Detecting drug resistance of tumour cells - 25/05/2023 AI-assisted diagnostics declares war on lung cancer Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has a particularly high mortality rate. A significant challenge in treating this disease lies in the resistance of lung tumours to conventional drug therapies, rendering chemotherapy ineffective. There is hope on the horizon as a team of experts from Baden-Württemberg has joined forces to develop an innovative AI-supported test procedure that paves the way for individualised therapy approaches.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ai-assisted-diagnostics-declares-war-lung-cancer
Press release - 23/05/2023 B cells promote liver cancer with dangerous dual strategy Inflammatory fatty liver disease (NASH, non alcoholic steatohepatitis ) and the resulting liver cancer are driven by autoaggressive T cells. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) now show what ist behind this destructive behavior. In both mice and humans with NASH, they found increased numbers of activated B cells in the gastrointestinal tract.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/b-cells-promote-liver-cancer-dangerous-dual-strategy
Press release - 16/05/2023 Mast cells have an important impact on the development of chronic myeloid leukemia Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer that arises from malignant changes in blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. It mainly occurs in older individuals and represents about 20 percent of all adult leukemia cases. A research team from the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research at the University of Freiburg has now demonstrated for the first time that mast cells play a crucial role in the development of CML.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mast-cells-have-important-impact-development-chronic-myeloid-leukemia
Press release - 16/05/2023 First company in the world to offer preclinical drug tests for children with cancer The recently established ITCC-P4 gGmbH provides academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies with a comprehensive repertoire of modern laboratory models of pediatric tumors. The aim is to systematically test new treatment options for children and adolescents with cancer and to contribute data to regulatory approval processes in order to make the development of new cancer therapies for children and adolescents more attractive.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/first-company-world-offer-preclinical-drug-tests-children-cancer
Press release - 04/05/2023 Gamma delta T cells can fight aggressive breast cancer Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and deadly form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. Tumor growth and relapse of TNBC are driven by breast cancer stem cells, and improved therapies that can eliminate those hardy cells are urgently needed. Researchers from the University of Frieburg discovered that coordinated differentiation and changes in the metabolism of breast cancer stem cells make them invisible for…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/gamma-delta-t-cells-can-fight-aggressive-breast-cancer
Development of anti-tumour agents - 20/03/2023 Targeting the protective shield of cancers Cancer cells have different mechanisms to help them escape destruction by the immune system. Solid tumours, for example, are often surrounded by a protective layer of lactate, which has a strong immunosuppressive effect. WMT AG from Heidelberg is developing small drug molecules that reduce lactate production and thus make cancer cells vulnerable to immune system attacks.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/targeting-protective-shield-cancers
Press release - 09/11/2022 New Molecular Microscopy Uncovers how Breast Cancer Spreads Researchers have created a tool that maps how breast cancer grows in previously unseen detail, and highlights how the cells around the tumour may be the key to controlling the spread of disease. The new technology can trace which populations of breast cancer cells are responsible for the spread of the disease, and for the first time highlights how the location of cancer cells could be as important as mutations in tumor growth The new study is…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-molecular-microscopy-uncovers-how-breast-cancer-spreads
Viral cancer therapy - 26/10/2022 Therapeutic viruses against tumours and metastases Viruses can overcome cell barriers and transfer information to their host cells. They know how to make their host cell’s infrastructure work for them. This makes them excellent biotechnological tools, which a research group from the Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart is using to its advantage. The team is developing a therapeutic virus that not only recognises and fights tumours, but also has the potential to reach metastases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/therapeutic-viruses-against-tumours-and-metastases
Press release - 23/06/2022 Cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: no evidence of increased risk for severe immune complication after COVID-19 vaccination Does COVID-19 vaccination increase the risk of cancer patients undergoing therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors to suffer a dangerous immune complication known as a "cytokine release syndrome"? A team of Heidelberg physicians and scientists has now shown in a clinical study: Increased serum levels of the characteristic cytokines occur frequently in cancer patients, but clinically relevant cases of the dreaded syndrome were not…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cancer-patients-receiving-immunotherapy-no-evidence-increased-risk-severe-immune-complication-after-covid-19-vaccination
Press release - 29/03/2022 Biocopy presents "ValidaTe" – A novel ultra-fast screening technology ValidaTe enables characterization of efficacy and safety of T-cell drug candidates in days rather than months. The breakthrough speed and unprecedented density of data processed can give partner companies a competitive advantage. New high-throughput microarray technology for label-free characterization of drug candidate interactions can significantly accelerate development in immune-oncology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/biocopy-presents-validate-novel-ultra-fast-screening-technology
Press release - 14/03/2022 Do gut bacteria influence treatment success of CAR-T cell therapies? Through the Endeavour Awards, the Mark Foundation supports research projects that bring together scientists from different disciplines to advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. One of the only four Endeavour Awards presented this year goes to a project coordinated by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/do-gut-bacteria-influence-treatment-success-car-t-cell-therapies
Press release - 20/12/2021 Immune microenvironment as a risk factor for colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg have demonstrated for the first time that there is a link between the development of colorectal cancer in individuals with Lynch syndrome and the composition of immune cells in the colorectal mucosa.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/immune-microenvironment-risk-factor-colorectal-cancer-lynch-syndrome
Press release - 07/12/2021 Moderate immune response is more effective against leukemia The development of immunotherapies against blood cancer could be more successful if T cells are activated moderately rather than excessively. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now been able to show this in mice: If the researchers blocked a cytokine that slows down the immune system, the T cells became exhausted and failed in the fight against leukemia.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/moderate-immune-response-more-effective-against-leukemia
Press release - 07/12/2021 New approach developed to predict response of immunotherapies in lung cancer At Tübingen University Hospital, a preclinical study led by Dr. Clemens Hinterleitner and Prof. Dr. Lars Zender, Medical Director of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, led to extremely promising results. The research group was able to develop a new methodology that makes it possible to better predict the likelihood of success of immunotherapies for lung cancer.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-approach-developed-predict-response-immunotherapies-lung-cancer
Press release - 15/11/2021 Using T cell to target malignant brain tumors Doctors and scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and from Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty Mannheim have successfully tested a neoantigen-specific transgenic immune cell therapy for malignant brain tumors for the first time using an experimental model in mice.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/using-t-cell-target-malignant-brain-tumors
Press release - 14/09/2021 Bridging antibodies plus enhancer can destroy breast cancer cells Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have developed antibodies that have two antigen-binding sites and can couple cancer cells with effector cells of the immune system. In laboratory tests, these bridging antibodies, together with an enhancer antibody, were able to specifically mobilize the body's own immune defenses and destroy breast cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/Bridging-antibodies-plus-enhancer-can-destroy-breast-cancer-cells
Press release - 25/05/2021 How “paralyzed” immune cells can be reactivated against brain tumors Brain tumor cells with a certain common mutation reprogram invading immune cells. This leads to the paralysis of the body's immune defense against the tumor in the brain. Researchers from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Freiburg discovered this mechanism and at the same time identified a way of reactivating the paralyzed immune system to fight the tumor.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-paralyzed-immune-cells-can-be-reactivated-against-brain-tumors
Signal mechanisms in inflammatory processes - 18/05/2021 Newly discovered substances activate the inflammasome in macrophages Low-grade chronic inflammation caused by components of the innate immune system may increase the risk of developing a variety of diseases in the long term. In their search for the signalling mechanisms underlying these inflammatory processes, Prof. Dr. Olaf Groß' research group at the Freiburg University Medical Centre discovered new active substances with immunostimulatory properties that may open up additional possibilities in cancer…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/newly-discovered-substances-activate-inflammasome-macrophages
Press release - 17/05/2021 New findings in genome research The working group around Dr. Philipp Rathert at the Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry investigates the regulation of epigenetic networks of certain cancers and ways of treating them. The working group published its new findings in April. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-findings-genome-research
Press release - 24/03/2021 Liver cancer: which patients benefit from immunotherapy? Immunotherapy using checkpoint inhibitors is effective in around a quarter of patients with liver cancer. However, to date, physicians have been unable to predict which patients would benefit from this type of treatment and which would not. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center have now discovered that liver cancer caused by chronic inflammatory fatty liver disease does not respond to this treatment. On the contrary: in an…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/liver-cancer-which-patients-benefit-immunotherapy
New method for analysing blood samples - 26/11/2020 Personalised therapy monitoring for malignant melanomas Immunotherapy has greatly improved the survival chances of patients with malignant melanoma. A study has now begun at the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital of Tübingen to develop a way to monitor the course of treatment as effectively as possible. It involves personalised monitoring using liquid biopsies in addition to conventional PET/CT examinations. This analysis procedure of blood samples could enable closer monitoring of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalised-therapy-monitoring-malignant-melanomas
Inside the fight against COVID-19 - 28/10/2020 A new immunotherapeutic agent for treating severe COVID-19 cases Apogenix, a Heidelberg-based biopharmaceutical company specialising in innovative immunotherapeutics, has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with asunercept, the company’s lead drug candidate for treating severe cases of COVID-19. The fusion protein blocks the CD95-ligand-mediated death of epithelial cells in the lung and thus prevents damage to the organ.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-immunotherapeutic-agent-treating-severe-covid-19-cases
Intestinal peptide heals lung - 14/10/2020 Inhalation of intestinal hormone VIP helps against immunotherapy-induced pneumonia If cancer patients develop pneumonitis, an inflammation of the lungs resulting from immunotherapy, their symptoms and restrictions in lung function can often only be alleviated with cortisone. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Joachim Müller-Quernheim and Dr. Björn Frye from the Freiburg University Medical Centre have been able to cure a patient's pneumonitis by inhalation of a long-known neuropeptide.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/inhalation-intestinal-hormone-vip-helps-against-immunotherapy-induced-pneumonia
Innovative Therapies - 20/08/2020 Labor Dr. Merk is fully committed to viral therapies Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen is reorienting its business towards viral therapeutics. With this change of strategy, the company, which has decades of expertise in virology, wants to position itself in a timely fashion in the growing new market for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP). In gene and virotherapies (oncolytic viruses), tumour vaccines and CAR-T cell therapies, viruses are essential as vectors, killers of tumour cells or…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/labor-dr-merk-fully-committed-viral-therapies
Review article (new edition) - 08/07/2020 Immunology – at the forefront of medical progress Immunology is constantly changing with the emergence of new technologies and areas of application, and has branched out in many directions. Immunological approaches are central to everything – be it the development of innovative active substances and vaccinations against cancer, the search for new therapies against neurodegenerative diseases or autoimmune diseases, or combatting well-known infectious diseases or new virus epidemics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/immunology-forefront-medical-progress