Expert interview - 14/11/2016 Fighting diseases with plant-derived active compounds Herbal medicines have a long tradition in Germany. In an interview with Dr. Ariane Pott from BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Professor Dr. Michael Wink, Director of the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Heidelberg, highlighted that plants produce compounds that are effective against microorganisms and that can also be put to good use in the treatment of human diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fighting-diseases-with-plant-derived-active-compounds
Article - 04/07/2016 Epigenetic modifications for the treatment of oesophageal cancer Oesophageal cancer is a rare but highly aggressive type of cancer with a rather poor prognosis. Dr. Theresa Ahrens, a researcher in a group led by Prof. Dr. Silke Laßmann and Prof. Dr. Martin Werner at the Institute of Clinical Pathology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, has tested a variety of epigenetic drugs that can interfere with the development of oesophageal cancer. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/modifikation-epigenetic-modifications-for-the-treatment-of-oesophageal-cancer-als-therapie-bei-speiseroehrenkrebs
Article - 17/05/2016 Innovative biochip for discovering drugs for treating neuronal conditions Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy are three prominent examples of neuronal conditions (disorders affecting the nerve cells) for which drugs for treatment are intensively sought. Paolo Cesare from the NMI in Reutlingen has developed an innovative 3D system for testing drugs that does not require animal testing. In 2015, the MEAFLUIT system was awarded first prize in BioRegio STERN Management GmbH's Science2Start idea competition. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/innovative-biochip-for-discovering-drugs-for-treating-neuronal-conditions
Article - 25/04/2016 Pancreatic cancer and its resistance to therapy Pancreatic tumours are among the cancers with the worst prognosis. In many cases they are resistant to treatment. Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp and his colleagues from the DKFZ and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine HI-STEM have discovered that the reason why some pancreatic tumours are so resistant to treatment is down to larger quantities of the enzyme CYP3A5 in subtypes of pancreatic cancer. Molecular…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pancreatic-cancer-and-its-resistance-to-therapy
Article - 08/02/2016 MalVa GmbH – a protein cocktail that could potentially produce a high protection malaria vaccine MalVa GmbH was founded as a spin-off company of Heidelberg University Hospital around five years ago and its aim is to develop an effective and safe inactivated vaccine against malaria. MalVa GmbH’s innovative strategy to combat this infectious disease involves a cocktail of several parasite antigens. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/malva-gmbh-a-protein-cocktail-that-could-potentially-produce-a-high-protection-malaria-vaccine
Article - 28/01/2016 Crowdsourcing initiative to tackle Alzheimer’s The BioMed X Innovation Center and the biopharmaceutical company AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG have used crowdsourcing to set up a team of scientists from renowned international institutions to investigate new options for treating Alzheimer’s disease. The team are looking for targets in the metabolism of tau proteins and its pathological modifications that can be used to develop drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/crowdsourcing-initiative-to-tackle-alzheimers
Milestone payment results in further profitability in fiscal year 2015, continuing the trend from 2014 - 17/12/2015 Phenex AG reaches milestone in collaboration with Janssen Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG (Phenex) today announced the achievement of a milestone in the collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen), which triggers a 6 M US$ payment by Janssen. In late 2012, Phenex and Janssen entered into a research collaboration on RORgt with a view to develop new therapeutic approaches for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/phenex-ag-reaches-milestone-in-collaboration-with-janssen
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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chrystelle-mavoungou-how-students-get-to-the-heart-of-the-drug-discovery-process
Article - 16/03/2015 Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt - searching for novel antibiotics in bacteria Microbial metabolic products can be used in the fight against dangerous pathogens such as multidrug-resistant bacteria. Since summer 2014, microbiologist Prof. Dr. Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt has been investigating the mechanisms of action of bacterial substances at the University of Tübingen with the aim of paving the way for new antibiotics. Interesting candidates have already been identified.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/heike-broetz-oesterhelt-searching-for-novel-antibiotics-in-bacteria
Press release - 09/03/2015 Gilead Sciences aquires FXR-program of Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Foster City, CA, U.S.A.) and Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG (Ludwigshafen/Heidelberg, Germany), a privately-held biotechnology company, announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Gilead will acquire Phenex’s Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) program comprising small molecule FXR agonists for the treatment of liver diseases including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/gilead-sciences-aquires-fxr-program-of-phenex-pharmaceuticals-ag
Article - 10/06/2014 Ribosome assembly as target for innovative antibiotics Although bacterial ribosomes are a popular target of common antibiotics, there are no drugs that specifically target ribosome assembly. To date, there is simply no screening method that would be suitable for assaying inhibitors of ribosomal subunit assembly. Prof. Dr. Elke Deuerling and Dr. Rainer Nikolay from the University of Konstanz have now achieved a breakthrough. They have developed a method that enables the high-throughput identification…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ribosome-assembly-as-target-for-innovative-antibiotics
Article - 26/05/2014 HDC – state-of-the-art drug research at a location with a long-standing tradition Hit Discovery Constance GmbH (HDC) searches for new drug candidates on behalf of academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry. Established in early 2014 on the Konstanz Campus (former Takeda/Nycomed/Altana research site), the joint venture organization offers high-throughput screening and compound management and storage services to support the transfer of academic research into the development of new medicines. With its high-throughput…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hdc-state-of-the-art-drug-research-at-a-location-with-a-long-standing-tradition
Article - 26/05/2014 With printable biotech through the entire sequence space A peephole is not enough for Frank Rosenau. He wants to see everything. The insatiable scientist is a biotechnologist at Ulm University and his aim is to exploit everything the emerging field of printable biotechnology can offer to miniaturization in pharmaceutical research. Working with chemists, physicists and medical doctors, Rosenau focuses on the cell-free production of all theoretically possible peptides in the human body. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/with-printable-biotech-through-the-entire-sequence-space
Article - 31/03/2014 The growing significance of peptide therapeutics The therapeutic use of peptides lags behind that of proteins. And there are good reasons for this. However, it seems that this is beginning to change and that peptide therapeutics are growing in significance. As a matter of fact, peptides have become rather popular candidates for drugs. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-growing-significance-of-peptide-therapeutics
Article - 10/03/2014 From structure to mechanism Life would be impossible without the broad range of enzymes that enable the flow of cellular metabolites in plant, animal and microbial organisms. Enzymes are biocatalysts that control and facilitate difficult chemical reactions associated with inheritance, breathing and digestion as well as the synthesis of natural products. Enzymes like chorismatase have long been attractive drug discovery targets. Junior professor Dr. Jennifer Andexer from the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/from-structure-to-mechanism
Article - 10/02/2014 HOT Screen GmbH - models for studying diseases HOT Screen GmbH from Reutlingen Germany develops human organotypical HOT cell culture models related to the human immune system for the assessment of drug activity profiles and the selection of suitable drug candidates. The sophisticated models are made with differentiated cells and can be adapted to a broad range of different diseases - including rheumatoid arthritis osteoarthritis Crohns disease neurodermatitis COPD asthma and many others. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hot-screen-gmbh-models-for-studying-diseases
Press release - 15/01/2014 Hit Discovery Constance GmbH: a new hub for HTS and compound management Hit Discovery Constance GmbH (“HDC”), a new joint venture organisation between Lead Discovery Center (Dortmund/Germany), Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3, KULeuven, Leuven/Belgium) and Axxam (Milan/Italy) has started its operation. The new company is based in Constance (Germany) and will make use of the already established equipment and know-how of the former Takeda/Nycomed/Altana screening and compound management facilities at the site.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/hit-discovery-constance-gmbh-a-new-hub-for-hts-and-compound-management
Article - 28/10/2013 Peptides as drugs – researchers from Ulm hope to unearth the treasures of the human body The human body harbours unsuspected resources. It also produces customised drugs such as peptides. Although this sounds like a far too bold hypothesis, it is not. Researchers from Ulm consider the approach so promising that they have now established the Ulm Centre for Peptide Pharmaceuticals (UPEP).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/peptides-as-drugs-researchers-from-ulm-hope-to-unearth-the-treasures-of-the-human-body
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-heinrich-lanz-centre-for-personalised-medicine-in-mannheim
Dossier - 01/07/2013 Electrophysiology – from cardiac pacemakers to drug discovery Electrochemical reactions are involved in many processes in the human organism. Electrophysiology is the study of the central processes of electrical and chemical interaction and communication between neurons and muscle cells, including the transmission and processing of signals in the nerves and the subsequent contraction of the muscles. For example, electrophysiology studies examine the rhythm which which our heart pumps blood through the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/electrophysiology-from-cardiac-pacemakers-to-drug-discovery
Dossier - 25/03/2013 Biotechnology goes automated Processes that previously required pipetting analysis and production to be carried out manually are increasingly now controlled by automated systems. However this has not necessarily involved a complete reinvention of the wheel instead automation systems used in the plant construction and mechanical engineering sectors are being adapted and optimised for application in the life sciences. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/biotechnology-goes-automated
Article - 17/09/2012 Thomas Paulöhrl: spatially and temporally controlled light-induced reactions Thomas Paulöhrl, polymer chemist from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), was awarded the 2012 Lanxess Talent Award for his achievements in further developing light-induced click strategies that can now be used for generating various surface structures and three-dimensional frameworks. His Ph.D. thesis not only provides the basis for new ways to efficiently modify material, it also opens up new research opportunities in medical drug…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/thomas-pauloehrl-spatially-and-temporally-controlled-light-induced-reactions
Press release - 23/05/2012 GlaxoSmithKline to fully acquire Cellzome for 99 million U.S. dollar GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire those shares it does not currently own in Cellzome, a leader in the development and advancement of proteomics technologies, for £61 million (US$99 million) in cash. Cellzome, a privately owned company with laboratories in Cambridge, UK, and Heidelberg, Germany, will become part of GSK’s R&D organisation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/glaxosmithkline-to-fully-acquire-cellzome-for-99-million-u-s-dollar
Article - 16/01/2012 Manfred Jung: drug discovery and the epigenetic code Prof. Dr. Manfred Jungs team at the University of Freiburg are chemical epigeneticists whose research involves the development of methods that enable them to identify and optimise new therapeutic drugs which are able to alter the epigenetic code of cancer and other cell types. The team use a perfidious worm for their research.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/manfred-jung-drug-discovery-and-the-epigenetic-code
Dossier - 12/12/2011 Development of new molecular biomarkers Biomarkers are playing an increasing role in drug discovery and development. They can be used as molecular indicators for diseases and disease risks as well as for monitoring the effectiveness of therapy. Highly specific molecular biomarkers are being identified using state-of-the-art technologies from the fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/development-of-new-molecular-biomarkers