Press release - 12/09/2024 Power-to-vitamins: microbes produce folate from simple basic ingredients Biotechnology team at University of Tübingen obtains valuable byproduct in protein production. This could be a potential to the contribution of feeding a growing world population without livestock farming.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/power-vitamins-microbes-produce-folate-simple-basic-ingredients
App for tuberculosis diagnosis - 15/05/2024 "Find-TB" aims to improve access to tuberculosis diagnostics Globally, the majority of children with tuberculosis remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated because their symptoms are categorised incorrectly. Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital want to develop an app that analyses medical information, risk factors and local surveillance data to calculate individual risk of infection and test those who might be affected with TB as early as possible.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/find-tb-aims-improve-access-tuberculosis-diagnostics
Press release - 19/04/2024 Electrified bacteria PhD student at Furtwangen University develops method for faster determination of antibiotic resistance. The increase in antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the associated treatment, which is a major problem in public healthcare facilities, is the subject of a research project at Furtwangen University.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bakterien-unter-strom
Epifadin from the nasal microbiome - 28/03/2024 From the nose: novel antibiotic substance discovered Antibiotics are becoming an increasingly blunt weapon against infectious diseases. The number of (multi-)resistant germs has been rising rapidly for years and even reserve antibiotics no longer work. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have now isolated a completely new antibiotic substance called epifadin from the microbiome of the human nose. It is effective against many different bacteria - including the dangerous hospital MRSA.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nose-novel-antibiotic-substance-discovered
Press release - 18/12/2023 Researchers discover novel antibiotic substance from the human nose For the first time, the active substance epifadin has been isolated at the University of Tübingen – Epifadin is produced by specific bacteria in the nose and on the skin of humans, has an antibiotic effect, and is the first example of a previously unknown antimicrobial compound class.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/researchers-discover-novel-antibiotic-substance-human-nose
Computer-assisted genome mining - 04/12/2023 Natural product genomics opens up new avenues in the search for antibiotics Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are increasingly endangering our health. Since most of the drugs currently in use are based on secondary metabolites produced by bacteria or fungi, the research group of Prof. Dr. Nadine Ziemert in Tübingen is developing bioinformatic tools to specifically search the genome of these organisms for previously unknown antimicrobial agents.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/natural-product-genomics-opens-new-avenues-search-antibiotics
Press release - 30/11/2023 Taking antibiotics back in time University of Tübingen researchers reverse the evolution of a class of antibiotics to gain insights for the development of new drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/taking-antibiotics-back-time
Nanoparticles as drug carriers - 09/11/2023 Inhalation of nanocarriers for antibiotics against resistant tuberculosis pathogens Around ten million people worldwide still contract tuberculosis every year. With an estimated 1.4 million deaths a year, tuberculosis was the world’s deadliest infectious disease until COVID-19. The high mortality rate is down to the sophisticated biology of the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A team of researchers from the KIT and the Research Centre Borstel (FZB) has developed a method that aims to outsmart the bacterium once and for all.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/inhalation-nanocarriers-antibiotics-against-resistant-tuberculosis-pathogens
Press release - 20/10/2023 Why tuberculosis bacteria form long chains A researcher team from Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne led by Dr. Vivek Thacker now group leader at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital have studied why tuberculosis bacteria form long strands and how this affects their infectivity. Their findings could lead to new therapies and have now been published in the journal Cell.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/why-tuberculosis-bacteria-form-long-chains
Press release - 20/06/2023 Tuberculosis Therapy: Smallest Particles Will Deliver the Drug to the Lungs in Future KIT and Research Center Borstel Present Nanoparticles with a High Antibiotic Concentration for Inhalation – Nanocarriers of Antibiotics Can Reduce Resistances and Enhance Compatibility.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/tuberculosis-therapy-smallest-particles-will-deliver-drug-lungs-future
Press release - 01/03/2023 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteria produce a molecule that paralyzes immune system cells Bacteria of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa are antibiotic-resistant hospital germs that can enter blood, lungs and other tissues through wounds and cause life-threatening infections. In a joint project, researchers from the Universities of Freiburg and Strasbourg in France have discovered a mechanism that likely contributes to the severity of P. aeruginosa infections.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/pseudomonas-aeruginosa-bakterien-stellen-ein-molekuel-her-das-zellen-des-immunsystems-laehmt
Press release - 17/01/2023 Sugar-based inhibitors disarm the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa The hospital pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires the sugar-binding proteins LecA and LecB to form biofilms as well as to attach to and penetrate host cells. These so-called lectins are therefore suitable targets for active substances to combat Pseudomonas infections. Researchers from Saarbrücken and Freiburg have now produced potent inhibitors for LecA and LecB that are more stable and soluble than previous drug candidates.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/zuckerbasierte-inhibitoren-entwaffnen-den-krankheitserreger-pseudomonas-aeruginosa
Press release - 09/12/2022 Epigenetic emergency switch improves defense against infections During infections, the hematopoietic system switches from normal to emergency mode. This improves the defense against the pathogens. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now found an epigenetic switch in blood stem cells and progenitor cells of mice that can trigger the switch from one mode to the other.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-emergency-switch-improves-defense-against-infections
Press release - 15/11/2022 Silicone Sponge Captures Unknown Bacteria From human intestines to the bottom of the sea: Microorganisms populate nearly any habitat, no matter how hostile it is. Their great variety of survival strategies is of huge potential in biotechnology. Most of these organisms, however, are unknown, because they cannot be cultivated.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/silikonschwamm-spuert-unbekannte-bakterien-auf
Press release - 20/10/2022 Cytoskeleton acts as cells’ bouncer for bacteria Researchers of the University of Freiburg have discovered a previously unknown function of septins in defending cells against dangerous hospital pathogens.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/das-zellskelett-haelt-die-eintrittspforte-fuer-bakterien-geschlossen
Bakteriocins - 24/05/2022 New antibiotic alternatives from soil bacteria Bacteria are not the greatest of friends among themselves: many release antimicrobial substances into their environment in order to gain an advantage in their ecological niche. Researchers at the University of Ulm are making use of such bacteriocins by creating a genetically modified soil bacterium that can be used as a biotechnological platform organism to produce alternatives to antibiotics in pure form and in large quantities. The fact this…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-antibiotic-alternatives-soil-bacteria
Biosensor for whole blood and exhaled breath analysis - 02/02/2022 Antibiotic detection from whole blood or exhaled breath possible Incorrectly dosed antibiotics are not only dangerous for patients, but also often the cause of resistant strains of bacteria. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have developed a biosensor to determine the effective amount and thus enable personalised therapy. The biosensor works by rapidly determining small amounts of the substances directly from whole blood or exhaled breath.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/antibiotic-detection-whole-blood-or-exhaled-breath-possible
Press release - 30/11/2021 A mould dominates the eukaryotic microbiota in Parkinson’s disease patients Parkinson's disease is characterised by a slow, progressive loss of nerve cells in certain brain areas. The disease is still incurable and the exact causes are unclear. The dopamine deficiency in the brain can only be controlled to some extent in the initial phase of the disease. Basic research is being conducted in an attempt to unravel the mystery of Parkinson's disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mould-dominates-eukaryotic-microbiota-parkinsons-disease-patients
Press release - 19/11/2021 Keep an eye on us! – Bacteria on slit lamps Furtwangen University publishes the world’s first molecular biological study on bacterial contamination of slit lamps. Slit lamps are among the most important tools used by ophthalmologists and opticians. They allow selected areas of the eye to be magnified and examined for diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/keep-eye-us-bacteria-slit-lamps
Press release - 16/11/2021 Cystic fibrosis & COPD: Mucus reprograms immune cells and promotes airway inflammation Scientists of the Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have discovered a new link between excessive airway mucus and chronic airway inflammation that is characteristic of cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The researchers showed that mucus in the airways reprograms certain cells of the immune system.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cystic-fibrosis-copd-mucus-reprograms-immune-cells-and-promotes-airway-inflammation
Booster for neutrophil granulocytes - 27/10/2021 Acetate supports immune cells to fight against sepsis Blood poisoning is the most dangerous complication of bacterial infections and often leads to death. Researchers at the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine at the University of Tübingen have now identified acetate as a potent agent for stimulating innate immune system cells, supporting their ability to destroy bacteria.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/acetate-supports-immune-cells-fight-against-sepsis
Press release - 13/10/2021 Tackling the collateral damage from antibiotics EMBL scientists pave the way for reducing the harmful side effects antibiotics have on gut bacteria. Antibiotics help us to treat bacterial infections and save millions of lives each year. But they can also harm the helpful microbes residing in our gut, weakening one of our body’s first lines of defence against pathogens and compromising the multiple beneficial effects our microbiota has for our health.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/tackling-collateral-damage-antibiotics
Press release - 21/09/2021 Antibiotic levels measurable in breath for first time A team of engineers and biotechnologists at the University of Freiburg has for the first time shown in mammals that the concentration of antibiotics in the body can be determined using breath samples. The breath measurements also corresponded to the antibiotic concentrations in the blood. The team’s biosensor – a multiplex chip – will in future enable personalized dosing of medicines against infectious diseases on-site.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/antibiotic-levels-measurable-breath-first-time
Press release - 25/05/2021 From harmless skin bacteria to dreaded pathogens The bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidisis primarily a harmless microbe found on the skin and in the noses of humans. Yet some strains of this species can cause infections – in catheters, artificial joints, heart valves, and in the bloodstream – which are difficult to treat. These bacteria are often resistant to a particularly effective antibiotic, methicillin, and are among the most feared germs in hospitals.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/harmless-skin-bacteria-dreaded-pathogens
Article - 17/03/2021 Epigenetic switches in bacteria as biosensors The analysis of pathogen biomarkers and biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases can be crucial for health. However, the detection of pathogens and diseases depends on a sensitive and reliable method that delivers rapid results. Biosensors have such properties. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry (IBTB) at Stuttgart University have constructed an epigenetic circuit composed of plasmids that might make it…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/epigenetic-switches-bacteria-biosensors
Infection control - 07/01/2021 Gene accordions as potential markers for pathogenic properties Bacteria must react to changes in the environment in order to survive. This is partly done by adapting genetic material, for example by multiplying and shortening individual genome segments. The research group led by Dr. Simon Heilbronner from the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine at the University of Tübingen has shown that these so-called gene accordions are frequently found in the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/gene-accordions-potential-markers-pathogenic-properties
KyooBe Tech GmbH - 08/10/2020 Next generation vaccine production For decades, conventional inactivated vaccines have been produced by killing pathogens with toxic chemicals. However, this process often changes the surface structure of the pathogens to such an extent that the immune system is only able to induce a weak response. KyooBe Tech GmbH is offering a method that uses low-energy electrons to inactivate pathogens. Vaccines produced this way are much higher quality, making them safer and more effective.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/next-generation-vaccine-production
Mosses for pharmaceutical production - 16/09/2020 Factor H as a therapeutic option for viral diseases - including COVID-19 The search for drug candidates for COVID-19 diseases is well underway. Factor H, which is part of the innate immune system, might also be a future therapeutic option. The Freiburg-based biotech company eleva has developed a technology for producing this human protein in moss cells. The active ingredient, which might also have a regulatory effect in other diseases, is currently undergoing preclinical testing.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/factor-h-therapeutic-option-viral-diseases-including-covid-19
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB - 24/04/2020 A rapid pyrogen test: the human immune system as model Every year, around 11 million people die of sepsis (blood poisoning) caused by microorganisms or microbial residues, known as pyrogens, entering the bloodstream. The smallest amounts can trigger fever. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have developed a pyrogen test that does not require a laboratory and is not tested on animals. It is expected to be placed on the market soon.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/A-rapid-pyrogen-test-the-human-immune-system-as-model
Bioinspired technologies - 03/04/2020 Diagnostics with molecular scissors – is this also possible for on-site COVID-19 tests? The CRISPR-Cas gene-editing technology is one of the most important developments in molecular biology in recent years. It utilises molecular scissors with which nucleic acids can be cut and edited almost arbitrarily. Researchers in Freiburg, Germany have now successfully used the technology for diagnostic purposes. They are currently working intensively on expanding the system to enable it to detect genome sequences of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Diagnostics-with-molecular-scissors-is-this-also-possible-for-on-site-COVID-19-tests
Dossier - 06/12/2019 Microbiome: human health is closely connected with our microbial communities People have 1.3 times more microorganisms than body cells. This microbial community influences how we digest our food, how active our immune system is, as well as whether we tend to be more anxious or curious. A number of diseases have also been shown to be associated with a disturbed microbiome. Researchers still have a long way to go before the knowledge acquired can be used for developing therapies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/microbiome-human-health-closely-connected-with-microbial-communities
Article - 30/09/2019 Do gut bacteria have something to do with autism? Autistic people have different gut microorganisms than non-autistic people. Researchers believe that a disturbed intestinal flora may play a role in developmental disorders of the brain such as autism. The emerging new field of metaproteomics could shed light onto the matter. A team led by Prof. Dr. Boris Macek from Tübingen has investigated the bacterial protein pool in the faeces of mice that display autistic behaviour.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/do-gut-bacteria-have-something-to-do-with-autism
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
Dossier - 09/09/2013 New trends in the field of immunology B- and T- lymphocytes along with macrophages have long been regarded as the most important cells of the human immune system and have been a major focus of research. This has now changed and it is now the dendritic cells that are regarded as the major components of the adaptive immune system. Research into innate immune defence mechanisms has become more important due to the discovery of the role of Toll-like receptors as first-line of defence.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/new-trends-in-the-field-of-immunology
Dossier - 23/07/2012 Extremophilic bacteria Extremophilic bacteria love it hot, sour or salty, toxic substances like heavy metals also do them good and even give them energy. As molecular and systems biology techniques get better and better, industry is also becoming increasingly interested in these exotic organisms. What potential does knowing the biochemistry of extremophilic bacteria have for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and sanitary articles industries? https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/extremophilic-bacteria