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 - 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
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 thus 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 and have become a major focus of scientific interest. Research into innate immune defence mechanisms has also become more important due to the discovery…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/new-trends-in-the-field-of-immunology
Press release - 15/11/2012 How bacteria attack their host cells with sticky lollipops Yersinia enterocolitica, a pathogenic bacterium, causes fever and diarrhea. By help of a protein anchored in its membrane, Yersinia attaches to its host cells and infects them. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and the Leibniz-Institut fuer Molekulare Pharmakologie in Berlin have determined the structure of an important component of the membrane protein and have gained insight into its biogenesis. The…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-bacteria-attack-their-host-cells-with-sticky-lollipops
Press release - 09/10/2012 Bacterium in a Laser Trap Scientists from the Department of Microsystems Engineering IMTEK of the University of Freiburg have constructed an innovative new optical trap that can grab and scan tiny elongated bacteria with the help of a laser. Optical tweezers could previously only be used to grab bacteria at one point not to manipulate their orientation. The Freiburg researchers have now succeeded in using a quickly moving focused laser beam to exert an equally distributed…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bacterium-in-a-laser-trap
Article - 10/09/2012 Jan Wehkamp to investigate the causes of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases It takes a great deal of courage to question a common scientific doctrine especially for scientists at the very beginning of their careers. But around ten years ago Dr. Jan Wehkamp did not shy away from doing just that and as a result he and his scientific partner Professor Dr. Eduard Stange came up with a new explanation for the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/jan-wehkamp-to-investigate-the-causes-of-chronic-inflammatory-bowel-diseases
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/freiburg-research-team-sheds-light-on-important-metabolite-in-bacteria
Dossier - 23/07/2012 Extremophilic bacteria What causes stress for some, actually speeds others like extremophilic bacteria up. They 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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/extremophilic-bacteria
Press release - 28/11/2011 CeCo Labs develops new method for isolating bacterial cell walls 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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/ceco-labs-develops-new-method-for-isolating-bacterial-cell-walls
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 - 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?https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/can-probiotic-lactic-acid-bacteria-protect-the-intestines-against-pathogens
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/marina-freudenberg-and-chris-galanos-more-than-40-years-of-bacterial-defence-research
Press release - 24/08/2011 The project ANTIGONE aims at responding to unexpected epidemic threats 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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-project-antigone-aims-at-responding-to-unexpected-epidemic-threats
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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dieter-spiteller-is-taking-an-in-depth-look-at-the-chemistry-of-microbial-symbionts
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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/testing-water-quality-test-kit-makes-in-situ-testing-easy
Press release - 30/03/2011 Bacteria poison themselves from within The research group led by Anton Meinhart at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has shown that proteins from the zeta toxin group trigger a self-destructive mechanism in bacteria. The triggers for this bacterial suicide are toxin/antitoxin systems that play an important role in the hereditary transmission of resistance and virulence genes. The scientists have thus found a valuable new tool for the development of new…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bacteria-poison-themselves-from-within