Article - 24/05/2017 Ralf Reski: from moss to humans Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski conducts basic research at the University of Freiburg. But this is not all the well-known plant biotechnologist does. He also wants his ideas to become concrete products. This is why he established Greenovation Biotech GmbH, a company which produces novel drugs in mosses. The company’s first moss-produced drug candidate – Moss-aGal – a recombinant form of human α-galactosidase, is now being tested in a phase I clinical trial.…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ralf-reski-from-moss-to-humans
Article - 26/04/2017 Chaperones disassemble Parkinson’s disease-specific amyloid fibrils Amyloid fibrils consisting of clumped α-synuclein protein are characteristic of Parkinson's disease. Chaperones, which ensure the correct folding of newly synthesised polypeptides, can inhibit α-synuclein aggregation and, as a consequence, prevent fibrils from forming. Researchers from Heidelberg have shown that a specific combination of human molecular chaperones is able to disassemble fibrils and transform them into non-toxic α-synuclein…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chaperones-disassemble-parkinsons-disease-specific-amyloid-fibrils
Article - 12/04/2017 Imaging flow cytometry – introducing a new era of imaging High-resolution images or quantifiable results? Up until now, researchers usually had to choose. All this has now changed thanks to a single device known as an imaging flow cytometer that combines fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The new device gives new insights into complex biological phenomena in cells. It is available for research purposes at the Research Centre for Women’s Health at the University Hospital of Tübingen, which…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/imaging-flow-cytometry-introducing-a-new-era-of-imaging
Article - 31/03/2017 A novel mechanism of cancer development Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections occur in almost all adults worldwide and are a high risk factor for some types of cancer. Researchers from Heidelberg have now come up with a novel mechanism that promotes carcinogenesis involving an EBV protein rather than the genome of the virus. The EBV protein BNRF1 induces the excessive amplification of the centrosomes of the spindle apparatus, and leads to chromosomal instability and inaccurate…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-novel-mechanism-of-cancer-development
Article - 07/03/2017 KiTZ: Hopp Children’s Tumour Center at NCT Heidelberg The Heidelberg University Hospital and the DKFZ have established the "Hopp Children's Tumor Center at NCT Heidelberg" (KiTZ) where doctors, scientists, nursing staff and other specialists work side by side on new diagnostic and therapeutic options to help children with cancer.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/kitz-hopp-childrens-tumour-center-at-nct-heidelberg
Press release - 07/02/2017 Atriva receives seed financing to develop its next generation influenza therapeutic The next generation of Antiviral Therapies: Led by Stichting Participatie Atriva together with High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Atriva Therapeutics GmbH has received seed financing from Dutch and German private investors to advance Atriva’s antiviral MEK-Inhibitors (Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor) against Influenza into the clinical development stage.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/atriva-receives-seed-financing-to-develop-its-next-generation-influenza-therapeutic
Article - 26/01/2017 Freiburg researchers transform skin cells into renal cells A team of researchers from Freiburg has used direct programming to successfully produce kidney-like cells very similar to natural renal tubular cells in terms of appearance and function. These cells are thus a promising alternative to kidney cells isolated from animals and cells differentiated from embryonic stem cells. The reprogrammed kidney cells can be used, for example, for pharmacological and toxicological tests and investigating the…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/freiburg-researchers-transform-skin-cells-into-renal-cells
Article - 12/01/2017 Test system for skin damage caused by solar radiation Based on an accredited test method, the Fraunhofer IGB has developed an in vitro phototoxicity assay to measure the phototoxic potential of substances in medications and lotions used to protect the skin against environmental influences, which can become toxic when exposed to UV light. The assay uses human skin cells that have been grown into three-dimensional tissue as a human skin model. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/test-system-for-skin-damage-caused-by-solar-radiation
Press release - 05/01/2017 Phenex receives 100 M USD Milestone Payment from Gilead Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG (Phenex) today announced that the company has received a 100 M USD milestone payment from Gilead Sciences, Inc. of Foster City, CA, U.S.A., for its program with GS-9674 targeting nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/phenex-receives-100-m-usd-milestone-payment-from-gilead
Article - 13/12/2016 Smart sensor technology from Ulm can do more than just breath analysis Detecting disease-specific molecules in human breath is technically feasible, but time-consuming and rather costly. "µbreath" could soon change this. The breath gas analysis device has all the necessary requirements for commercial success in the healthcare sector: it is compact, accurate, highly sensitive and fast. The chemist who developed µbreath, Prof. Boris Mizaikoff from Ulm University, and his partners are hoping to start…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/smart-sensor-technology-from-ulm-can-do-more-than-just-breath-analysis
Article - 26/09/2016 TuCADD: Coaching for early drug candidates The University of Tübingen is optimising its drug development pipeline. The TuCADD consortium provides professional help to people who want to take potential drug candidates to clinical application. The coaching involves assistance with the entire phase I drug development phase from industry experts.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/tucadd-coaching-for-early-drug-candidates
Article - 18/08/2016 Moonlighting proteins can make bacteria pathogenic The mechanism underlying the export of biomolecules from cells remains unknown. Prof. Dr. Friedrich Götz and his team at the Institute of Microbial Genetics at the University of Tübingen have found out that staphylococci can turn into dangerous pathogens by excreting normally harmless enzymes. The researchers believe that the enigmatic excretion of such enzymes is due to a completely new mechanism and are thus planning to carry out further…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/moonlighting-proteins-can-make-bacteria-pathogenic
Article - 27/07/2016 “Open science“ – a successful recipe for combating viruses Danger identified, danger averted – the better the dynamic changes of the viral genome are understood, the better the spread of the pathogens can be predicted, thus enabling more efficient countermeasures to be taken. A team of researchers from Tübingen and Seattle is developing an open source online platform that maps the evolution of viruses and identifies dangerous developments.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/open-science-a-successful-recipe-for-combating-viruses
Article - 11/07/2016 Endogenous oxidants: biosensor monitoring of metabolic conditions in living organisms The oxidation state of the cells in our body is very important for us: if the normal balance of the distribution of endogenous oxidants is disturbed or if they attack cellular structures, cells are either unable or only partially able to fulfil their functions, and diseases develop. Dr. Tobias Dick and his team of researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have now developed a biosensor that facilitates real-time…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/endogenous-oxidants-biosensor-monitoring-of-metabolic-conditions-in-living-organisms
Article - 04/07/2016 Epigenetic modifications for the treatment of oesophageal cancer Oesophageal cancer is a rare but highly aggressive type of cancer with a rather poor prognosis. Dr. Theresa Ahrens, a researcher in a group led by Prof. Dr. Silke Laßmann and Prof. Dr. Martin Werner at the Institute of Clinical Pathology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, has tested a variety of epigenetic drugs that can interfere with the development of oesophageal cancer. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/modifikation-epigenetic-modifications-for-the-treatment-of-oesophageal-cancer-als-therapie-bei-speiseroehrenkrebs
Article - 30/06/2016 Why fasting is good for health A protein in the nucleus of liver cells is produced in greater quantities when we go hungry; it limits fatty acid uptake and adjusts the metabolism in the liver. However in people with metabolic disorders, the abnormal expression of this protein (GADD45β), which was previously only known to be involved in the regulation of cell division and DNA repair, leads to a dysregulated fat and sugar metabolism. Scientists from the DKFZ and Helmholtz…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/why-fasting-is-good-for-health
Company profile - 27/06/2016 Atriva Therapeutics GmbH: new ways to treat influenza Influenza viruses constantly change and mutate. This makes treatment difficult and vaccination rather touch and go. But what about targeting virus-manipulated cell events rather than using the virus itself as drug target? Atriva Therapeutics GmbH, a start-up company from Tübingen, shows how this works.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/atriva-therapeutics-gmbh-new-ways-to-treat-influenza
Article - 20/06/2016 Activation of the innate immune system against metastatic colorectal cancer Researchers from Heidelberg have shown that instead of fighting cancer cells, macrophages of the innate immune system promote the growth of metastases in people with metastatic colorectal cancer. They have also shown that a signal inhibitor used to treat HIV infections reactivates macrophages so that they gain the ability to destroy cancer cells. A clinical phase I study has confirmed the antitumoral effects of this drug.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/activation-of-the-innate-immune-system-against-metastatic-colorectal-cancer
Dossier - 14/06/2016 CRISPR/Cas – genome editing is becoming increasingly popular The number of publications and patents that involve the CRISPR/Cas system has been increasing exponentially since the technique was first described a few years ago. The increase in funding for projects involving CRISPR/Cas also demonstrates how powerful this new method is. The targeted modification of genomes (also called gene editing or genome editing) using CRISPR/Cas is extraordinarily accurate and also has the potential to cure hereditary…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/crisprcas-genome-editing-is-becoming-increasingly-popular
Researcher profile - 13/06/2016 Matthias Willmann wants to get the big picture – tracking down infectious agents While fighting and curing bacterial infections in sick patients is one part of the picture, epidemiological investigation of the spread of pathogens is another. Dr. Matthias Willmann also assesses the impact of these factors on the healthcare system as a whole and draws conclusions that might boost early detection of pathogens and prevention of infections. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/matthias-willmann-wants-to-get-the-big-picture-tracking-down-infectious-agents
Article - 17/05/2016 Innovative biochip for discovering drugs for treating neuronal conditions Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy are three prominent examples of neuronal conditions (disorders affecting the nerve cells) for which drugs for treatment are intensively sought. Paolo Cesare from the NMI in Reutlingen has developed an innovative 3D system for testing drugs that does not require animal testing. In 2015, the MEAFLUIT system was awarded first prize in BioRegio STERN Management GmbH's Science2Start idea competition. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/innovative-biochip-for-discovering-drugs-for-treating-neuronal-conditions
Article - 12/05/2016 Novel method for predicting the spatial structure of biomolecules Biomolecules can only fulfil their functions in the cell when they fold into a characteristic native three-dimensional structure. Knowing this structure is not only of paramount importance for basic research, but also for medicine and pharmacology. Scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have therefore developed a simple method to predict the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules from the analysis of readily available…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/novel-method-for-predicting-the-spatial-structure-of-biomolecules
Article - 02/05/2016 Biopolymers – raw materials for innovative medical products Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable biopolymers that are becoming increasingly important. Bioplastics are now used not only in everyday objects such as plastic bags and yogurt pots but also increasingly in the field of medicine, which is why intensive research into medical devices made from biodegradable polymers such as PHA has been going on for quite some time. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biopolymers-raw-materials-for-innovative-medical-products
Article - 26/04/2016 Methadone for cancer treatment? Clinical trials are needed to prove the effectiveness of this opioid Claudia Friesen, an oncologist at Ulm University Hospital, has achieved what many scientists dream of: she has made a discovery that has increased existing knowledge, and can be used to help people. People with cancers that are resistant to all conventional therapies who have been given methadone for pain relief in combination with conventional chemo- or radiation therapy, have reported that tumours have shrunk or disappeared completely. Clinical…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/methadone-for-cancer-treatment-clinical-trials-are-needed-to-prove-the-effectiveness-of-this-opioid
Article - 25/04/2016 Pancreatic cancer and its resistance to therapy Pancreatic tumours are among the cancers with the worst prognosis. In many cases they are resistant to treatment. Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp and his colleagues from the DKFZ and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine HI-STEM have discovered that the reason why some pancreatic tumours are so resistant to treatment is down to larger quantities of the enzyme CYP3A5 in subtypes of pancreatic cancer. Molecular…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pancreatic-cancer-and-its-resistance-to-therapy