Dossier - 24/05/2019 Tumour metastasis Cancer is usually not curable when metastases have formed in the body. Metastases are often resistant to drugs that have successfully eliminated the primary tumour. The basic features of the complex process of metastasis are now known, but many details still remain elusive. Intensive research activities are focusing on new therapeutic concepts aimed at developing effective anti-metastatic therapies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/tumour-metastasis
Article - 21/03/2018 Drug tests using miniature organs At present, potential new drugs have to be tested on animals before they can be used on humans. However, results obtained from animals are not always transferrable to the situation in humans, which is why researchers around the world have long been seeking alternatives. Miniature human organs that can be used to test the efficacy of potential human drugs might provide a solution.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/drug-tests-using-miniature-organs
Article - 13/11/2017 An artificial heart valve with the potential to grow About 30,000 artificial heart valves are implanted in Germany every year. The durability of these heart valves presents a major challenge, requiring them to be exchanged time and again, especially in young patients. Researchers from the Stuttgart Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have developed a new artificial heart valve material on which cells that are naturally present in a patient’s blood can form new…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/an-artificial-heart-valve-with-the-potential-to-grow
Article - 11/10/2017 New research consortium to develop new liver cancer treatments The causes, signs and symptoms of liver cancer are extremely complex. Investigating them requires the collaboration of many experts across university and regional boundaries. A new transregional research group is now studying the complex overall mechanisms at the cellular, genetic and molecular level in order to develop new concepts and drugs for treating liver and bile duct cancers.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-research-consortium-to-develop-new-liver-cancer-treatments
Overview World Day for Laboratory Animals On 24 April 2017 is "World Day for Laboratory Animals" – the BIOPRO provides information about this topic. In Baden-Württemberg alone, up to 600,000 animals are used for scientific purposes every year. In order to reduce their pain and suffering as much as possible, researchers all over the world are working on the development of innovative methods to replace animal experiments, including cell culture methods for drug analysis,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/world-day-for-laboratory-animals
Press release - 24/01/2017 Cancer Medications Learn to Hide The European Research Council awards Wilfried Weber an ERC Proof of Concept Grant. Wilfried Weber, Professor of Synthetic Biology at the University of Freiburg, has received a grant of roughly €150,000 for his project “Hide and Seek with Cancer Drugs” in which he is working to improve the drugs used in cancer treatment.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cancer-medications-learn-to-hide
Article - 21/12/2016 For all types of tests: Signatope’s biomarker assays Signatope is a new biotech company that has been offering innovative biomarker assays for application in drug discovery since August 2016. The company’s assays can be used in all phases of drug development to detect potential adverse drug effects on the kidneys, liver and other organs in any species whatsoever using minute amounts of sample.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/for-all-types-of-tests-signatopes-biomarker-assays
Article - 14/07/2016 neuroloop GmbH: how the manipulation of neuronal information can lower blood pressure Millions of people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. However, taking medicines to control high blood pressure does not work for everyone. Dr. Dennis Plachta and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz from IMTEK have now developed a neurostimulator to control blood pressure. Together with Dr. Michael Lauk, an experienced company founder, the two researchers set up a company called neuroloop, which is funded by Aesculap AG and aims to turn the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/neuroloop-gmbh-how-the-manipulation-of-neuronal-information-can-lower-blood-pressure
Article - 05/07/2016 HS-Analysis GmbH – using digital histology to develop new drugs The idea of analysing tissue samples automatically sounds more of a pipe dream than anything else. However, it already happens. HS-Analysis GmbH's ability to interpret tissue samples automatically is driving new drug development a decisive step forward.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hs-analysis-gmbh-using-digital-histology-to-develop-new-drugs
Article - 09/05/2016 FlexiTel – microsensors for tissue monitoring When soft tissue is transplanted, for example in a patient undergoing tumour surgery, care must be taken to ensure that the new tissue is connected to the blood system in the area where the tumour has been removed. How well this works is difficult to find out, especially in the case of deep-seated defects. Partially implantable microsensor probes called FlexiTel have the potential to improve this situation by monitoring success during the first…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/flexitel-microsensors-for-tissue-monitoring
Article - 21/03/2016 Shock wave therapy gives hope to many men Although the approval of vasodilatory drugs made available an effective medicine for treating erectile dysfunction, not all men respond to this type of treatment. MTS Medical UG from Konstanz has developed a therapeutic device that means that these men can now get help too. What's more, the device has no adverse health effects.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/shock-wave-therapy-gives-hope-to-many-men
Article - 21/12/2015 Using a heart simulator for optimal therapy A realistic computer model of the human heart is expected to make treating heart diseases more effective: doctors will be able to test medicines and surgical techniques on the computer heart and determine the most effective therapy. Olaf Dössel, director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, believes that his team's heart model is among the top five in the world.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/using-a-heart-simulator-for-optimal-therapy
Article - 14/12/2015 Cathepsin L: overcoming stress in tumours Cathepsins are proteases, i.e. enzymes that break down proteins into smaller fragments. They are also involved in the formation of new blood vessels and wound healing. Another thing that cathepsins do is help tumours spread and form metastases in the body. Prof. Dr. Thomas Reinheckel and his team from the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research at the University of Freiburg are studying how this happens. Insights into the role of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cathepsin-l-den-stress-im-tumor-ueberwinden
Article - 04/11/2015 DNA capture molecules wanted for cells Artificial blood vessels made of special polymers are no longer a pipedream. However, one problem that needs to be solved is that the artificial vessels have to be compatible with tissue. One solution could be to dupe the body into thinking that the artificial vessels are real by coating their inside walls with the patient’s own cells. Researchers from Reutlingen have developed a microfluidic chip that identifies molecules that can capture the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dna-capture-molecules-wanted-for-cells
Article - 22/06/2015 3D bioprinting: replicating the shape of bone parts Prof. Dr. Günter Finkenzeller, head of the Research and Tissue Engineering Laboratory in the Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, and Dr. Peter Koltay from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg, are being given German Research Foundation (DFG) funds for a period of three years to develop a 3D printing technique for functional bone tissue containing blood…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/3d-bioprinting-replicating-the-shape-of-bone-parts
Press release - 05/11/2014 Orphan drug status for Synovo's immune modulator SYD003 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have granted orphan drug designation to Synovo's investigational compound SYD003, a first in class tumour-targeted immune modulator.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/orphan-drug-status-for-synovo-s-immune-modulator-syd003
Article - 18/08/2014 VAXIMM: Vaccines that impede cancer growth VAXIMM GmbH, a young biotechnology company from Mannheim, Germany, specialises in the development of vaccines for cancer treatment. The company’s first product candidate, VXM01, is a live oral vaccine that targets the VEGFR-2 receptor and hence the blood supply of tumours. VXM01 is currently undergoing clinical testing in pancreatic cancer patients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vaximm-vaccines-that-impede-cancer-growth
Press release - 15/07/2014 amcure Receives EUR 5 Million Funding for the Development of New Tumour Therapeutic Agents amcure GmbH, a spin-off from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has closed a Series A financing deal amounting to a total of EUR 5 million. The funding comes from a consortium headed by LBBW Venture Capital, with participations from KfW, MBG Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Baden-Wuerttemberg, S-Kap Beteiligungen Pforzheim, BioM AG as well as private investors. The company also receives subsidies from the German Ministry of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/amcure-receives-eur-5-million-funding-for-the-development-of-new-tumour-therapeutic-agents
Article - 22/04/2014 Synthetic nanoparticles as mini-pills for the treatment of tumours Little is yet known about the risks and dangers of the tiny particles that play a key role in the field of nanotechnology because many applications are still under development. The technology is therefore not without controversy. However, there are promising possibilities for equipping artificial particles with new functions, such as optimizing the targeted delivery of drugs in the human body or developing a non-invasive type of cancer therapy.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/synthetic-nanoparticles-as-mini-pills-for-the-treatment-of-tumours
Article - 16/12/2013 Cellendes puts paradigm change in cell research to good use Cells grown on the flat furfaces of tissue culture plates do not behave as they would in their natural environment. This is why scientists are now using three-dimensional substrates to replicate the natural environmental of cells in tissue cellular matrix. Dr. Brigitte Angres and Dr. Helmut Wurst founders and managing directors of Cellendes GmbH in Reutlingen have taken advantage of this new knowledge and developed two novel hydrogels for cell…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cellendes-puts-paradigm-change-in-cell-research-to-good-use
Article - 03/06/2013 Red light to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of gene expression The interaction of proteins and RNA is a crucial factor in the regulation of gene expression. These protein-RNA interactions can be specifically controlled and investigated inside the cell using proteins with customised chemical functions. In his doctoral thesis, chemist Moritz Schmidt from the University of Konstanz addresses the possibility of conveying new functions to proteins by introducing non-natural amino acids. He has developed a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/red-light-to-elucidate-the-regulatory-mechanisms-of-gene-expression
Article - 25/03/2013 SHENC – shear flow regulation of hemostasis The first step in closing wounds is the aggregation of the von Willebrand factor glycoprotein with blood platelets, which plugs the hole in the blood vessel and stops blood from leaking out. Using computer simulations and artificial blood vessel experiments, researchers from Mannheim have shown that this aggregation is a reversible process that depends on the shear forces resulting from the flow of the blood. This also prevents the clogging of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/shenc-shear-flow-regulation-of-hemostasis
Press release - 18/03/2013 Med Cell Europe AG: medicine from a patient’s own adipose tissue Med Cell Europe AG, which is headquartered in Münchwilen, Switzerland, and a member of the BioLAGO bioregion, is the only private stem cell bank in Europe that isolates adult stem cells from customers’ adipose tissue. The biotech company, which was founded in 2010, is also active in research. The focus, amongst other things, is on the transformation of stem cells into insulin-producing cells and cytotoxicity tests to explore potential damage to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/med-cell-europe-ag-medicine-from-a-patient-s-own-adipose-tissue
Article - 04/03/2013 TellTargeting Medical GmbH – targeted chemotherapy using CARL® The needs of cancer patients are clear chemotherapies that are as gentle as possible associated with minimal adverse effects and have a rapid effect. This is often difficult to achieve because the drug that stops tumour growth needs to remain in the body for a certain amount of time during which time it damages cancerous as well as healthy structures. Dr. Gerhard Pütz and Dr. Jürgen Eckes founded the company TellTargeting Medical GmbH Co. KG…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/telltargeting-medical-gmbh-targeted-chemotherapy-using-carl
Article - 11/02/2013 REGiNA – the health region for regenerative medicine REGiNA is a users’ centre for regenerative medicine in the area bordered by the cities of Stuttgart and Tübingen and the Neckar-Alb region. It was established with the aim of translating a variety of advanced regenerative methods into broad clinical application. Providing a diverse and broad range of information, REGiNA is focused on making new treatment possibilities and the opportunities created by regenerative medicine known to doctors,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/regina-the-health-region-for-regenerative-medicine