Healthcare industry

Press release - 30/06/2009

febit First to Offer Newly Published Mouse Genome on a Chip for DNA/RNA Detection and Enrichment

In the near future, Next-Generation Sequencing technologies will lead to a rising number of completed genomes of model organisms and other species of interest, as demonstrated by the updated mouse genome. This accelerated development will generate a variety of tools available in the short term for the application of the new data into experiments. febit’s technology enables the conversion of new sequence data into biochips for gene expression…

Article - 29/06/2009

Alternative protein structures and breast cancer

A single protein can have many variants. This variability is achieved by a process known as splicing which can introduce small modifications into the mRNA transcript of a gene. Prof. Dr. Elmar Stickeler from the University Womens Hospital in Freiburg found that some of these splice variants can also induce cancer. Stickeler and his team are investigating how splicing factors change their target molecules and how this leads to breast cancer. This…

Press release - 29/06/2009

Can loss of sense of smell predict Alzheimer’s

The first lapses of memory go hand in hand with a loss of the sense of smell: The olfactory centre in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients is wasting away. The olfactory bulb starts to shrink at a very early stage of the disease, at a time when retentiveness is only slightly affected. It is possible to detect the shrinkage of the olfactory bulb with magnetic resonance imaging, as the latest findings by scientists of the Department of Psychiatry at…

Press release - 22/06/2009

Successful start: cooperative projects of the Rhine-Neckar Biotechnology Cluster (BioRN)

The first joint public appearance of the numerous players of the BioRN top cluster underlines the importance of cooperations between industry and science. At the first annual BioRN conference the Cell-based and molecular medicine top cluster announced the successful start of five cooperative projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In a strategy workshop the companies involved in the projects presented all 36…

Press release - 22/06/2009

MRI for tracing living cells

Researchers from the Mannheim Medical Faculty which is part of Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute MPI for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen have achieved a world first in the use of magnetic resonance imaging MRI for the simultaneous visualisation of sodium and potassium ions which are important for proper cell function in the living cell. The scientists from the Mannheim Medical Faculty have thus achieved an important milestone…

Article - 10/06/2009

Colleagues who became customers

Should they work with a long-standing cooperation partner or should they set up another company that was the decision faced by the staff of the Discovery-IT department of Nycomed formerly ALTANA Pharma in the spring of 2007.

Press release - 10/06/2009

6.56 million euros for first full-body PET-MRI prototype

The Joint Science Conference in Bonn has announced that the University of Tübingen will receive 6.56 million euros for the purchase of an entirely new multimodal full-body tomography system for the diagnosis of cancer. The new full-body PET-MRI combines positron emission tomography PET with magnetic resonance imaging MRI in one device.

Article - 09/06/2009

We would gladly finance more biotechs

For four years, the High-Tech Gründerfonds (high-tech company establishment fund) has been supporting technology-oriented company founders. The project, which is backed by the Federal German government and major businesses, has 272 million euros of largely federal funds at its disposal, and its objective is the accelerated marketability of ideas. We spoke with Marco Winzer, representative and Investment Director at High-Tech Gründerfonds,…

Press release - 28/05/2009

CONCERT Medical Optics wins special CyberOne prize

The company CONCERT Medical Optics was selected from more than 70 participants from all over Germany to receive a special CyberOne prize for the most innovative start-up concept namely a medical instrument called EndoTherapeuthoSkop. This instrument combines different technologies enabling the simultaneous detection and treatment of tumours meaning that patients only have to undergo one rather than several interventions.

Article - 27/05/2009

Raimund Hibst brings laser into dental practices

Nowadays, in many dental practices drills are no longer used to remove caries – much to the patients’ delight. Such practices have replaced drills with lasers, a virtually painless method, with low noise levels and which does not require a local anaesthetic. This is all thanks to the work of Raimund Hibst, a physicist from the ILM in Ulm who has spent many years turning research findings into health market applications, in cooperation with…

Article - 15/05/2009

Diabetes: we cannot wait any longer, we must act now!

The renowned endocrinologist Prof. Bernhard Böhm from Ulm, like many of his colleagues, is of the opinion that diabetes is a problem that concerns society as a whole. The following interview with the head of endocrinology at the University Hospital of Ulm shows why the USA invests 50 times more money into diabetes research and Böhm tells us about the three wishes he would ask of a “diabetes fairy”.

Dossier - 11/05/2009

Diabetes, a danger that is still underestimated

In 2010 there will be 10 million diabetes patients in Germany and nearly 33 millions in Europe. The diabetes avalanche is rolling and what is Germany doing? So far so little say experts. There is a lot happening at the same time in different places little is evaluated and a lot is lost in the maelstrom of individual interests. The figures are clear The metabolic disease known as diabetes has reached the proportions of a worldwide epidemic. It not…

Article - 04/05/2009

Perikles Simon – more than just hunting down the dope cheats

Whether it be the Olympic Games world championships or the Tour de France whenever a big sports event is coming up Dr. Dr. Perikles Simon from the University Hospital of Tübingen is a sought-after interviewee for the media. Simon has developed a test which may eventually help detect the latest performance-enhancing method gene doping.

Press release - 29/04/2009

febit Receives European Patent for Gene Extraction Procedure

febit holding gmbh announced today, that the company has been granted the first European patent (EP1436609) for a microarray-based nucleic acid extraction procedure. In conjunction with the US patent US7320862, febit now holds a unique patent position in the dynamic market of sample preparation for second-generation sequencers.

Dossier - 29/03/2009

Options for the food industry

Biotechnology has since found its way into the food industry and in fact into the entire value creation chain from raw material production to food processing to the sale of the final product. There are many ways in which biotechnology can contribute to better food products. These include the use of enzymes and microorganisms as well as in the production of food supplements and to improve analytic tests.

Press release - 15/03/2009

Jürgen Wolfrum – crossing the frontiers of science

The frontiers between scientific disciplines have always interested Prof. Jürgen Wolfrum a physicist who has been awarded many international prizes. Wolfrum is a pioneer in applied laser spectroscopy which he uses successfully in a variety of fields. For example in the automotive industry he uses laser spectroscopy to investigate elementary chemical reactions and combustion processes.

Article - 10/03/2009

When neurones lose their way

Dr. Deborah Morris-Rosendahl and her team at the Freiburg Medical School are investigating genetic cephalic disorders which are collectively referred to as lissencephaly. The scientists offer clinical diagnostics and investigate the causes of the disease.

Article - 16/01/2009

Study: nutritional and dietary treatments for ADHD

Doctors and researchers have been at odds for many years as to whether long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have an effect on the behaviour and cognition of ADHD children. It is hoped that a study at Ulm University will bring more clarity to the debate and potentially come up with an alternative to the controversial psychostimulant therapy.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Applicators and method development

The ILM offers a broad range of services relating to the development of devices and methods. The service offer comprises the entire value creation chain from the initial solution concept to the applicable functional model.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Molecular cytogenetic diagnostics

The ILM used multicolour fluorescence in-situ hybridisation for the detection of chromosomal changes in the vein tissue of patients suffering from recurrent varicosis.

The German Cancer Research Centre and Bayer Schering Pharma AG signed an agreement to establish a strategic research alliance. The partners will invest a total of 3.5 million euros in cooperative cancer research over the next two years.

Dr. Pitter Huesgen Dr. Michael Strerath and Dr. Carl Kübler have been awarded this years Nycomed Award. The Award which is worth a total of 15000 distinguishes outstanding doctoral theses in the fields of biology chemistry and physics.

Does tactile sensation also depend on structure and order? Using modern imaging methods the research group led by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hennig from the University Hospital of Freiburg is investigating whether mice with disturbed brain organisation are able to process tactile stimuli normally.

BioRegionUlms concept on the development of innovative biopharmaceutical products and services in Baden-Württemberg has been declared one of the winners.

The European Research Council is to fund a project at the University Hospital of Freiburg on the development of ultra fast magnetic resonance imaging for applications in the fields of neurology the neurosciences and oncology.