Healthcare industry

Article - 27/11/2017

Antimicrobial layer expected to fight hospital acquired infections

Infections caused by bacteria that contaminate the surface of medical devices such as catheters and wound dressings are not that rare and can even be life-threatening. However, at present there is no really effective way to keep these products germ-free until they are used. Scientists at the University of Freiburg have now developed a surface coating that reliably kills bacteria, but is harmless to human cells.

Article - 21/07/2016

New anticancer drugs – hop compounds have the potential to treat cancer

Secondary hop compounds appear to have a positive effect on the immune system and therefore have the potential to be used for the treatment and prevention of cancer. However, the bioavailability of hop compounds in the human body is relatively poor. Researchers from Hohenheim and Tübingen are therefore looking for a way to increase their absorption rate.

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…

Article - 21/05/2013

Green gold: bioactive plant foods

Nowadays everything must be good for something must have a direct noticeable or tangible effect. The ever topical issue of nutrition is no exception. All this makes functional food a promising and inexhaustible market. Teams of scientists around the world are focussing on how unhealthy food can be made healthy. Bioactive plant foods are expected to close a gap that should not have existed in the first place.

Article - 29/04/2013

Bioactive plant foods: plant substances against cancer stem cells

Many findings indicate that the consumption of cruciferous vegetable plants rich in mustard oil glycosides has a cancer-inhibiting effect. Researchers from Heidelberg have now shown that sulforaphane, a broccoli mustard oil, blocks a signalling pathway that makes tumour stem cells resistant to cytotoxic drugs. The administration of sulforaphane can prevent therapy resistance and metastasis of pancreatic cancer in animal models.

Article - 29/04/2013

FoodSolutionsTeam - onto the table instead of into the trough

The processing of food, vegetables and other plant materials leads to large amounts of by-products that are not needed for the final product. These include solid residues from fruits and seeds from pressing that still contain many valuable ingredients, but are not required for the production of food. FoodSolutionsTeam (FST) from Konstanz is developing technologies that enable these by-products to be transformed into valuable food ingredients that…

Dossier - 08/10/2012

Marine biotechnology: unknown sources of hope from the depths of the sea

Biotechnological methods are used to investigate marine life and the results obtained from these investigations advance research in the fields of medicine and energy and into substances used as food supplements and cosmetics. The area of marine biotechnology is fairly diverse. Although it is not on the coast even the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg is involved in marine biotechnology.

Article - 14/11/2011

BioTeSys GmbH - The basics of substance testing

Esslingen-based BioTeSys GmbH is contracted by its clients to determine the bioactive potential of substances and substance mixtures of foods and dietary supplements. Substances are tested whether or not they have a positive effect on human health using a range of chemical analyses, cell-based tests and clinical trials.

Article - 19/03/2009

BioTeSys: isolate, characterise, analyse

Bioactive substances are the speciality of BioTeSys GmbH an Esslingen-based biotech company. The company works with a range of products including cosmetics plant and berry extracts and low-dosage non-prescription food supplements. BioTeSys investigates the efficacy of the active ingredients of such products as well as the raw materials used to manufacture them.