the Food Security Center at the University of Hohenheim, talked to us about the medium-term risks of E10 biofuel in relation to global food safety.

Article - 21/03/2011

C.S.P. – linking cultivation and application

A growing number of industrial companies would like to use renewable raw materials for production, out of ecological, economic or technical interest. However, it is not always easy for many of the companies to get into contact with farmers and secure the supply of crops in the quantity and quality they require. Dresden-based C.S.P. Consulting und Service für Pflanzliche Rohstoffe GmbH is now able to use its know-how and that of its partners to…

Article - 21/03/2011

Andrea Hartwig – trace elements, toxic metals and the thin line in between

For more than 25 years Prof. Dr. Andrea Hartwig has been investigating the quantities of metal compounds that have a beneficial or toxic effect on human health. As a basic researcher the new chair of the Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT has managed to clarify many mechanisms of action of toxic metals including on the molecular level.

Article - 21/03/2011

Fluoron – a company that is well underway

Fluoron is a company that takes close contact with customers very seriously. This is why Christian Lingenfelder and his team frequently pack their suitcases to travel from place to place visiting Russian or Chinese operating theatres. Thousands of kilometres from the company’s production site in Ulm, the Fluoron team exchanges information with the retina surgeons for whom the company develops and produces highly pure biomaterials for use in…

Article - 20/03/2011

Hannah Monyer: we exist as long as somebody remembers us

Prof. Dr. Hannah Monyer, neurobiologist from Heidelberg and Leibniz prizewinner, has spent her entire professional career searching for answers to questions as to how human memory functions. Her investigations focus on the role of the hippocampal interneurons that coordinate the activities of nerve cells involved in spatial short- and long-term memory.

Article - 20/03/2011

Non-pathogenic bacteria for the treatment and prevention of allergies

Researchers and physicians from the Department of Dermatology at Tübingen University Hospital are investigating huge numbers of non-pathogenic bacteria with the aim of shedding light on their potential for the prevention and treatment of allergies. The mode of action of highly promising candidates is being investigated in further detail.

Press release - 19/03/2011

Detailed insights into how HI viruses leave their host cells

Highly developed microscope technology makes it possible: researchers led by Dr. Barbara Müller of the Department of Infectiology at Heidelberg University and by Professor Don C. Lamb from the University of Munich, have for the first time ever been able to demonstrate in detail how specific proteins of human immune cells interact with HIV components to enable them to leave the infected cells.

Article - 18/03/2011

Allergen research – present and future

An allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. It is an exaggerated immune reaction to external stimuli such as pollen and is associated with symptoms that range in degree from uncomfortable (hay fever, asthma) to life-threatening (anaphylactic shock). Dr. Thomas Bethke, Medical Director of Nycomed Germany, explains in the following interview how a drug manufacturer approaches the research and development of anti-allergy…

Article - 14/03/2011

Mast cells as the central and pivotal points of allergy processes

Mast cells of the human immune system play a key role in allergic and inflammatory reactions. Activated mast cells release a number of substances that mediate an immune response. The process by which such mediators are released is still largely unknown. Scientists from the University of Hohenheim are focusing on finding out how allergic reactions are induced by mast cells.

Article - 14/03/2011

Subitec GmbH – binding carbon dioxide, generating energy

Algae have become the beacons of hope in terms of energy generation and carbon dioxide fixation. Stuttgart–based Subitec GmbH has developed a unique reactor system to improve the cultivation of algae. The establishment of further pilot plants gives the company access to the constantly growing energy market.

Article - 14/03/2011

Synthesising proteins from non-natural building blocks?

Dr. Birgit Wiltschi from the University of Freiburg has been awarded funding from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science Research and the Arts under the Biotechnology and Medical Technology Idea Competition for a highly ambitious project she wants to learn how proteins can be modified using non-natural building blocks that will enable the engineered proteins to specifically target receptors on cancer cells amongst other things.

Press release - 13/03/2011

Vascular stent that dissolves on its own

The first ever implant in Germany of a bioresorbable, drug-coated stent in a cardiac patient has been carried out by physicians from the University of Heidelberg. In contrast to traditional metal stents, which remain permanently in the patients’ body, the innovative implant dissolves around two years after the procedure is carried out.

Press release - 10/03/2011

Novel High-Resolution Methods in Fluorescence Microscopy

Heidelberg scientists have developed a new method by which the physical limits in high-resolution light microscopy can be overcome with the aid of chemical reactions. The scientists replaced light-dependent processes by chemical reactions for light-independent switching of fluorescent probes to mark cellular structures for high-resolution optical microscopy. This method opens up new application vistas for fluorescence microscopy.

Press release - 10/03/2011

European Commission and EMBL renew cooperation

In a Memorandum of Understanding signed on march 4th, the European Commission (EC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) formalise their desire to maintain and further develop their cooperation.

Press release - 09/03/2011

DKFZ and IBM have signed a collaboration agreement on cancer genome analysis

The International Cancer Genome Project analyzes the complete genomes of thousands of cancer patients. This generates enormous amounts of data. To find those gene segments which are pivotal for cancer development and treatment, intelligent IT systems are needed. The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg and IBM have signed a strategic partnering agreement at CeBIT 2011. The aim of the agreement is to…

Article - 07/03/2011

Thomas Brunner: steroid synthesis in the intestine

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Brunner at the University of Konstanz has found out that intestinal epithelial cells are able to synthesise anti-inflammatory steroids glucocorticoids following immunological stress which makes a considerable contribution to the maintenance of local immune homoeostasis. Brunner plans to use his findings to develop a therapeutic approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Press release - 07/03/2011

Review: MicroMountains Innovation Forum 2011: Networking - Motor for Innovation

The third MicroMountains Innovation Forum, held in Villingen-Schwenningen on 2nd February 2011, focused exclusively on microtechnologies. In cooperation with the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the MicroMountains network provided around 160 participants with insights into the application of microtechnologies in the fields of medical, measurement and automotive technologies as well as giving them the opportunity to exchange experiences.

Article - 07/03/2011

Farming lifestyle: microbial diversity keeps allergies away

Children who grow up on farms have a lower prevalence of allergies and asthma than other children in the same geographical region who do not grow up in such environments. A study by a European group of researchers published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine adds to evidence supporting the hygiene hypothesis.

Article - 06/03/2011

Heidelberg Translational Lung Research Centre

University and non-university research institutions in Heidelberg that carry out research into lung diseases have established an expert network – the Heidelberg Translational Lung Research Centre – which is part of the new BMBF-funded German Centre for Lung Research. In Heidelberg, research focuses on the development and treatment of cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer.

The Eva Luise and Horst Köhler Foundation for People with Rare Diseases has awarded the 2011 Eva Luise Köhler Research Prize, which includes prize money of 50,000 euros, to an interdisciplinary team of researchers: Professor Dr. Christoph Klein, Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), Professor Dr. Christopher Baum, Department of Experimental Haematology (MHH), Professor Dr. Christoph von Kalle,…

Press release - 02/03/2011

immatics appoints Dr. Harald Stock to its Board

immatics biotechnologies GmbH, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic vaccines that are active against cancer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Harald F. Stock to the board of directors, effective February 2011.

Dossier - 28/02/2011

Allergies – a major human plague

According to the Federal Health Monitoring Information System a persons life expectancy is reduced by around one per cent due to allergies and their effects. Knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that lead to disorders in the interplay of the immune system and the environment is a prerequisite for developing new therapies for the causal treatment of allergies.

Press release - 28/02/2011

Mechanical engineering meets medical engineering: implant research ‘made in Stuttgart’

Engineers from the University of Stuttgart have initiated a project on the Development and optimisation of bioactive and bioresorbable ceramic layers on implants designed to investigate implants that are more durable better tolerated by users and cheaper than those that are currently on the market. The winners of the Idea Competition in Biotechnology and Medical Technology have now been announced and an expert jury has selected the Stuttgart…

Press release - 28/02/2011

Heidelberg "start-up" wins the German Industry’s Innovation Award 2010

PEPperPRINT GmbH has won the 2010 German Industry’s Innovation Award in the category “Start-Up Companies”. The Heidelberg-based biotechnology company was awarded the prize by the German Minister of Education and Research, Dr. Annette Schavan, at a German industry festive event recently held in the Frankfurt Congress Centre.

Article - 28/02/2011

Development of food allergies

Allergic reactions to certain types of food can, in extreme cases, lead to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. People with peanut allergies are particularly at risk. Allergic reactions can also gradually develop into chronic intolerances such as coeliac disease, for example. The causes of food allergies nearly always originate in early childhood.

Article - 28/02/2011

Rare fever syndromes provide insights into the anti-inflammatory effect of therapies

Quite a few people suffer lifelong regularly occurring fever and inflammation attacks with no apparent reason. The identification of the genetic causes of the syndromes has in the meantime led to the identification of the metabolic pathway involved as well as to targeted therapies. Effective treatment has greatly improved sufferers quality of life.

Article - 28/02/2011

Contact dermatitis – removing a leg from a tripod

Contact dermatitis is one of the most frequent occupational skin reactions resulting from exposure to allergens. Chronic allergic reactions to environmental allergens might sometimes become job- or life-threatening. Prof. Dr. Stefan Martin and his group of researchers in the Allergy Research Group of the Department of Dermatology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. One of…

Article - 28/02/2011

The regulation of the intestinal immune system

If the interplay of factors that regulate the intestinal immune system tips out of balance, this could result in allergic reactions or serious inflammatory intestinal diseases. Professor Dr. med. Stefan Meuer, Managing Director of the Institute for Immunology at the University Hospital in Heidelberg, is focusing on the molecular mechanisms of mucosal immune regulation.

Press release - 26/02/2011

Science & Management

“Science & Management“ is the name of an innovative doctoral programme offered by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in association with the international Collège des Ingénieurs. This is a world-first in Germany that enables students to combine a doctoral thesis in the sciences with an MBA - Master of Business Administration - degree. Study periods and project work in European countries are part of the programme, which will be open for…

Article - 26/02/2011

Researchers from Ulm identify congenital genetic defect

Researchers led by the Ulm paediatrician Holger Cario have identified a rare, congenital genetic defect that leads to the dysregulation of the folic acid metabolism, resulting in aenemia, epilepsy and learning difficulties in children. All aspects of the disease can be treated quite successfully with the exception of the cramps associated with the defect.

Article - 21/02/2011

Hope for more effective brain tumour therapy

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive type of brain tumour in humans. It has a tendency to recur and it carries a bad prognosis. Intensive research into the molecular reaction chains involved in its pathogenesis has led to promising and effective treatment strategies.

SYGNIS Pharma AG a clinical stage biotech company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases today announced that it has licensed the exclusive rights to a European patent which will significantly expand SYGNIS IP-position with regard to its lead candidate AX200. AX200 which is known as the G-CSF protein is currently in a clinical phase II efficacy trial for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

Cellzome announced today that it has achieved the second milestone in its epigenetics alliance with GlaxoSmithKline. The milestone triggers a payment of an undisclosed amount from GSK and follows only two months after the first milestone was achieved.

Article - 14/02/2011

A molecule that enables local virus defence

Dr. Markus Mordstein has spent the last four years as a doctoral student at the University of Freiburg investigating the previously relatively unknown interferon lambda. He has been able to show that this molecule has similar protective functions to type I interferons and he has also found that it is far more selective in terms of the site where it exerts its effect.

Article - 14/02/2011

Affimed’s novel TandAb® antibodies enter clinical development phase

With the initiation in October 2010 of a Phase I (“first in man”) study of the tetravalent, bispecific antibody AFM13 based on its proprietary TandAb® technology, Heidelberg-based Affimed Therapeutics AG has become a clinical drug development company.

Article - 14/02/2011

Marilena Manea: targeted chemotherapy to treat cancer

After cardiovascular diseases cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany. At the University of Konstanz Dr. Marilena Manea and her research group are working on the development of bioconjugates for targeted cancer chemotherapy. The researchers goal is to improve the efficiency and tolerability of the chemotherapeutic drugs that are already being used in hospitals.

Article - 14/02/2011

Comprehensive data analysis as the basis for individualised drugs

Individual patients metabolise certain drugs in very different ways some patients metabolise drugs well and others do not respond at all. The difference in individual patients ability to metabolise drugs depends not only on environmental influences but also on genetic factors which means that the sequencing of the human genome has become a major prerequisite for the application of personalised medicine. In the following interview Dr. Jens…

Press release - 14/02/2011

University of Heidelberg – natural substances to combat cancer and excess weight

It is difficult for natural substances to enter the drug industry. With the aim of enabling secondary plant substances to reach consumers, the Department of Biology at the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Heidelberg has joined the Bioactive Plant Products network.

Press release - 13/02/2011

Leukaemia researchers from Ulm identify high-risk patients

The University Hospital in Ulm has announced the achievement of a “milestone“ in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). ALL is the most frequent type of cancer in children and adolescents. An international team of researchers led by a research group at the Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Ulm University Hospital has succeeded in deciphering characteristic gene signatures that lead to the recurrence of this…

Scientists at the EMBL and the University of Heidelberg have shown how stressed cells boost the production of the blood-clotting protein thrombin and how cancer cells may be taking advantage of this process. This research could lead to new therapies.

Nycomed signs an agreement for the acquisition of Laboratorios Farmacol S.A. located in Colombia to further grow its presence in the Latin American region. Farmacol S.A., a Colombia based pharmaceutical company, has a strong presence in the areas of gastroenterology, respiratory and gynaecology.

Press release - 09/02/2011

The human genome’s breaking points

A detailed analysis of data from 185 human genomes sequenced in the course of the 1000 Genomes Project, by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, in collaboration with researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, as well as the University of Washington and Harvard Medical School, both in the USA, has identified the genetic sequence of an unprecedented 28.000 structural…

Article - 07/02/2011

The discovery of the individual as business model

The move towards personalised medicine has made considerable progress, in particular in the field of oncology, where it is leading to the close integration of diagnostics and therapy as well as to the development of profitable new business models, some of which have controversial exclusive legal claims.

Article - 07/02/2011

Jens Kremkow – does the neural network work like a gate?

Billions of nerve cells in our brain communicate with each other and lead to phenomena such as thought feeling and memory would be better. What fundamental information-processing principles govern the chaos of electrical impulses? Dr. Jens Kremkow from the Bernstein Center in Freiburg creates computer models of neural processes. Kremkow and his team carried out many complex simulations from which they were able to develop simple models of the…

Press release - 07/02/2011

The nervous system as a three-dimensional map

A Freiburg research team has created the first complete map of special connections of nerve cells in zebrafish. The data identify all projection possibilities (“projectome”) of nerve cells in a particular class of messengers in the nervous system that is of great importance for medicine. The data were published in Nature Communications on 25th January.

Dossier - 07/02/2011

The era of personalised medicine is dawning

A promising future does not easily disappear into thin air. This is certainly the case with the vision of personalised medicine. For many years, biomedical researchers have vaunted the potential benefits of their findings despite the fact that neutral observers do not think that personalised medicine will really take off within the next 15 or 20 years. Moreover personalised medicine is a controversial term. So what is the state of play right now?

Press release - 03/02/2011

A Possible Cause of Parkinson’s Disease Discovered

When a person has Parkinsons disease the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain die which leads to the characteristic symptoms of this neurological disorder. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum DKFZ have discovered that this group of nerve cells of patients with Parkinsons contains defective nucleoli.