Article - 19/03/2012 Goal: online glucose sensor for bioreactors Microorganisms and sensitive cells that are grown in bioreactors need a well-regulated environment and a food supply in order to do what they are supposed to do: grow and produce biomass and metabolites. Many fermenters are equipped with sensors that continuously measure critical bioprocess parameters, including temperature, pH value and oxygen. Online glucose and ethanol sensors are not yet used in regulated bioreactors, even though they would…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/goal-online-glucose-sensor-for-bioreactors
Press release - 19/03/2012 New degree course to train cluster managers The new Franco-German “Cluster and Regional Networks Management” master’s programme will be launched in the 2012/2013 winter semester. This course is unique in Europe and was unveiled by the Universities of Strasbourg and Kehl in Strasbourg on 7th March 2012. An additional initiative by BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg will provide further training options running alongside the new master’s programme that will allow people to follow a degree course while…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-degree-course-to-train-cluster-managers
Article - 19/03/2012 Quantification of the morphology of human blood vessels from 3D tomographic image data “QuantVessel”, an innovative approach designed to accurately determine the size and shape of blood vessels from 3D tomographic images, enables vascular diseases to be diagnosed more reliably and makes surgery more effective. The project is being carried out by researchers from the BioQuant centre at Universität Heidelberg and Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (German Cancer Research Center) and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/quantification-of-the-morphology-of-human-blood-vessels-from-3d-tomographic-image-data
Press release - 14/03/2012 New method provides insights into cell movement In wound healing and the growth and spread of tumours a particular characteristic of the bodys cells plays a crucial role their capacity to move in their tissue environment. Together with colleagues from Japan scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and the University of Heidelberg have developed a very promising method for the study of cell movement. The new method enables the examination of the collective…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-method-provides-insights-into-cell-movement
Press release - 14/03/2012 How a natural antibiotic found in sweat affects microorganisms The skin creates a barrier between the body and its environment. Natural antibiotics that can kill potential pathogens such as bacteria or fungi represent an additional level of protection by the immune system. Dermcidin one such antibiotic produced in human sweat glands is active against a number of microorganisms on the skin. A team of scientists from the University Hospital Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology were…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-a-natural-antibiotic-found-in-sweat-affects-microorganisms
Press release - 14/03/2012 Three cluster regions with a common goal At MEDTEC Europe 2012, the leading medical platform in Europe held in Stuttgart from 13th to 15th March 2012, the three life sciences organisations BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Health Technology Cluster – Clusterland Oberösterreich GmbH and Human.technology Styria GmbH signed a “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU”) to seal their future cooperation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/three-cluster-regions-with-a-common-goal
Dossier - 12/03/2012 Regenerative medicine makes use of patients’ own resources Regenerative medicine offers new therapeutic options for many diseases in which organ function or structure are damaged or lost. The majority of regenerative therapies involve cell-based methods that are often combined with innovative biomaterials. Regenerative therapies combine know-how from the biosciences with state-of-the-art medical technology and also benefit from progress in the engineering and material sciences.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/regenerative-medicine-makes-use-of-patients-own-resources
Article - 12/03/2012 Q-bios provides client-specific biotechnology services Q-bios GmbH, a spin-off from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, is a biotechnology company that provides services related to the production and purification of diagnostic and therapeutic proteins as well as the development and amplification of suitable cell lines. The company offers its services, which are based on state-of-the-art technologies, to clients from the biotechnology, diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/q-bios-provides-client-specific-biotechnology-services
Article - 12/03/2012 Biological nanopores on chips for determining the properties of molecules Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Jan C. Behrends and Dr. Gerhard Baaken from the University of Freiburg have developed a chip the size of a fingertip containing biological nanopores that determine molecule mass with great precision. Developing this new system which is a combination of biological and micro-technical components involved a great deal of technical skill. The system has the same level of sensitivity as a chromatography device but is much…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biological-nanopores-on-chips-for-determining-the-properties-of-molecules
Press release - 08/03/2012 Bio-inspired microlens arrays The development of highly complex microlens arrays via the natural way and with remarkably simple components: Chemists of the University of Konstanz and the Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces have developed a process which highly simplifies the production of microlens arrays. Based on calcium carbonate (chalk), the researchers generate naturally grown surface layers with an ordered position of micrometer sized half spherical chalk…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bio-inspired-microlens-arrays
Press release - 07/03/2012 Implant to replace defective venous valve If heart valves don’t close properly, they are replaced. Conventional treatment of venous valve failure, however, has up to now always and exclusively been via medication. In future, an implant will assume the function of damaged valves. In close collaboration with other partners researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart developed an automated production facility that can make venous…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/implant-to-replace-defective-venous-valve
Article - 05/03/2012 Ubiquitin and related molecules do more than just degrade and recycle cellular waste The proteins of the ubiquitin family have long been regarded as cellular Post-its with to be discarded written on them. However over the last ten years it has become increasingly clear that the proteins of the ubiquitin family that cells use to label defective or unneeded proteins also regulate a broad range of important cellular processes. It has also been found that they are involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ubiquitin-and-related-molecules-do-more-than-just-degrade-and-recycle-cellular-waste
Article - 05/03/2012 Processing of olfactory cues in the brain The question as to how the brain produces useful information from the electrical stimuli coming from the sensory organs is a key issue in the neurosciences. Researchers from Heidelberg are investigating how mice discriminate odours and have shown that complex behaviour emerges from the properties of cells and molecules. Using highly specific genetic manipulations for their experiments, the researchers have been able to show that inhibitory…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/processing-of-olfactory-cues-in-the-brain
Article - 05/03/2012 Regulatory networks of plant stem cell systems A team of researchers led by Prof. Jan Lohmann at the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) Heidelberg is investigating the regulatory programmes that control the stem cell centre in the shoot meristem of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and enable the plant to react to environmental influences. Despite the fact that animal and plant cells have developed independently from each other, the researchers have discovered unexpected similarities between…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/regulatory-networks-of-plant-stem-cell-systems
Article - 21/02/2012 How do toxins, viruses and bacteria invade cells? For a long time researchers believed that cells more or less invite Trojan Horses to invade them and this is what standard textbooks say. This all changed when Dr. Winfried Römer showed during his postdoctoral period what really happened when toxins invade cells. This has led to new ways of looking at the processes associated with intoxication and the infection of human cells with viruses and bacteria. Today junior professor Dr. Winfried Römer…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-do-toxins-viruses-and-bacteria-invade-cells
Press release - 21/02/2012 Ring-like protein complex helps ensure accurate protein production In fairy tales, magic rings endow their owners with special abilities: the ring makes the wearer invisible, fulfils his wishes, or otherwise helps the hero on the path to his destiny. Similarly, a ring-like structure found in a protein complex called ‘Elongator’ has led researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Institut de Génétique et Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC) in Strasbourg,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/ring-like-protein-complex-helps-ensure-accurate-protein-production
Article - 20/02/2012 "1KITE" project to unravel the evolution of insects The large international “1K Insect Transcriptome Evolution” research project aims to construct a robust phylogenetic tree of insects, which is the most species-rich group of organisms. The project aims to study the transcriptomes of 1000 (1K) insect species. The Heidelberg-based Institute for Theoretical Studies provides the software for producing the phylogenetic trees.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/1kite-project-to-unravel-the-evolution-of-insects
Article - 20/02/2012 Effective helper to optimize everyday laboratory practice Life sciences companies must comprehensively document their daily work in almost all company processes. Although IT solutions such as laboratory information management systems and electronic laboratory journals have long been an integral part of everyday laboratory work the modern working world is constantly changing and so constantly requires improvements. The Konstanz-based biotech company Trenzyme GmbH has recently implemented a new software…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/effective-helper-to-optimize-everyday-laboratory-practice
Article - 20/02/2012 Seeing what happens inside plants Farmers like to be able to control the growth of their crops as much as possible in order to optimize the yield. A group of researchers led by Dr. Claus Buschmann from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT is able to look deep into leaves and fruit of vines and other plants. The researchers use reflectance and fluorescence data to deduce information about the plants photosynthetic activity maturity and stress symptoms. One of the groups…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/seeing-what-happens-inside-plants
Article - 20/02/2012 Microporation: an innovative laser replaces jabs People who are afraid of needles now have something to celebrate: hypodermic needles, which have long been the key instrument for administering drugs used to treat allergies and diseases as well as for vaccinations, now have a serious competitor. The minimally invasive P.L.E.A.S.E. ® platform developed by Pantec Biosolutions AG combines a laser device and stick-on patches to deliver drugs transdermally and painlessly into the bloodstream. The…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microporation-an-innovative-laser-replaces-jabs
Article - 20/02/2012 Klaus Pfizenmaier: bridging the fields between immunology and biomedicine Prof. Dr. Klaus Pfizenmaier has been focusing on cytokines, and in particular on the tumour necrosis factor TNF, for the last 25 years. Pfizenmaier and his team of researchers at the Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology at the University of Stuttgart have unravelled numerous facets of TNF, which is a key and versatile signalling molecule. These discoveries have led to the development of groundbreaking therapy concepts and drug candidates for…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/klaus-pfizenmaier-bridging-the-fields-between-immunology-and-biomedicine
Article - 20/02/2012 Vektor-Pharma: a start-up that merges pharmacy and mechanical engineering The company Vektor-Pharma plans to develop and manufacture medicated adhesive patches and therapeutic films. Pharmacists and mechanical engineers have entered into a kind of symbiotic relationship and are currently working on the establishment of a successful business. Interdisciplinary synergy is key to developing such transdermal therapeutic systems TTS more quickly effectively and cheaply than any one discipline would be able to do on its own.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vektor-pharma-a-start-up-that-merges-pharmacy-and-mechanical-engineering
Article - 13/02/2012 Almut Köhler – cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and dispersion Cadherins ensure that cells within tissues are bound together. However this is only one side of the coin. Dr. Almut Köhler from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT and her group of researchers are investigating a cadherin type that is even able to actively promote cell migration in developing frog brains and tumour tissue.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/almut-koehler-cadherin-mediated-cell-adhesion-and-dispersion
Article - 13/02/2012 Times are getting harder for thieves - biocoding equals security People can now mark their possessions with artificial DNA thus making it more likely for thieves and people who fence stolen goods to be caught red-handed. Each marker is as unique as a genetic fingerprint and can be easily visualized using UV light. The artificial DNA can also be used to prove ownership. Donald van der Laan CEO of Forensische Markierungstechnologie GmbH based in Schriesheim talks about the sophisticated features of the forensic…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/times-are-getting-harder-for-thieves-biocoding-equals-security
Article - 13/02/2012 A strange combination: green tea extract and light for treating Alzheimer’s Andrei Sommer from the University of Ulm and colleagues from Ulm, Heidelberg and Berlin have succeeded in reducing amyloid beta deposits in human neuroblastoma cells by up to 60 per cent in vitro. The researchers found that the apparently strange combination of green tea and red light has the potential to lead to the development of new therapies for Alzheimer’s. There are currently no treatments available that stop or reverse the progression of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-strange-combination-green-tea-extract-and-light-for-treating-alzheimer-s