Healthcare industry

Article - 24/03/2014

DNA – from Watson and Crick to modern molecular biology

Watson and Crick deciphered the structure of DNA around 60 years ago and thus provided the key to understanding how genetic information is passed on. Since this discovery, which laid the foundation for molecular biology, new insights and developments have significantly changed many research areas and have also found their way into our everyday lives. DNA sequencing, genetic fingerprinting or personalised medicine – Watson and Crick’s heritage is…

Article - 24/03/2014

Vaccine against papillomaviruses protects from skin cancer

Papillomaviruses are thought to cause non-melanoma skin cancer in people exposed to UV radiation, especially those who have suppressed immune systems. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Charité University Hospital in Berlin have developed a vaccine that protects mice against such skin tumours. The vaccine is even effective in mice that have previously been infected with papillomaviruses and that have suppressed…

Article - 17/03/2014

Bacterial toxins manipulate proteins that serve as signalling switches in the host cell

The enterobacterial species Photorhabdus asymbiotica und luminescens live in symbiosis with predatory nematodes that infest insect larvae and feed on their victims. The bacteria wait in the worms gut until their symbiotic partner has crept into the larvae then they are released and kill the insect with an ingenious toxin cocktail. Researchers in the team led by Professor Aktories and Dr. Thomas Jank recently discovered a mechanism of one of the…

Dossier - 10/03/2014

Cancer therapy and cancer diagnostics

Thanks to improved diagnostics and therapy, today’s cancer patients can live considerably longer than patients several years ago. Nevertheless, some cancers, especially the strongly metastatic ones, are difficult to treat. Therapies targeting immune cells or cancer stem cells could potentially improve the current situation. The early detection and classification of tumours is crucial for the successful treatment of the disease, and molecular…

Article - 24/02/2014

Chemical tools for exploring cell division

The cell cycle, consisting of interphase and mitosis, forms the basis for eukaryotic growth and reproduction. Numerous control and regulatory mechanisms guarantee that the separation and distribution of the chromosomes happens synchronously with the formation of the daughter cells. Amongst other things, the two daughter cells only form when the chromosomes are far enough apart from each other. Professor Dr. Thomas Mayer from the University of…

Article - 17/02/2014

Personalised tumour diagnostics with high-throughput sequencing

CeGaT GmbH Center for Genomics and Transcriptomics in Tübingen is one of the first organisations that have managed to combine human genetic diagnostics with high-throughput sequencing for the diagnosis of specific tumour variants. CeGat researchers have developed diagnostic panels that they use to study more than 550 tumour-relevant genes simultaneously. The identification of genetic changes provides a more detailed diagnosis of tumours and helps…

Article - 27/01/2014

immatics biotechnologies GmbH: active against cancer

immatics biotechnologies GmbH is a biopharmaceutical company wholly concerned with the development of advanced immunotherapies that are active against different types of cancer, including renal cell, colorectal, brain and gastric cancer. The company currently has a workforce of 80 at its headquarters in Tübingen and subsidiary in Munich. It capitalises on the know-how in the analysis of tumour cells and vaccine development gained through its…

Article - 10/01/2014

HybridKnife – an instrument for future endoscopy

Endoscopic and minimally invasive keyhole surgery is increasingly replacing open surgery. For many years now, patients have reaped the benefits of such treatment techniques, which are less stressful than open surgery and usually leave no scarring. People can leave hospital just a few days after treatment, which also contributes to cost savings in healthcare. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a new technique that enables the endoscopic…

Article - 07/01/2014

Martin Scheffner: a biochemist exploring a versatile protein

Ubiquitin is found in almost all tissues and is involved in a wide variety of cellular processes e.g. protein degradation signal transduction and cell cycle control. The addition of ubiquitin alters the characteristics of proteins including their half life function or location. Prof. Dr. Martin Scheffners work is dedicated to the exploration of this versatile protein. The researcher from Konstanz studies the enzymes of the ubiquitin system and…

Dossier - 02/12/2013

RNA interference: confidence is returning

The 15-year history of RNA interference is not short on dramatic effects. It begins with the unexpected discovery and publication of the process of post-transcriptional gene silencing in 1998 for which the two Americans Andrew Fire and Craig Mello were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine just eight years after their discovery. In 2001 Thomas Tuschl succeeded in switching off genes in human cells with small synthetic pieces of RNA…

Article - 25/11/2013

Elisa May: a sharp, microscopic look at DNA damage

DNA damage is part of our everyday life. Every day, tens of thousands of DNA single-strand breaks occur in every cell, but we have a variety of sophisticated genome maintenance mechanisms to protect ourselves against such problems. However, serious diseases can result in cases where the cellular repair system fails. Amongst other things, there is a close relationship between the failure of DNA repair mechanisms and the development of cancer.…

Press release - 16/10/2013

BIOTECHNICA 2013 - Baden-Württemberg is a top life sciences spot.

The BIOTECHNICA trade show rolled out the red carpet for its exhibitors. Over 10,000 visitors walked over the carpet to inspect the exhibits that were on display at the Baden-Württemberg booth. The impressive exhibits of the companies showed that Baden-Württemberg has many highly innovative SMEs in the life sciences field.

Dossier - 15/10/2013

Adult stem cells – hope for regenerative therapies

Adult stem cells have the lifelong ability to generate new specialised cells. They secure the continuous replenishment of cells therefore enabling the constant replacement of dying cells with new ones. Progress in the characterisation isolation and specific differentiation of adult stem cells over recent years raises hopes for the future use of the cells in the therapy of degenerative diseases. Knowledge about adult stem cells also has the…

Press release - 15/10/2013

Biotech financing in Baden-Württemberg: immatics raises 34 million Euros

The immatics biotechnologies GmbH, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing advanced multi-peptide cancer vaccines that are active against cancer, today announced that it has closed a 34 million Euros Series D financing round. The funding round was supported by existing investors including dievini Hopp Biotech holding, Wellington Partners, MIG-advised funds and AT Impf GmbH. Under the terms of the fundraising, immatics will receive…

Article - 30/09/2013

CureVac GmbH: RNA-based vaccines and immunotherapies

CureVac GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company based in Tübingen, develops immunotherapies for cancer along with prophylactic vaccines based on its proprietary messenger RNA (mRNA) technology platform. CureVac also uses RNA for developing adjuvants. Two clinical trials, a Phase I trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a Phase IIb trial in prostate cancer, are currently underway to test the efficiency of mRNA-based drugs in treating cancer and…

Article - 23/09/2013

ERC Starting Grant for individualised high-tech radiotherapy

The major objective of Dr. Daniela Thorwarth, head of Biomedicical Physics in the Department of Radiooncology at Tübingen University Hospital, is to improve cancer patients’ chances of a cure by applying high-precision individualised radiotherapy. The scientist was awarded an ERC Starting Grant, a highly prestigious grant from the European Research Council that supports up-and-coming research leaders. Thorwarth will use the grant to improve the…

Article - 09/09/2013

The Heinrich-Lanz Centre for Personalised Medicine in Mannheim

A Centre for Translational Research and Personalised Medicine is currently emerging at the Faculty of Medicine in Mannheim, University of Heidelberg. The new centre is expected to boost the development of new therapies in cooperation with partners from Germany and abroad. The centre also works closely with the “French-German Advanced Translational Drug Discovery Center”, a unique, large-scale, cross-border research cooperation between French and…

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…

Article - 19/08/2013

The Heidelberg practice of whole-genome sequencing

After two years’ work, scientists from Heidelberg have now presented their opinion on the ethical and legal consequences of the total sequencing of the human genome. The paper presents principles and practical recommendations aimed at maintaining the balance between the wellbeing and interests of patients on the one hand and the freedom of research and clinical progress on the other.

Article - 12/08/2013

Sensovation AG: a special camera for rapid allergy diagnosis

Between 20 and 30 million Germans suffer from allergies to house dust mites, pollen and many other allergens¹. The diagnosis of allergies is usually a rather time-consuming process as more than 20,000 potential allergens need to be tested in order to identify the allergen that causes a patient’s particular symptoms². Sensovation AG has developed a technology that allows the parallel analysis of 20 allergens and which has the potential to simplify…

Article - 12/08/2013

A complete exome sequence in one week

The exome is the part of the genome that is formed by exons i.e. the DNA regions that code for proteins and other functional products. Though comprising only about 1 of the total genome the majority of disease-causing mutations occur in the exome. Selectively sequencing the coding regions of the genome is quicker than whole-genome sequencing. Therefore exome sequencing plays an important role in the diagnosis of genetic diseases and cancer.…

Article - 08/08/2013

Innovative measurement of cellular stress allows development of new cancer drugs

The chemical attachment of PolyADP-ribose a biopolymer with chemical similarities to nucleic acids to cellular proteins is part of the cellular DNA repair machinery. To investigate this process in more detail Dr. Aswin Mangerich and colleagues from the University of Konstanz and the MIT have developed a bioanalytical platform based on isotope dilution mass spectrometry to quantify PAR levels with high specificity and sensitivity. The results…

Article - 05/08/2013

Marina Rubini – a passionate researcher into protein folding and design

Therapeutic proteins play an important role in modern medicine. Correct glycosylation patterns are therefore fundamentally important for producing effective glycoprotein-based therapeutics. Dr. Marina Rubini from the University of Konstanz explores ways to alter the properties of proteins using non-natural amino acids for the post-translational site-specific attachment of carbohydrate groups. She uses the glycoprotein hormone erythropoietin…

Article - 29/07/2013

‘Go back to start’ in the field of meiosis

Researchers have long thought they knew exactly how meiosis, meiosis regulators and the complex that forms between homologous chromosomes during meiosis work. The research group headed by Dr. Andrea Pichler from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has now discovered a new mechanism that plays an important role in meiosis. The study carried out by Pichler and her colleague Dr. Helene Klug has shown why it is…

Article - 04/07/2013

Experimental evidence of stem cells for metastasis

For the first time, scientists from Heidelberg have characterised cancer cells that initiate metastasis in the blood of breast cancer patients using an in-vivo xenograft mouse model. These cells have the properties of cancer stem cells and are characterised by three surface molecules that can be used as biomarkers for disease progression.