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 - 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 - 06/11/2023 Improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy with modified CAR-T cells CAR-T cell therapy is a last hope for many patients with blood, bone marrow or lymph gland cancer when other treatments are unsuccessful. A limiting factor of this very effective and safe therapy is that the cells used in the process quickly reach a state of exhaustion. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have now been able to prevent this exhaustion and thus significantly improve the effect of the therapy in a preclinical animal model.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/improving-efficacy-cancer-immunotherapy-modified-car-t-cells
Press release - 17/10/2023 BioCopy and YUMAB announce partnership for development of innovative safeTY-engager® platform The development of highly specific T-cell engagers directed against pHLA tumor targets will be quick and easy. BioCopy's innovative pHLA screening technology characterizes drug candidates in great depth for their specific binding against the desired pHLA tumor target. YUMAB develops highly specific antibodies with their advanced antibody technologies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/biocopy-und-yumab-verkuenden-partnerschaft-fuer-entwicklung-innovativer-safety-engager-r-plattform
Press release - 12/07/2023 Mast cells as a sensor: Enigmatic immune cells help to avoid harmful allergens The function of mast cells, which are part of the immune system, is still a mystery. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now shown in mice: mast cells function as a sensor that signals the animals to avoid antigens, including harmful allergens, and thereby protect themselves from health-threatening inflammatory reactions. The findings were published in the journal Nature.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mastzellen-als-sensor-raetselhafte-immunzellen-helfen-schaedliche-allergene-zu-vermeiden
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
Immune complexes in COVID-19 - 01/03/2023 Vicious circle of hyperinflammation Whether a person experiences only a mild malaise or a critical course of disease after a coronavirus infection apparently depends on the antigen-antibody complexes that form in our body. The discovery of these immune complexes set a group of researchers, headed up by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Hengel from the Freiburg University Medical Centre, on the trail of a vicious circle of constantly escalating inflammation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vicious-circle-hyperinflammation
Press release - 11/01/2023 Newly discovered surface structures may affect immune function Using new microscopic methods in combination with machine learning-based image analysis, researchers from Freiburg have discovered new structures on the surface of living B cells that affect the distribution and possibly the function of their antigen receptors. The researchers' study has been published in The EMBO Journal.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/newly-discovered-surface-structures-may-affect-immune-function
Press release - 06/01/2023 CureVac Announces Positive Data on Joint COVID-19 and Flu mRNA Vaccine Development Programs CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced positive preliminary data from ongoing Phase 1 clinical programs in COVID-19 and seasonal flu, assessing both modified and unmodified mRNA technology. The tested vaccine candidates are being developed in collaboration with GSK.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-announces-positive-data-joint-covid-19-and-flu-mrna-vaccine-development-programs
Press release - 20/12/2022 Enzyme inhibition promotes bone formation and curbs the development of bone metastases In our bones, specialized cells called osteoblasts are responsible for building up bone substance. A team of researchers led by scientists from the DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim* and the University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf has now identified an enzyme that controls the activity of osteoblasts.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/enzyme-inhibition-promotes-bone-formation-and-curbs-development-bone-metastases
Press release - 20/12/2022 New approach prevents rejection of transplanted organs Inhibition of a protein complex in cells of the immune system prevents rejection of transplanted organs – this has been shown in a study by immunologists from the University of Konstanz, the Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) and Chongqing Cancer University Hospital.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-approach-prevents-rejection-transplanted-organs
Press release - 17/11/2022 MEDICA and COMPAMED present themselves as extremely vital platforms in turbulent times MEDICA and COMPAMED continue to develop in an extremely vital manner. The world's leading medical trade fair and the international No. 1 for the medical technology supply sector once again impressively underscored their positive results from the previous year with strong numbers – despite continuing adverse conditions. A significant increase in bookings on the part of the exhibiting companies was followed after four days by a marked increase…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/medica-und-compamed-praesentieren-sich-als-aeusserst-vitale-plattformen-bewegten-zeiten
Press release - 19/10/2022 Apogenix’ Asunercept Demonstrates Efficacy in Phase II Trial for the Treatment of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Apogenix, a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation immunotherapeutics, announced today that asunercept showed statistically significant benefits for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the ASUNCTIS trial. The open-label multi-center phase II trial investigated efficacy and safety of asunercept in 435 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/apogenixs-asunercept-zeigt-wirksamkeit-phase-ii-studie-zur-behandlung-von-covid-19-patienten-im-krankenhaus
Press release - 19/10/2022 Molecular structure of one of the most important receptors in the immune system unraveled Researchers from Freiburg and Harvard publish the three-dimensional structure of the B cell antigen receptor, shedding new light on its composition.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/molecular-structure-one-most-important-receptors-immune-system-unraveled
Press release - 28/09/2022 First successful trial for early detection of HPV-related cancer of the pharynx Screening trials for the early detection of rare diseases often fail due to insufficient predictive power of the results. For the rare HPV-related cancer of the pharynx, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) now relied on the combined detection of antibodies against two different viral proteins in a proof-of concept trial.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/erste-erfolgreiche-studie-zur-frueherkennung-von-hpv-bedingtem-krebs-im-rachenraum
Assay to support the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases - 22/06/2022 Tracking down pathogenic immune complexes Soluble complexes of antibodies and their target structures circulating in the blood can trigger serious systemic inflammations. Dr. Philipp Kolb and Haizhang Chen from the Institute of Virology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have developed a sensitive, cell-based test system for detecting these immune complexes. The system can be used to diagnose systemic autoimmune diseases, and also severe cases of COVID-19.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/tracking-down-pathogenic-immune-complexes
Peptide-based COVID-19 vaccine - 21/04/2022 CoVac-1: T-cell activator against COVID-19 Current vaccines against COVID-19 aim at forming neutralising antibodies that prevent the virus from penetrating the host cells. Since people with impaired B-cell immune responses – which can also occur in cancer or autoimmune diseases – are not able to do this, researchers at the University of Tübingen have developed the peptide-based T-cell activator CoVac-1, which promises broad and long-term immunity.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/covac-1-t-cell-activator-against-covid-19
COVIC-19 clinical trial - 07/04/2022 Convalescent plasma for COVID-19 therapy: clinical trial should bring clarity Does it help to treat COVID-19 sufferers with antibodies from people who have recovered from the disease? It seems an obvious idea and has been tested thousands of times. However, there is not yet enough evidence to prove the clinical efficacy of treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma. The transfusion physician Prof. Dr. Hubert Schrezenmeier from Ulm is planning to carry out a follow-up clinical trial to find the missing evidence.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/convalescent-plasma-covid-19-therapy-clinical-trial-should-bring-clarity
Press release - 30/03/2022 CureVac and GSK Start Clinical Development of Second-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CV2CoV CureVac N.V. a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced that the first participant was dosed in a Phase 1 study of COVID-19 second-generation mRNA vaccine candidate, CV2CoV, developed in collaboration with GSK.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-and-gsk-start-clinical-development-second-generation-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-cv2cov
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 - 23/11/2021 Multi-peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows strong T-cell immune response At the University Hospital Tübingen, clinical evaluation of an in-house developed vaccine (CoVac-1) against SARS-CoV-2 was started in November 2020 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Juliane Walz in the CCU Translational Immunology of the Medical Clinic (Medical Director Prof. Dr. Helmut Salih). Now the results of the Phase I study are available and demonstrate a potent activation of the T-cell response against the coronavirus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/multi-peptide-vaccine-against-sars-cov-2-shows-strong-t-cell-immune-response
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 - 02/09/2021 Blood vessels produce growth factor that promotes metastases On the one hand, blood vessels supply tumors with nutrients and, on the other, enable cancer cells to spread throughout the body. The settlement of circulating tumor cells in a distant organ is promoted by factors whose production is induced by the primary tumor itself. Scientists have now identified a new growth factor produced by blood vessels that enables tumor cells to metastatically colonize organs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/blood-vessels-produce-growth-factor-promotes-metastases
Press release - 30/08/2021 CureVac Preclinical Data Demonstrates Significant Reduction of Liver Fibrosis with mRNA Therapeutic CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced the publication entitled “Therapeutic HNF4A mRNA attenuates liver fibrosis in a preclinical model” in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hepatology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-preclinical-data-demonstrates-significant-reduction-liver-fibrosis-mrna-therapeutic
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