Healthcare industry

Article - 13/03/2010

Assembling life from building blocks?

As part of its “Bioethics Forum”, the German Ethics Council recently held a meeting in Berlin to inform the public about the fundamentals of synthetic biology and potential ethical problems and consequences in terms of our ideas about life and mankind in general arising from the progress made in this new field of research.

Article - 23/07/2012

Inhospitable niches are a rich source of extremozymes

At first sight nothing much seems to grow in either the Namib desert or the Antarctic. However a closer inspection of the ground a few centimetres below the surface reveals an enormous diversity of organisms. Industry is well aware of this rich source of microorganisms that have something to offer on the molecular level as well as for use in technical applications. So-called extremozymes have long been popular ingredients in cosmetics detergents…

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.…

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.

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.

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.

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…

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…

Article - 15/07/2010

A special focus on intercellular mediators

Transmembrane proteins constitute around one third of all cellular proteins. Around half of all drugs that are currently on the market target the function of a specific class of transmembrane proteins, i.e. the G-protein coupled receptors. However, little is yet known about how transmembrane proteins are integrated into the membranes and how they are folded. Dr. Jörg H. Kleinschmidt hopes to shed light into the mechanisms of membrane protein…

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…

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.

Article - 08/11/2010

Molecular biology assisted by information theory

What do the Internet and mobile communication have in common with the division of yeast cells and viruses? Quite a lot, says Martin Bossert, professor at the Institute of Telecommunication Technology and Applied Information Theory in Ulm. The 55-year-old engineer coordinates an interdisciplinary priority programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG, SPP 1395 Information and Communication Theory in Molecular Biology) that applies information…

Expert interview - 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.

Article - 20/11/2011

Can probiotic lactic acid bacteria protect the intestines against pathogens?

Nutrition scientists from the Max Rubner-Institut MRI in Karlsruhe are investigating how human pathogens and probiotic bacterial strains interact with each other in the human gastrointestinal tract. Are probiotic bacteria in yoghurt or in pickled vegetables for example able to reduce the health risk posed by pathogenic bacteria?

The start-up 3a-diagnostics GmbH from Frickenhausen is developing a gum that can be used both in doctors’ surgeries and at home as a quick and easy diagnostic aid. The sensor in this case is the human tongue. If bacteria are present – due to an inflammation of the teeth or tonsils, for instance – chewing produces a bitter taste and the doctor can quickly initiate the appropriate treatment.

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.

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.

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.

Press release - 21/08/2012

Freiburg research team sheds light on important metabolite in bacteria

Scientists from the research groups of Prof. Dr. Susana Andrade and Prof. Dr. Oliver Einsle, members of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Cluster of Excellence of the University of Freiburg, have collected the first precise data ever on the function of a transport protein for formate – an important metabolite in bacteria. The findings could potentially lead to the development of new antibiotic…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Article - 22/10/2009

On the track of fascinating diatoms

Diatoms make a considerable contribution to the production of oxygen and biomass in the worlds oceans and aquatic ecosystems. However up until now little is known about the molecular biology and chemistry of these eukaryotic algae. Prof. Peter Kroth and his team at the University of Constance are hoping to shed more light on these algae. The team has recently been involved in the deciphering of the Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome research that…