Healthcare industry

A new method allows stem cells and cancer stem cells to be studied at the single cell level and the resulting cell clones to be traced directly. Studying thousands of individual cells in parallel, the researchers combined the analysis of the genomic cancer mutations with the associated expression profiles.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are suitable for discovering the genes that underly complex and also rare genetic diseases. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), together with international partners, have studied genotype-phenotype relationships in iPSCs using data from approximately one thousand donors.

Article - 26/01/2017

Freiburg researchers transform skin cells into renal cells

A team of researchers from Freiburg has used direct programming to successfully produce kidney-like cells very similar to natural renal tubular cells in terms of appearance and function. These cells are thus a promising alternative to kidney cells isolated from animals and cells differentiated from embryonic stem cells. The reprogrammed kidney cells can be used, for example, for pharmacological and toxicological tests and investigating the…

Article - 08/11/2016

Towards at-home genetic testing

The ability to detect a broad range of conditions and modifications in human, animal, plant and pathogen genes is highly important in the field of medicine for diagnosing diseases and starting therapy as quickly as possible. Chemists at the University of Konstanz have now developed a genetic test that does not need to be carried out in the laboratory and can be evaluated with the naked eye, similar to a pregnancy test. The test would therefore be…

Article - 29/03/2016

The zebrafish can mend its own heart

In adults, cells such as nerve or cardiac muscle cells have lost the ability to regenerate. This is why myocardial infarction is so dangerous – damaged cardiac muscle cells do not grow back and scar tissue forms in their place. Prof. Dr. Gilbert Weidinger and an international team of researchers have deciphered a mechanism responsible for the regeneration of the zebrafish heart.

Article - 13/10/2014

Personalised cancer therapy based on microRNA analysis

microRNAs are not just required for the regulation of gene expression, their expression signatures also allow conclusions to be drawn on the type and progression of cancer. Sensovation AG is therefore working with partners from industry and clinical research to develop an automated microRNA analysis platform that can detect and evaluate microRNA signatures faster than has previously been possible. The system is designed to make it easier to…

Article - 10/12/2012

A machine learning method for the prediction of regulatory interactions

Heidelberg bioinformaticians have developed a novel method for the automated prediction of regulatory interactions. The regulatory interaction predictor, a machine-learning based approach for predicting interactions between DNA-binding transcription factors and their target genes and obtaining important insights into the gene regulatory networks in complex cells.

Article - 12/12/2011

Comprehensive Biomarker Center GmbH – next-generation biomarkers

Biomarker research has moved on from proteins to nucleic acids where one of the main priorities is the use of microRNA expression profiles. The Heidelberg-based biotech company Comprehensive Biomarker Center GmbH (CBC, formerly febit) has state-of-the-art technologies and the skills and knowledge to advance the development of new nucleic acid biomarkers for complex diseases in cooperation with partners from research and industry.

Article - 07/11/2011

Daniel Gebhard – a new chapter in the mitochondrial theory of aging

It has been known for quite some time that skin aging and skin cancer are connected with UV radiation. It is believed that mutations in the mitochondrial DNA are major contributors to aging and cancer, which is why in-depth knowledge about the repair mechanisms of skin cells is essential. Daniel Gebhard, doctoral student at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, is investigating the repair capacity of mtDNA in different human skin cell types. He is…

Dossier - 25/07/2011

Cell culture technology: it all started with frog nerve fibres

The history of cell culture technology is closely connected with cell biology and the discoveries made in the field of cell biology. Ever since the study of science became a professional activity, researchers have been trying to keep cells and tissues alive outside organisms for purposes of investigation.

Article - 15/03/2010

Borna disease virus and cell death in the brain

A research group led by Prof. Dr. Bernd Heimrich at the University of Freiburg is investigating how the Borna disease virus can alter characteristic neuronal circuits and destroy the hippocampal nerve cells. The scientists have developed an extremely practical petri dish test system. Their results show which cell types sustain the most damage following infection and also give indications as to how apoptosis cell death can be prevented.

Article - 27/10/2009

New ways of looking at computer data: H-Maps

Databases are classical tools for the collection, administration and presentation of computer data in table form. Tübingen-based Hölle & Hüttner AG has developed a completely new solution – H-Maps: a semantic knowledge matrix that associates and represents information as clearly arranged networks. This gives users a rapid overview and enables them to recognise new relationships.