Article - 10/09/2009 Chaperone research using baker’s yeast and bacteria Protein misfolding and aggregation can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. Prof. Elke Deuerling at the University of Constance is investigating the molecular helpers the chaperones and the key role that they have in protein folding. Deuerling uses the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Eschericia coli for her studies. Her studies involving E. coli have now shown that ribosome-associated chaperones are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chaperone-research-using-baker-s-yeast-and-bacteria
Article - 02/06/2014 Researchers shed light on important metabolic pathway A research team led by microbiologist Dr. David Schleheck, in cooperation with chemists from the University of Konstanz, has discovered how sulpho-glucose is degraded in Escherichia coli bacteria. As this sulphurous glucose analogue is produced by all photosynthetically active organisms, the researchers’ discovery is of great importance for our understanding of the global sulphur cycle. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/researchers-shed-light-on-important-metabolic-pathway
Press release - 18/01/2010 Measurement instead of culture – rapid detection of Legionella There has been an unusually high frequency of Legionella infections in the city of Ulm in the period since mid-December 2009. The search for the source of the infection is well underway, although the use of traditional detection methods make it a time-consuming process. New screening methods developed by the Fraunhofer IPM could considerably reduce the time required to detect the source of infection.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/measurement-instead-of-culture-rapid-detection-of-legionella
Article - 20/01/2014 Curetis AG: Miniaturised laboratory for the simple, rapid and reliable diagnosis of serious infections Acute pneumonia usually leaves doctors with no choice the situation can quickly become life threatening requiring doctors to act quickly. Instead of waiting for laboratory results they often prescribe an antibiotic that is effective against numerous bacterial species in the hope that it will also work against the bacterium that has caused the inflammation in the lung tissue. Curetis AG from Holzgerlingen close to Stuttgart has developed a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/curetis-ag-miniaturised-laboratory-for-the-simple-rapid-and-reliable-diagnosis-of-serious-infections
Press release - 28/05/2008 Printed biochips In a collaborative project scientists in Stuttgart and Heidelberg succeeded in cutting the production costs for highly complex peptide arrays by a factor of 100 at the same time as being able to increase the number of functional peptides by a factor of 20.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/printed-biochips
Article - 06/10/2008 Bacteria cells are highly organised Microbial cells long gave researchers the impression that they were in a state of complete disorder. Prof. Dr. Peter Graumann from the University of Freiburg investigates cell division in bacteria and knows that even microbes are highly organised.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bacteria-cells-are-highly-organised
Article - 30/04/2012 Antibiotic resistance in hospitals There is an alarming rise in infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to common antibiotics. A particular problem is nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections of newborns, for which a Germany-wide surveillance system has been established. Novel natural substances with an antibiotic effect might be able to contain the danger.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/antibiotic-resistance-in-hospitals
Press release - 21/04/2011 Scientists describe temperature compensation mechanism in bacteria Temperature fluctuations have an adverse effect on most living organisms. Mammals and birds have intricate systems to keep their body temperatures constant. Though primitive coliform bacteria do not possess such systems, they still manage to offset these fluctuations. Scientists at Heidelberg University’s Centre for Molecular Biology have found out how this “bacterial thermostat” works by investigating a model organism, the intestinal bacterium…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/scientists-describe-temperature-compensation-mechanism-in-bacteria
Article - 04/11/2010 Stefan Günther – Software for text and cell jungles Junior professor Dr. Stefan Günther from the Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Freiburg has a long-standing interest in computer sciences and is now developing software to model three-dimensional protein structures. This enables him to predict interaction mechanisms between therapeutic substances and cellular enzymes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stefan-guenther-software-for-text-and-cell-jungles
Article - 30/04/2012 3D insights into the molecular teamwork in biomembranes For chemists cellular biomembranes are hard nuts to crack. It is difficult to analyze proteins that are firmly anchored in biomembranes using standard biochemical methods and it is even more difficult to investigate their three-dimensional structure and interaction with other proteins. A group of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Anne S. Ulrich at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT have developed a method that enables them to take a close look…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/3d-insights-into-the-molecular-teamwork-in-biomembranes
Article - 11/10/2010 Georg Sprenger - virtuoso of bacterial metabolism manipulation Microorganisms can be taught to do things that they are unable to do naturally. Bacterial metabolisms can be changed in order to make the bacteria produce new products and convert new substrates. In addition, existing bacterial conversion strategies can be optimised for biotechnological applications. Prof. Dr. Georg Sprenger is the head of the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Stuttgart and he is an expert in this field.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/georg-sprenger-virtuoso-of-bacterial-metabolism-manipulation
Press release - 21/01/2010 Membrane-coat proteins: bacteria have them too Although they are present almost everywhere, on land and sea, a group of related bacteria in the superphylum Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae, or PVC, have remained in relative obscurity ever since they were first described about a decade ago. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have discovered that these poorly-studied bacteria possess proteins thought to exist only in eukaryotes –…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/membrane-coat-proteins-bacteria-have-them-too
Article - 22/04/2014 Sugar code and hygiene in the fight against multi-resistant pathogens Horizontal gene transfer between bacteria is a major reason for the spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance. It is the transfer of bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another, even distantly related species, by bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. Microbiologists from the University of Tübingen are investigating these mechanisms with the aim of finding new strategies that would effectively combat bacteria such as methicillin-resistant…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/sugar-code-and-hygiene-in-the-fight-against-multi-resistant-pathogens
Dossier - 15/03/2010 Vaccine development As the recent discussion on the pros and cons of swine flu vaccinations has shown vaccinations are not very popular in Germany. However people tend to forget that no other medical development has helped people to the same extent as immunisation with vaccines has done. Examples include the discovery of the cow pox vaccination by Edward Jenner in 1796 and all the programmes that have been set up by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/vaccine-development
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 - 09/03/2010 Insilico: co-designer of innovative cell factory for fine chemicals A new BMBF joint project to transfer systems biology research directly into practical applications is profiting from Insilico Biotechnology’s expertise. The goal is to make Pseudomonas bacterial strains fit for commercial use in the field of industrial biocatalysis. The project will run for three years, coordinated by BASF and financed with approx. EUR 5.5 million. Insilico Biotechnology is the second partner from industry, while all others are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/insilico-co-designer-of-innovative-cell-factory-for-fine-chemicals
Article - 16/01/2012 Alexander Titz: molecular design to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa has become an important cause of infection, and is often picked up in hospitals, especially by patients with weakened immune systems. It can cause respiratory and urinary tract infections, as well as lead to infections on implants and wounds. P. aeruginosa lives in a gel-like matrix, a so-called biofilm that is highly resistant to antibiotics, making it very difficult to eradicate. Dr. Alexander Titz and his team at the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/alexander-titz-molecular-design-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria
Article - 15/03/2010 Cystic fibrosis therapy is making good progress Thirty years ago cystic fibrosis CF formerly also known as mucoviscidosis was considered to be a disease that only affected children. Hardly any children with this hereditary metabolic disease ever reached early adulthood. Since then both the therapy and the life expectancy of CF patients have improved considerably. Dr. Gerd Döring from Tübingen is investigating the occurrence of respiratory tract defects that are common in CF patients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cystic-fibrosis-therapy-is-making-good-progress
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 - 17/10/2010 A high-tech strategy to become a reference laboratory The Konstanz-based Labor Dr. Brunner is the first medical laboratory in Germany to use a worldwide revolutionary instrument for liquid sample processing in bacteriological laboratories. The Walk-Away Specimen Processor (WASP) is a faster and more reliable processor that automatically identifies resistant pathogens such as MRSA or ESBL-type bacteria that have become part of the growing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that cause…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-high-tech-strategy-to-become-a-reference-laboratory
Article - 13/01/2014 Mechanisms of membrane protein insertion Prof. Dr. Irmgard Sinning, biochemist and structural biologist at the University of Heidelberg, will be awarded the 2014 Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for her work on the structure and function of complexes that transport different membrane proteins to the correct cellular compartments in the appropriate target membranes. Her research is primarily focussed on the co-translational SRP pathway mediated by signal…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/mechanisms-of-membrane-protein-insertion
Article - 21/11/2011 Johannes Huebner's interest in intestinal bacteria and their sweet-sour capsule Some Enterococcus species are common commensal organisms in human intestines and other species are used in raw-milk cheese where they enhance flavour development. On the negative side enterococci are also a common cause of hospital-acquired infections. Prof. Dr. Johannes Huebner from the Freiburg University Medical Centre is hoping that the bacterias capsular polysaccharides might at some point in the future be used as a vaccine opening the door…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/johannes-huebner-s-interest-in-intestinal-bacteria-and-their-sweet-sour-capsule
Article - 14/10/2010 Understanding what happens in dough In cooperation with the Nestl Research Centre Dr. Helmut Trautmann with his company abiotec AG has developed a gas volume monitor for the analysis of dough samples. The monitor makes an important contribution to the development as well as to the quality assurance of food. In addition to being used in the food technology sector the highly sensitive measurement device can also be used in the pharmaceutical and environmental sectors for example in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/understanding-what-happens-in-dough
Article - 29/05/2012 David Schleheck: exploring the effective degradation of surfactants David Schleheck biologist at the University of Konstanz focuses on the bacterial degradation of surfactants and LAS in particular. The results of his research are of huge importance for the recycling of grey water in areas including home sewage treatment systems for example.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/david-schleheck-exploring-the-effective-degradation-of-surfactants
Article - 18/09/2010 Empa Testmaterials: assessing the effectiveness of washing processes Empa Testmaterials AG focuses on the research and development of test systems and materials that enable biofilm to be successfully removed from washing machines as well as controlling the level of hygiene of individual wash cycles. As a competence centre in washing and cleaning the company specialises in the assessment of washing and cleaning processes in terms of effectiveness energy efficiency damage and hygiene.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/empa-testmaterials-assessing-the-effectiveness-of-washing-processes