Dossier - 29/10/2008 Signal transduction - exciting research with huge potential for the future Signal transduction is one of the most innovative fields of research in the life sciences. Although the scientists are far from being able to understand and decipher everything the signal researchers nevertheless have a good deal of knowledge about the transduction of signals and the different signalling pathways.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/signal-transduction-exciting-research-with-huge-potential-for-the-future
Microstructure Technology - 17/07/2020 An electronic nose for many applications Sensory organs are sophisticated masterpieces of nature. That is why humans have often tried to copy them. Be it cameras or microphones - there are technical objects that have always been based on natural models such as the eye or the ear. For a long time, however, no artificial sense of smell has featured in the technical repertoire. Now researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an electronic nose. It can…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/electronic-nose-many-applications
Article - 18/08/2016 Chronic viral infections of the liver Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are two of the most common infectious diseases in the world. They often take a chronic course and carry a high risk of progressing to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. A new transregional collaborative research centre involving scientists from Heidelberg and Freiburg is looking into how hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, which have different symptoms and treatments, are able to evade the immune system and allow…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chronic-viral-infections-of-the-liver
Article - 04/07/2017 Ruxolitinib – successful graft-versus-host disease treatment Graft-versus-host disease is a serious complication in leukaemia patients who have been given a blood stem cell transplant from a genetically different person. Prof. Dr. Nikolas von Bubnoff and Prof. Dr. Robert Zeiser from the Department of Haematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Freiburg University Medical Centre initiated a Germany-wide study to show that an active substance called ruxolitinib has a promising therapeutic effect.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ruxolitinib-successful-graft-versus-host-disease-treatment
Dossier - 01/02/2010 Metabolic diseases Metabolic diseases are characterised by disorders of the intermediary metabolism which can either be inherited or acquired. The extent and incidence of metabolic diseases can differ considerably and can range from widespread diseases such as diabetes to rare congenital diseases that frequently have a fatal outcome. Through new approaches in genome research amongst other things science and industry are increasingly focusing on metabolic diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/metabolic-diseases
Article - 26/11/2012 Membrane proteins in the mitochondria do more than just generate cellular energy The proteins in the membranes of the mitochondria are complex machines in the nanoworld that mediate the oxygen-coupled generation of energy in cells. Their role in this process is not yet understood in detail. However, the proteins’ intractability has not discouraged Prof. Dr. Carola Hunte’s research group at the University of Freiburg. The group is using state-of-the-art methods to look deep into the proteins’ active centres and decipher the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/membrane-proteins-in-the-mitochondria-do-more-than-just-generate-cellular-energy
Article - 29/11/2010 Going through the eye of a needle: Translating research findings into individualised patient treatment Anyone attempting to assess the importance of pharmacogenetics for drug safety will inevitably end up considering the ambiguous responses of Radio Eriwan. It is true that genetic tests are theoretically able to predict whether an inactive enzyme affects the metabolism of a drug and whether it is necessary to apply a different drug dose. But how can this knowledge be applied in everyday clinical settings when patients with this inactive enzyme are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/going-through-the-eye-of-a-needle-translating-research-findings-into-individualised-patient-treatmen
Article - 14/11/2009 "A little naivety always helps" The biotech company CureVac based in Tuebingen is working on the development of a new tumour therapy based on RNA molecules. Dr. Ingmar Hoerr one of the scientists who founded CureVac tells Christoph Bächtle about the obstacles the young company had to overcome and the tough decisions that led to success. At the very start he tells us the company owes its origins to a huge dollop of luck.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-little-naivety-always-helps
Expert interview - 13/05/2019 Innovation management in the life sciences – Inova DE provides insights Personalized medicine, medical technology, digital health and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing diagnostics and product development. Analyses are becoming faster and more precise, and data volumes can now be networked and used effectively. The goal of improving people's quality of life is within reach, and this will also strengthen Germany’s future viability. However, not every good idea can be turned into a marketable commodity.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/innovation-management-in-the-life-sciences-inova-de-provides-insights
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/rna-interference-confidence-is-returning
Article - 19/12/2011 Patrick Heun: The DNA tangle and how it is organised Dr. Patrick Heun and his group of researchers at the Max Planck Institute MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg are working on elucidating the spatial organisation of cell nuclei and how the structure of chromosomes is passed on to daughter cells during the division of cells. The researchers have come up with clear proof that the formation of centromeres depends on a single molecule. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/patrick-heun-the-dna-tangle-and-how-it-is-organised
Article - 19/03/2012 Soil bacteria to produce new antibiotics An ever-growing number of genomes of soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces are being sequenced. Using a method known as “genome mining”, researchers at the University of Tübingen are working on the identification of gene clusters that have the potential to be used in industrial biotechnology for the production of new antibiotics and other pharmaceutically active substances. To achieve this, the biosynthesis gene clusters are integrated into…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/soil-bacteria-to-produce-new-antibiotics
Article - 10/09/2009 Cadherins – keeping cells together is not their only purpose If they are absent everything goes wrong. Right from the development of the embryo the cell adhesion molecules of the cadherin superfamily ensure that cells are bound together while they are developing and when they become adult organisms. Cadherins fix tissue in place and give it shape and identity. But this is far from being all that they do. Dr. Dirk Junghans and his team at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have carried out experiments…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cadherins-keeping-cells-together-is-not-their-only-purpose
Article - 03/12/2012 Differences between white, brown and “brite” fat tissue The latest results on the different metabolic pathways used by white and brown fat cells and potential transformations between the two cell types were discussed at the conference “Metabolism 2012: From Signalling to Disease” held on 15th and 16th November 2012 in Heidelberg. A special cell type, so-called “brite” adipocytes, may have the potential to be used in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases such as diabetes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/differences-between-white-brown-and-brite-fat-tissue
Dossier - 26/11/2012 Genetic diagnostics: technology reaches the limits of what is medically reasonable Rapid progress in sequencing technologies is poised to set the imagination of biomedical researchers on fire. Experts now believe that progress is about to make possible what seemed to be utopian a few years ago – it seems likely that it will soon be possible to sequence the human genome in only a few minutes and store and automatically analyse it using tiny automates. However, is everything that is technically feasible also reasonable?https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/genetic-diagnostics-technology-reaches-the-limits-of-what-is-medically-reasonable
Article - 15/07/2008 Simple explanations are not enough - assessment and criticism are a must What is the difference between knowledge and science? Why did the biotech bubble develop in the first place? Find out more as we talk to the freelance science journalist Sascha Karberg.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/simple-explanations-are-not-enough-assessment-and-criticism-are-a-must
Expert interview - 26/06/2018 Genome analyses: "Germany lags behind dramatically" Around 6,000 genetic diseases can be diagnosed using genetic tests. Genetic testing enables the accurate identification of diseases especially when symptoms are unclear, and also allows statements to be made about disease progression. However, restrictive regulations considerably hinder the use of genetic diagnostics. BIOPRO spoke with Dr. Dr. Saskia Biskup, a human genetics specialist and co-founder of the Tübingen-based company CeGaT. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/genome-analyses-germany-lags-behind-dramatically
Article - 28/06/2010 ATG:biosynthetics GmbH – Modular molecular systems of the future ATGbiosynthetics GmbH based in Merzhausen close to Freiburg produces biological systems that can combine gene constituents following a construction kit principle. The company provides the pharmaceutical industry and basic researchers with products that have specifically chosen properties.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/atg-biosynthetics-gmbh-modular-molecular-systems-of-the-future
Press release - 16/11/2015 The Baden-Württemberg healthcare industry – a strong economic power (Stuttgart – 16th November 2015) BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg has just published its latest analysis of the Baden-Württemberg healthcare industry including comprehensive facts and figures. Baden-Württemberg continues to be one of the top locations for medical technology, pharma and biotechnology in Germany. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-baden-wuerttemberg-healthcare-industry-a-strong-economic-power
Article - 27/08/2012 Cardiac or intestinal progenitor cells? What controls the fate of pluripotent stem cells? Cell fate decisions are made in the early mouse embryo when it is nothing more than a spherical mass of cells. A molecule known as eomesodermin determines whether pluripotent stem cells become cardiac or intestinal progenitor cells. Dr. Sebastian Arnold and his research group at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have recently discovered why one single molecule can have a twofold effect. These findings provide Arnold and his team with greater…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cardiac-or-intestinal-progenitor-cells-what-controls-the-fate-of-pluripotent-stem-cells
Article - 29/11/2008 The worm in humans Caenorhabditis elegans has a lifespan of 20 days. The worm is as small as a comma and consists of only 959 cells. Caenorhabditis elegans is very different from Homo sapiens who might at least in Germany live for as long as 79 years or more. Nevertheless the tiny worm is the most important model organism for researchers into ageing who use it to study the development of age-related diseases and the ageing process itself.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-worm-in-humans
Article - 06/07/2015 Blood stem cells deliver drugs to brain tumours The brain is the central switchboard in our body. Professor Ghazaleh Tabatabai’s work focuses specifically on the brain and the fight against uncontrolled proliferation of brain tumours. In May 2014, she was appointed professor in the newly established Interdisciplinary Division of Neuro-Oncology at the University of Tübingen and head of the Clinical and Experimental Neuro-Oncology research group at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/blood-stem-cells-deliver-drugs-to-brain-tumours
Development of the genomDE genome database - 04/12/2020 Whole genome sequencing for diagnosing rare diseases Grouped together, rare diseases are by no means a rare phenomenon; however, they are rarely correctly diagnosed and rarely properly treated. In most cases, there is no effective medication available. Rare disease centres staffed by experts have been set up in many German cities to speed up the often long and painful search for the right diagnosis and treatment. Whole genome sequencing is a component of general healthcare, used to identify…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/whole-genome-sequencing-diagnosing-rare-diseases
Article - 24/10/2008 The game needs to be discovered Prof. Dr. Michael Reth is active in the field of immunology and signalling. He is an experienced scientist who is well aware of the difficulty and the cumbersome nature of deciphering signals and signalling pathways. The Freiburg bioss excellence cluster - the Centre of Biological Signalling Studies - is Reths brainchild. Karin Bundschuh from BioRegio Freiburg spoke with the scientist who works at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-game-needs-to-be-discovered
Article - 30/11/2009 The problem children of protein biochemistry A large number of cellular proteins are located in or on a membrane. Dr. Dirk Schneider from the University of Freiburg believes that biochemists who investigate such proteins must be a little crazy, as the methods required to isolate the molecules from their exotic environment, i.e. from the lipid bilayer, are extremely difficult and complicated. Research has long focused on water-soluble proteins. Schneider and his team have now taken on the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-problem-children-of-protein-biochemistry