Press release - 02/11/2022 How Cells Find the Right Partners During the growth and development of living organisms, different types of cells must come into contact with each other in order to form tissues and organs together. A small team working with Prof. Dr. Anne Classen of the Excellence Cluster CIBSS of the University of Freiburg has discovered that complex changes in form, or morphogenesis, during development are driven exclusively via the affinity of cells to each other.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-cells-find-right-partners
Press release - 02/11/2022 The guardian of the (epi-)genome Toxicologists from the University of Konstanz have found that the protein p53 continuously protects our cells from tumorigenesis by coordinating important metabolic processes that stabilize their genomes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/guardian-epi-genome
Gene regulation as a starting point for cancer therapies - 02/12/2021 New investigation method for deciphering complex epigenetic networks The development and maintenance of uncontrolled cell division in tumours is often due to the unbalanced, complex interplay of regulatory epigenetic networks. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry in Stuttgart have developed a new screening system to identify essential components that can serve as targets for anticancer drugs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-investigation-method-deciphering-complex-epigenetic-networks
Press release - 02/09/2021 Blood vessels produce growth factor that promotes metastases On the one hand, blood vessels supply tumors with nutrients and, on the other, enable cancer cells to spread throughout the body. The settlement of circulating tumor cells in a distant organ is promoted by factors whose production is induced by the primary tumor itself. Scientists have now identified a new growth factor produced by blood vessels that enables tumor cells to metastatically colonize organs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/blood-vessels-produce-growth-factor-promotes-metastases
Gene regulation - 20/07/2021 The many faces of the epigenetic regulator MOF Epigenetic modifications play a crucial role in coordinated gene transcription, and are required for a fertilised egg cell to be able to develop into an organism with different cell types. Dr. Asifa Akhtar from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has been studying the essential epigenetic regulator protein MOF for 20 years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/die-vielen-gesichter-des-epigenetischen-regulators-mof
Article - 17/03/2021 Epigenetic switches in bacteria as biosensors The analysis of pathogen biomarkers and biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases can be crucial for health. However, the detection of pathogens and diseases depends on a sensitive and reliable method that delivers rapid results. Biosensors have such properties. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry (IBTB) at Stuttgart University have constructed an epigenetic circuit composed of plasmids that might make it…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/epigenetic-switches-bacteria-biosensors
Bioinspired technologies - 03/04/2020 Diagnostics with molecular scissors – is this also possible for on-site COVID-19 tests? The CRISPR-Cas gene-editing technology is one of the most important developments in molecular biology in recent years. It utilises molecular scissors with which nucleic acids can be cut and edited almost arbitrarily. Researchers in Freiburg, Germany have now successfully used the technology for diagnostic purposes. They are currently working intensively on expanding the system to enable it to detect genome sequences of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Diagnostics-with-molecular-scissors-is-this-also-possible-for-on-site-COVID-19-tests
Article - 28/03/2018 New method for analysing epigenetic modifications - in the service of medical progress It is not just genetic factors that influence developmental processes and diseases; it is becoming increasingly evident that epigenetic changes play a major role too. Thanks to a new method developed at the University of Stuttgart, epigenetic processes can now be investigated in living cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-method-for-analysing-epigenetic-modifications-in-the-service-of-medical-progress
Article - 07/02/2017 Designer proteins as beacons of hope for pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications Proteins are the basic building blocks of cells. They tend to be biologically active in combination with many other proteins rather than as isolated entities. Such protein complexes play a key role in many vital processes in our bodies. An international team of researchers, including Professor Stefan Bräse and his team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has developed an innovative platform called MultiBacTAG that can be used to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/designer-proteins-as-beacons-of-hope-for-pharmaceutical-and-biotechnological-applications
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/freiburg-researchers-transform-skin-cells-into-renal-cells
Article - 20/09/2016 CRISPR-Cas has more surprises in store Since 2012, a DFG-funded research group called FOR1680 has been studying CRISPR-Cas, an immune system that unicellular bacteria and arachaea use to protect themselves against attacks from viruses and plasmids. Prof. Dr. Anita Marchfelder, a molecular biologist at Ulm University and coordinator of the FOR1680 research group, and many other researchers were surprised to find that prokaryotes incorporate the genetic material of enemies as a kind of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/crispr-cas-has-more-surprises-in-store
Article - 02/08/2016 Can the ticking Huntington clock be stopped? An early phase clinical study involving thirty-six Huntington’s disease (HD) patients is currently underway to investigate whether a method called gene silencing can cure the disease. If the gene that causes the disease can be turned off, it would be the first step towards a treatment that not only fights symptoms but actually treats the causes of HD, hence providing a cure. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/can-the-ticking-huntington-clock-be-stopped
Article - 12/05/2016 Novel method for predicting the spatial structure of biomolecules Biomolecules can only fulfil their functions in the cell when they fold into a characteristic native three-dimensional structure. Knowing this structure is not only of paramount importance for basic research, but also for medicine and pharmacology. Scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have therefore developed a simple method to predict the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules from the analysis of readily available…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/novel-method-for-predicting-the-spatial-structure-of-biomolecules
Dossier - 18/04/2016 Epigenetics – heritable traits without changing the DNA sequence Epigenetics, i.e. the inheritance of traits that does not involve a change in the DNA sequence, was once a controversial subject that has since become a central focus of biological research. Epigenetic inheritance is now studied by numerous national and international research programmes. Many cellular regulatory and differentiation processes are controlled by epigenetic mechanisms that take place on different levels, including the DNA, histone,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/epigenetics-heritable-traits-without-changing-the-dna-sequence
Article - 11/01/2016 Study shows correlation between intestinal gene activity and obesity People with obesity suffer from more than just health problems related to their weight. They often feel socially stigmatised because their disease is often seen as a self-inflicted condition. A new study by the University of Hohenheim in cooperation with the eSwiss Medical and Surgical Center in St. Gallen now shows that severe obesity is closely associated with gene activity in the intestinal tissue. This activity is responsible for producing…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/studie-zeigt-zusammenhang-zwischen-gen-aktivitaet-im-darm-und-uebergewicht
Article - 17/12/2015 Inhibition of bromodomain affects stem cell differentiation DNA methylation and histone modification are epigenetic mechanisms that affect gene transcription. Moreover, protein complexes can regulate gene expression by modifying chromatin structure and function. Dr. Thomas Günther and his team from the Center for Clinical Research at the Freiburg University Medical Center are studying the effect of the inhibitor PFI-3 on the BAF complex. This protein complex modifies chromatin structure and controls the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nhibition-of-bromodomain-affects-stem-cell-differentiation
Overview Basic research The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on basic research in Baden-Württemberghttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/research
Article - 17/02/2014 Soil bacteria explored as source of new antibiotics Two scientists from the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine IMIT at the University of Tübingen PD Dr. Evi Stegmann and Dr. Yvonne Mast are exploring the biosynthesis of antibiotic substances with the aim of modifying them to make them suitable for application in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacteria.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/soil-bacteria-explored-as-source-of-new-antibiotics
Dossier - 20/01/2014 Optogenetics: switching cell activity on and off with light What still sounds like science fiction to the general public has long been within reach for many years scientists have been able to manipulate neural activity selectively with light. They use different wavelengths to turn cells on and off as if they were a standard switch. Optogenetics is an emerging technology that combines optics and genetics. The technology is already used in many different ways for many different purposes by numerous research…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/optogenetics-switching-cell-activity-on-and-off-with-light
Article - 16/12/2013 An RNA switch for protein mutations RNA is a family of biological molecules with multiple roles, including the transmission of information and the catalysis of chemical reactions in a similar way to enzyme action. Ribozymes (ribonucleic acid enzymes) of this kind function for example within the ribosome where they link amino acids during protein synthesis. Professor Jörg Hartig from the University of Konstanz has developed a new ribozyme-based method that enables him to control the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/an-rna-switch-for-protein-mutations
Article - 09/12/2013 Photoreceptors added to optogenetic toolbox After light-gated ion channels in nerve cells had successfully paved the way for optogenetics numerous tools have been added to the optogenetic toolbox. Photoreceptors are novel optogenetic tools which when coupled to enzymes and kinases can trigger certain cell functions upon illumination with light. Prof. Dr. Wilfried Weber synthetic biologist at BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies at the University of Freiburg is one of the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/photoreceptors-added-to-optogenetic-toolbox
Article - 18/09/2012 Michael Kühl: in search of the gene architects of the heart Michael Kühl is investigating the development of the heart using a broad range of different model organisms. The developmental biologist, director of the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Ulm, also uses evolutionary and systems biology approaches for his work. Kühl’s basic research does not follow an art for art’s sake principle, but also addresses the development of new therapies for the treatment of heart…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/michael-kuehl-in-search-of-the-gene-architects-of-the-heart
Article - 05/06/2012 Max Planck Director Izaurralde honored for groundbreaking research Professor Dr. Elisa Izaurralde has made important contributions to the field of RNA biology in recent years. The managing director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen explores the complex mechanisms of cellular gene regulation. For her work on mRNA regulation she has now been honored with the prestigious Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/max-planck-director-izaurralde-honored-for-groundbreaking-research
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 - 19/12/2011 Wolfgang Rottbauer discovers zebrafish for use in cardiology Zebrafish is a popular model organism for many researchers around the world. Life scientists such as evolutionary biologists, neurobiologists and toxicologists frequently use the small vertebrate for their investigations. Wolfgang Rottbauer has discovered and established the zebrafish as a model organism for cardiovascular disease research. He has also made a name for himself in this field. However, Rottbauer recalls that his efforts were…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/wolfgang-rottbauer-discovers-zebrafish-for-use-in-cardiology