Article - 27/08/2019 Bacterial flora of the gut: how useful is its analysis? Microorganisms in the human gut have been linked to obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer and mental disorders. Stool analyses of intestinal flora can be ordered on the Internet from 130 euros upwards, and some also come with recommendations on what to eat for healthy gut bacteria growth. BIOPRO talked with Prof. Dr. Nisar Malek from the University of Tübingen about how useful such microbiome analyses really are.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bacterial-flora-gut-how-useful-is-its-analysis
Article - 05/08/2019 The answer to antibiotic resistance may lie in the microbiome Globally, increasing numbers of bacteria are becoming resistant to common antibiotics. Moreover, many reserve group antibiotics are no longer effective for infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Researchers in an excellence cluster at the University of Tübingen are investigating an alternative approach to combating bacterial infections. Their goal is to specifically influence the microbiome, the human microbial community.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/answer-to-antibiotic-resistance-may-lie-in-the-microbiome
Article - 01/07/2019 Microswimmers for guided drug delivery Medicines should act as quickly as possible and ideally only at the site of disease. However, this may be difficult when the medicines are taken up via the digestive tract or the blood system. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have now developed a biohybrid microrobot consisting of red blood cells and bacteria that can be loaded with active ingredients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microswimmers-guided-drug-delivery
Article - 11/06/2019 New pathogens in beef and cow's milk contributing to the risk of cancer A team of researchers led by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. Harald zur Hausen has discovered a new type of infectious agent in dairy and meat products produced from European cattle that increases the risk for colon and breast cancer. These so-called Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) are small DNA molecules that are similar in sequence to both bacterial plasmids and certain viruses.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-pathogens-in-beef-and-cows-milk-contributing-to-the-risk-of-cancer
Article - 23/05/2018 Bacteriophages as alternatives to antibiotics Multidrug-resistant bacteria are resistant to many existing antibiotics and can be difficult to treat. There are increasing numbers of them worldwide. Although novel antibiotics are being developed, there are far too few of them to tackle the rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria. In Eastern Europe, doctors have been treating bacterial infections with viruses that infect bacteria, so-called bacteriophages, for almost 100 years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bacteriophages-as-alternatives-to-antibiotics
Article - 27/11/2017 Antimicrobial layer expected to fight hospital acquired infections Infections caused by bacteria that contaminate the surface of medical devices such as catheters and wound dressings are not that rare and can even be life-threatening. However, at present there is no really effective way to keep these products germ-free until they are used. Scientists at the University of Freiburg have now developed a surface coating that reliably kills bacteria, but is harmless to human cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/antimicrobial-layer-expected-to-fight-hospital-acquired-infections
Article - 28/08/2017 SpinDiag GmbH – rapid test makes it difficult for pathogens Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are becoming an increasing problem, especially in hospitals. Infected patients must be isolated as soon as possible. However, appropriate methods for testing patients upon admission to hospital and isolating them if necessary are still lacking. A young biotechnology company from Baden-Württemberg called SpinDiag GmbH has developed a cost-effective method for the rapid testing of microbial resistance in normal…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/spindiag-gmbh-rapid-test-makes-it-difficult-for-pathogens
Press release - 20/07/2017 SpinDiag Raises 1.6 Mio. EUR Seed-Capital The Freiburg-based startup SpinDiag GmbH recently closed a 1.6 Mio. EUR seed-round with three private investors. The team developed a revolutionary point-of-care screening system for testing patients for antibiotic-resistant bacteria at their admission to hospitals and almost instantly so. The seed-capital will make it feasible to bring SpinDiag’s system from its current laboratory environment to first tests in hospitals. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/spindiag-raises-16-mio-eur-seed-capital
Article - 18/05/2017 ImmuStick – novel rapid test for identifying disease pathogens In some situations such as in the food and pharmaceutical industries or hospitals, a test to identify disease pathogens can be vital. At present, such tests are relatively time-consuming and can take hours or even days to produce results, depending on the pathogen. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart are currently developing a rapid test called ImmuStick which is as easy to use…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/immustick-novel-rapid-test-for-identifying-disease-pathogens
Article - 20/09/2016 CRISPR-Cas has more surprises in store Since 2012, a DFG-funded research group called FOR1680 has been studying CRISPR-Cas, an immune system that unicellular bacteria and arachaea use to protect themselves against attacks from viruses and plasmids. Prof. Dr. Anita Marchfelder, a molecular biologist at Ulm University and coordinator of the FOR1680 research group, and many other researchers were surprised to find that prokaryotes incorporate the genetic material of enemies as a kind of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/crispr-cas-has-more-surprises-in-store
Article - 01/09/2016 Tailor-made biotech fibres for improved wound dressings Scientists have developed a biotechnological process to produce bacterial alginate. The alginate quality is highly reproducible, making it suitable for the production of fibre-based medicinal products such as wound dressings.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/made-to-measure-biotech-fibres
Article - 13/06/2016 Matthias Willmann wants to get the big picture – tracking down infectious agents While fighting and curing bacterial infections in sick patients is one part of the picture, epidemiological investigation of the spread of pathogens is another. Dr. Matthias Willmann also assesses the impact of these factors on the healthcare system as a whole and draws conclusions that might boost early detection of pathogens and prevention of infections. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/matthias-willmann-wants-to-get-the-big-picture-tracking-down-infectious-agents
Article - 30/05/2016 The unknown dark spot of the microcosm The world of microorganisms is still largely unknown. Researchers such as Kai Sohn from the Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart are working on decoding, analysing and gradually gaining a better understanding of the microbial genome. In their search for new enzymes and other biomolecules, both biotechnologists and pharmacologists are interested in micoorganisms, and physicians are hoping that detailed insights into the microbial genome will lead to the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-unknown-dark-spot-of-the-microcosm
Article - 14/04/2016 Rapid and unambiguous detection of infection in a miniature laboratory In cooperation with industrial partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have spent many years developing innovative diagnostic tools for use in infection biology. Among these are microsystems that combine complete test procedures on a “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) and enable simultaneous analysis of several thousand parameters relatively quickly and with little effort. The scientists…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/rapid-and-unambiguous-detection-of-infection-in-a-miniature-laboratory
Article - 01/03/2016 Tübiom – the gut flora’s role in human health and disease It’s the mix that makes it work: a large number of different bacteria live in our intestine and ensure proper digestive functioning. CeMeT GmbH has launched the Tübiom project to explore bacterial gut flora and how it alters with lifestyle, diet and disease. The long-term objective is to derive recommendations for intestinal health. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/tuebiom-the-gut-floras-role-in-human-health-and-disease
Article - 15/02/2016 Bacteria – a treasure box for genetic engineers Bacteria have developed a versatile defence system to protect themselves against viral infections. One of these defence tools, known as CRISPR/Cas9 system, is currently hogging the headlines as it promises to revolutionise the way genetic material can be modified. Prof. Rolf Backofen from the Institute of Bioinformatics at the University of Freiburg has managed to classify the defence system of all bacterial species sequenced to date. This will…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bacteria-a-treasure-box-for-genetic-engineers
Article - 30/11/2015 Bacterial MccA is better than other enzymes when it comes to reducing sulphites Dr. Bianca Hermann from the University of Freiburg specialises in multi-haem enzymes, and investigates the enzymes’ structure and reaction mechanisms. She has clarified the enzymes’ crystal structure and reaction mechanisms and found out why the bacterial MccA enzyme complex can reduce sulphur-containing substances such as sulphites up to a hundred times faster than other enzymes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bacterial-mcca-is-better-than-other-enzymes-when-it-comes-to-reducing-sulphites
Article - 11/11/2015 A metal enzyme that can cleave benzene rings Aromatic rings are extremely stable and very difficult to break apart. Prof. Dr. Matthias Boll from the University of Freiburg’s Faculty of Biology and his team work with Geobacter metallireducens, a bacterium that can completely degrade aromatic compounds under strictly anaerobic conditions. While the biological degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons is of global relevance, the chemical resulting from the reduction of benzene rings could also be…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-metal-enzyme-that-can-cleave-benzene-rings
Article - 19/10/2015 New compound that may kill hospital germs is close to clinical testing Bacteria's increasing resistance to antibiotics is a very serious medical issue. An infection with pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria can be life-threatening for hospital patients because MRSA has become resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics. Although reserve antibiotics are available in cases where others have lost their ability to control or kill bacterial growth effectively, they do not…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-compound-that-may-kill-hospital-germs-is-close-to-clinical-testing
Article - 17/08/2015 CDT – a bacterial toxin that mediates its own delivery into cells Clostridium difficile is totally harmless in healthy people. However, in combination with antibiotics it can cause severe diarrhoea and intestinal inflammation in elderly and debilitated people. But how does the spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium deploy its power? And how does it enter the cell? Dr. Panagiotis Papatheodorou and his colleagues from the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (Director: Prof. Dr. Klaus…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cdt-a-bacterial-toxin-that-mediates-its-own-delivery-into-cells
Article - 11/05/2015 How Lactobacillus bacteria fight Candida albicans infections Fungal infections of skin and mucous membranes are relatively common. Around 75 percent of the human population lives with Candida albicans, a fungus that has no harmful effects in people with an intact immune system that can fight off systemic infections. However, in people with immune systems that have been weakened by antibiotics or radiotherapy for example C. albicans infections can lead to sepsis which may even be life-threatening. Prof. Dr.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-lactobacillus-bacteria-fight-candida-albicans-infections
Article - 16/02/2015 The cellular power station of the cholera pathogen – from the structure to new antibiotics The bacterium Vibrio cholerae causes cholera, a severe disease that affects up to 3.5 million people a year. A team of scientists from the universities of Freiburg, Hohenheim and Konstanz have now gained new insights into the way the bacterium produces energy. They have elucidated the structure and function of the bacterium’s energy-production machinery. The research results provide new insights into biochemical energy production and the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-cellular-power-station-of-the-cholera-pathogen-from-the-structure-to-new-antibiotics
Article - 24/11/2014 Lipid zipper triggers bacterial invasion Millions of people die each year from infections both in developing and industrial countries. There is still no effective treatment for a large number of diseases caused by pathogens. In order to treat infectious diseases effectively, we need to understand the mechanisms that bacteria use to infect human cells. The cytoskeleton of the host cell usually plays a key role in this process. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have discovered a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/lipid-zipper-triggers-bacterial-invasion
Article - 18/08/2014 VAXIMM: Vaccines that impede cancer growth VAXIMM GmbH, a young biotechnology company from Mannheim, Germany, specialises in the development of vaccines for cancer treatment. The company’s first product candidate, VXM01, is a live oral vaccine that targets the VEGFR-2 receptor and hence the blood supply of tumours. VXM01 is currently undergoing clinical testing in pancreatic cancer patients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vaximm-vaccines-that-impede-cancer-growth
Article - 06/07/2014 Behaviour-changing signalling molecules as alternative to antibiotics Bacteria display group behaviours when they form biofilms or cause infections. These group behaviours protect them against adverse environmental conditions. Thomas Böttcher from the University of Konstanz studies the signalling molecules that control this behaviour. His work involves identifying and characterising natural substances that can prevent bacteria from forming biofilms and from swarming. The substances’ medically relevant effect makes…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/behaviour-changing-signalling-molecules-as-alternative-to-antibiotics