Healthcare industry

Evotec SE announced today the launch of beLAB2122 in the Rhine- Main-Neckar region to efficiently advance first-in-class therapeutic concepts into investable drug discovery projects. Mediated and supported by BioRN, Evotec’s newest BRIDGE brings together the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (“EMBL”), the German Cancer Research Center (“DKFZ”), the Goethe University Frankfurt, Heidelberg University and the University of Tübingen.

Atriva Therapeutics - 21/10/2020

COVID-19 pioneer drug in Phase II clinical trial – with double the power

The effective treatment of people with severe COVID-19 is a major goal during the corona pandemic. ATR-002, an oral small molecule that targets RNA viruses such as influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, has a dual effect: it impairs viral propagation and also has an immunomodulatory effect. And what’s more, due to its unique cellular mechanism of action, the efficacy of Atrivia Therapeutics’ drug candidate is not reduced by virus mutations and…

Mosses for pharmaceutical production - 16/09/2020

Factor H as a therapeutic option for viral diseases - including COVID-19

The search for drug candidates for COVID-19 diseases is well underway. Factor H, which is part of the innate immune system, might also be a future therapeutic option. The Freiburg-based biotech company eleva has developed a technology for producing this human protein in moss cells. The active ingredient, which might also have a regulatory effect in other diseases, is currently undergoing preclinical testing.

Innovative Therapies - 20/08/2020

Labor Dr. Merk is fully committed to viral therapies

Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen is reorienting its business towards viral therapeutics. With this change of strategy, the company, which has decades of expertise in virology, wants to position itself in a timely fashion in the growing new market for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP). In gene and virotherapies (oncolytic viruses), tumour vaccines and CAR-T cell therapies, viruses are essential as vectors, killers of tumour cells or…

CureVac AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on optimized mRNA, today announced that the German Health Authority Paul-Ehrlich-Institute (PEI) and the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) have approved the Phase 1 clinical trial for its vaccine program to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial will be conducted in Germany and Belgium.

CureVac AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on optimized mRNA, today announced positive pre-clinical results at a low dose for its lead vaccine candidate against the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

CureVac AG, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering mRNA-based drugs for vaccines and therapeutics, confirmed today that internal efforts are focused on the development of a coronavirus vaccine with the goal to reach, help and to protect people and patients worldwide.

Novel coronavirus outbreak - a status report on recent developments - 04/03/2020

Waiting for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Researchers around the world are working frantically on the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus. A project by the Tübingen-based biotechnology company CureVac, funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), uses the company’s technology platform for mRNA-based vaccines to accelerate vaccine development, thus contributing to the future prevention of the disease.

Article - 22/10/2019

Using CAR T cells for treating cancer

After successes in the treatment of advanced blood cancers, CAR T-cell immunotherapy has become a major beacon of hope in oncology. The first therapies have received regulatory approval. Despite their success, these immunotherapies can have serious side effects. The company AVA Lifescience develops antibodies with high tumour specificity to use as the basis for effective precision-guided CAR T-cell therapies that are better tolerated by patients.

Dossier - 28/08/2018

With molecular diagnostics to biomarker-based personalised therapy

Diagnosing suitable biomarkers is a prerequisite for tailoring personalised therapies to patient heterogeneity. Genetic tests and genome sequencing play a key role in these diagnoses. Up until now, personalised therapy has achieved the greatest success in the field of oncology. However, personalised treatments are also gaining in importance for treating other diseases.

Article - 08/08/2017

N2B-patch: circumventing the blood-brain barrier

There are many medications for treating central nervous system diseases. However, only a fraction of the active pharmaceutical ingredients actually reaches the site where they are needed. The reason for this is the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain and thus prevents many drugs used to treat neurological diseases from effectively penetrating the brain. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and…

Article - 24/05/2017

Ralf Reski: from moss to humans

Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski conducts basic research at the University of Freiburg. But this is not all the well-known plant biotechnologist does. He also wants his ideas to become concrete products. This is why he established Greenovation Biotech GmbH, a company which produces novel drugs in mosses. The company’s first moss-produced drug candidate – Moss-aGal – a recombinant form of human α-galactosidase, is now being tested in a phase I clinical trial.…

Press release - 06/04/2017

Start-up in the garage – a location with prospects

Newly established start-up wins award – Mireca Medicines GmbH develops treatment for hereditary eye disease and receives Innovation Award of the biotechnology regions in Germany

Article - 26/09/2016

TuCADD: Coaching for early drug candidates

The University of Tübingen is optimising its drug development pipeline. The TuCADD consortium provides professional help to people who want to take potential drug candidates to clinical application. The coaching involves assistance with the entire phase I drug development phase from industry experts.

Article - 12/09/2016

New target for the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma discovered

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. If the tumour is at an advanced stage, doctors have few treatment options. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Lars Zender from the University of Tübingen have now identified one of the cancer's Achilles' heels, namely, the interaction between C-MYC and AURKA proteins, which can be destabilised with a drug, thus killing cancer cells.

Company profile - 27/06/2016

Atriva Therapeutics GmbH: new ways to treat influenza

Influenza viruses constantly change and mutate. This makes treatment difficult and vaccination rather touch and go. But what about targeting virus-manipulated cell events rather than using the virus itself as drug target? Atriva Therapeutics GmbH, a start-up company from Tübingen, shows how this works.

Article - 26/11/2015

Chrystelle Mavoungou: how students get to the heart of the drug discovery process

Chrystelle Mavoungou is a chemist who teaches regulatory affairs and quality in pharmaceutical production at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences’ Faculty of Biotechnology. While the public might consider these issues difficult to deal with, students and early career pharmaceutical biotechnologists quickly learn that issues like these take them right to the heart of the drug discovery process.

The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on pharmaceutics in Baden-Württemberg

Article - 13/10/2014

Data mining is likely to play an increasing role in clinical development

Data mining still plays a minor role in the research-based pharmaceutical industry. But this is likely to change in the future. Mathematician Hans-Jürgen Lomp predicts that exploratory data analysis will be used to a greater extent in the future. Lomp is the Global Head of Statistics in Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG’s Department of Medical Data Service and Biostatistics in Biberach.

Part 1 - 22/09/2014

Expert interview: How are the prices of new pharmaceuticals determined?

Healthcare in Germany is quite good. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies carry out research in order to improve it further. The question is, how can a fair price for innovative drugs be determined? BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH has talked to Dr. Manfred Caeser, a specialist in pricing and reimbursement at LSCN Ltd.

Article - 27/05/2013

Economic factors outpace medical factors – are regulatory authorities brakes to innovation?

The Pharmaceuticals Market Reorganisation Act (AMNOG) of January 2011 aims to limit the rising costs of pharmaceuticals and to create a balance between innovation and the affordability of drugs. For the pharmaceutical industry this means that the price of new pharmaceuticals depends on their proven additional benefit. The ‘healthcare industry provider network’ (hipnet) invited representatives from Boehringer Ingelheim and SocraTec R&D GmbH to…

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,…

Article - 14/01/2013

Boehringer takes a deep breath: a look into the company’s respiratory R&D pipeline

At its 3rd International Research & Development (R&D) press conference, Boehringer Ingelheim gave journalists insights into its R&D pipeline. Around 200 scientists at the company’s site in Biberach are investigating new treatment options for patients with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma, idiopathic lung fibrosis, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. In addition, the researchers are also focusing on the…

Article - 20/09/2011

Expansion and concentration in the biosimilars market

Europe is the leader in the global biosimilars business. The prospects are excellent as the patents of many innovator biopharmaceuticals, including therapeutic antibodies, have reached or are about to reach patent expiry. The profitable, though difficult biosimilars market, is increasingly dominated by a handful of financially strong companies.

Press release - 07/04/2011

Novel compounds for fighting against parasitic diseases

Parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family cause a number of serious human diseases. Researchers from Italy, Belgium, and Germany have published the identification of novel anti-parasitic compounds targeting an enzyme unique to the parasites. These compounds are promising for the development of drugs with fewer side-effects than current medical treatments.