Healthcare industry

CeCo Labs UG, founded as a spin-off from the University of Tübingen, has developed an internationally unique method for isolating bacterial cell walls. These are used in research to investigate antibiotic resistance, for example. Unlike conventional techniques, the method developed by CeCo Labs is able to supply a very high number of ultra-pure cell walls extremely quickly. Orders have already been placed by customers across the globe.

Press release - 21/04/2011

Gut bacteria could help with diagnostics and influence treatments

In the future, when you walk into a doctor’s surgery or hospital, you could be asked not just about your allergies and blood group, but also about your gut type. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and collaborators in the international MetaHIT consortium, have found that humans have three different gut types.

Mobile DNA elements are able to change their position in the genome and mobilise entire gene groups as well as switch genes on and off. Professor Bodo Rak and his team at the University of Freiburg are investigating the effect of mobile DNA fragments on the evolution of E. coli bacteria.

Article - 22/08/2011

Dieter Spiteller is taking an in-depth look at the chemistry of microbial symbionts

Prof. Dr. Dieter Spiteller, head of the new Department of Chemical Ecology at the University of Konstanz, is investigating how organisms interact with each other by way of chemical signals, antibiotics and toxins. Spiteller and his team of researchers are using leafcutter ants endemic to South and Central America as one of several research objects.

Burst bark mucus secretions blackened leaves crop failures - these all represent huge ecological and economic damage and are known as fire blight. Fire blight is an example of how global trade and traffic leads to the spread of a pathogen across almost the entire world.

Article - 11/02/2013

Cholesterol boosts the memory of the immune system

Cholesterol has been demonised for a long time as high cholesterol levels are seen as major risk factors for atherosclerosis myocardial infarction and gallstones. However cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes and is required for proper membrane function. It exists in huge quantities in the human body. In addition to being essential for cell survival and hence all animal life in general cholesterol also plays a crucial…

Dossier - 26/08/2009

Model organisms

Given that everything is very individual in nature, how can a biologist come up with general statements about how life functions? The answers can only be found using models that represent the entire whole. Modern research uses representative species from the kingdom of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals to glean information about fundamental biological principles. How can the knowledge gained be transferred to other organisms, including humans?…

Press release - 04/08/2011

Testing water quality - Test kit makes in situ testing easy

Moisture and warmth create the ideal living conditions for a wide range of micro-organisms which can pose a risk to human health. Now, a new quick testing kit for bacteria means that the microbiological contamination of water or other surfaces can be measured directly in situ, with no need for expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests.

Article - 29/05/2012

Intestinal bacteria and human gut types

The type of bacteria that colonize the human gut does not just influence our digestion and well-being. Metagenome sequencing has provided an international consortium involving scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory at the University Hospital of Heidelberg with evidence that certain individuals have different gut types with different types of bacteria. Such individuals not only differ in their predisposition to disease, but also…

Press release - 28/01/2010

Kenta and Rentschler to develop antibodies against hospital-acquired infections

The young Swiss company Kenta Biotech will work with the Laupheim-based contract manufacturer Rentschler to develop a fully human monoclonal antibody against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Article - 19/12/2011

New research training group to investigate bacterial survival strategies

The University of Tübingen is to establish a new DFG-funded research training group in which doctoral students from twelve research groups will investigate bacterial survival strategies. The results will contribute to the development of new antimicrobial drugs and also be put to good use in the fields of epidemiology and ecology.

Article - 11/06/2010

Recycling of bacterial cell wall constituents

Bacterial cells are focused on growth and proliferation. These processes are initiated by cellular enzymes that break up the cell wall material murein introduce new material and degrade material that is no longer needed. And all this in large amounts about 50 per cent of murein are degraded and newly formed turnover per cell generation. Dr. Christoph Mayer and his team from the University of Constance have shown that the cells carry out effective…

The European Commission has decided to allocate an additional 12 million euro from the EU's Research Framework Programme to reinforce Europe's capacity for tackling pathogens like the virulent Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria that recently infected close to 4,000 people in Europe and killed 46. The project will also try to identify possible ways of eradicating diseases and draw lessons that may help prevent threats in the future.

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.

Article - 14/11/2011

Marina Freudenberg and Chris Galanos – more than 40 years of bacterial defence research

This years Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to three renowned scientists one of whom is the American Bruce Beutler who was instrumental in clarifying the structure of the mammalian Toll-like 4 TLR4 receptor. Prof. Dr. med. Marina Freudenberg and Dr. Dr. h.c. Chris Galanos from the Freiburg-based Max Planck Institute MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics have co-authored the key publication that led to the award of the Nobel Prize…

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.

In Germany every year 800000 people contract community acquired pneumonia and 50000 die of it. A new foundation based in Ulm is hoping to contribute to a better understanding of this unpleasant disease and to improve the therapy to combat it.

Researchers of the University of Freiburg have discovered a previously unknown function of septins in defending cells against dangerous hospital pathogens.

Article - 05/11/2009

The abatement of phytopathological fungi

In the past, fungal infestation of agricultural crops has been known to affect the fate of entire nations, and nowadays it still continues to pose a threat to the world’s food supply. There is huge need for the development of new environmentally friendly agricultural fungicides, as fungi are fast becoming resistant to standard fungicides. Scientists are concentrating on the use of fungus-derived natural substances as the specific targets of…

Article - 20/03/2011

Non-pathogenic bacteria for the treatment and prevention of allergies

Researchers and physicians from the Department of Dermatology at Tübingen University Hospital are investigating huge numbers of non-pathogenic bacteria with the aim of shedding light on their potential for the prevention and treatment of allergies. The mode of action of highly promising candidates is being investigated in further detail.

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.

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.

Article - 23/01/2012

Karen Lienkamp: intelligent surface materials fight off microbes

Resistant germs are tough and will settle anywhere. They grow on all types of surface which is a major cause for concern for medical doctors and industrial researchers alike. The chemist Dr. Karen Lienkamp Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies FRIAS and head of a group of junior researchers at the University of Freiburg develops surface materials for biomedical applications and industrial production facilities.

G proteins play a central role in cellular signal processing. They are described as molecular switches that oscillate between on and off regulated by effectors. Biochemists at Heidelberg University have now gained fundamental insights into the mechanics of these switches.

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…