Article - 16/11/2009 New network for systems biology seed research What happens to plant seeds during germination? Researchers led by Dr. Gerhard Leubner from the University of Freiburg in collaboration with six international groups of researchers will be jointly looking into these processes. The virtual Seed (vSEED) consortium took first place in a field of 54 contestants in the European Research Era-Net Plant Genomics competition. What makes the scientists’ project so special is that they are planning to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-network-for-systems-biology-seed-research
Press release - 16/11/2009 No-Entry Zones for AIDS Virus The AIDS virus (HIV) inserts its genetic material into the genome of the infected cell. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now shown for the first time that the virus almost entirely spares particular sites in the human genetic material in this process. This finding may be useful for developing new, specific AIDS drugs. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/no-entry-zones-for-aids-virus
Press release - 11/11/2009 Hematopoietic stem cell treatment with a new gene therapy vector: A first success treating a brain disease Two children with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a fatal brain disease, have been successfully treated with a new gene therapy vector. Two years after treatment, the disease evolution has been stopped, and no adverse effect of the gene therapy has been observed so far. The results of this clinical trial conducted by Drs Nathalie Cartier and Patrick Aubourg (Inserm, France) in collaboration with European partners have just been published in Science…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/hematopoietic-stem-cell-treatment-with-a-new-gene-therapy-vector-a-first-success-treating-a-brain-di
Article - 28/10/2009 State Viticulture Institute to combat mildew Powdery and downy mildew can destroy entire wine harvests. More than 150 years ago, breeders attempted to increase the plants’ natural resistance to mildew by crossing them with more mildew-resistant grape varieties as an alternative to external abatements using fungicides. The majority of breeders soon abandoned the effort; only a handful of breeders, including biologists from the State Viticulture Institute in Freiburg, still believed that this…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/state-viticulture-institute-to-combat-mildew
Article - 22/10/2009 On the track of fascinating diatoms Diatoms make a considerable contribution to the production of oxygen and biomass in the worlds oceans and aquatic ecosystems. However up until now little is known about the molecular biology and chemistry of these eukaryotic algae. Prof. Peter Kroth and his team at the University of Constance are hoping to shed more light on these algae. The team has recently been involved in the deciphering of the Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome research that…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/on-the-track-of-fascinating-diatoms
Press release - 13/10/2009 Polyclone partners with Innovendia Consulting in Germany and Europe European biotech-platform and drug discovery companies will have easier access to Polyclone Bioservices assay design and validation services through its newly announced partnership with Innovendia Consulting from Owingen. EU and national government funded consortia will benefit from the more immediate availability of Polyclones unique combination of in vitro in silico assay design and validation capabilities. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/polyclone-partners-with-innovendia-consulting-in-germany-and-europe
Press release - 24/09/2009 CeGAT: Tracking genes using cutting-edge technologies To adequately meet the growing demand for genetic diagnostics doctor scientist and bioinformatician Dr. Saskia Biskup and her husband business graduate Dr. Dirk Biskup founded the Center for Genomics and Transcriptomics or CeGAT for short in July 2009. As a supplier of DNA and RNA sequencing in the STERN BioRegion CeGAT which is based in the Technology park Tübingen Reutlingen TTR uses state-of-the-art high-throughput technologies to examine…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cegat-tracking-genes-using-cutting-edge-technologies
Article - 10/09/2009 Chaperone research using baker’s yeast and bacteria Protein misfolding and aggregation can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. Prof. Elke Deuerling at the University of Constance is investigating the molecular helpers the chaperones and the key role that they have in protein folding. Deuerling uses the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Eschericia coli for her studies. Her studies involving E. coli have now shown that ribosome-associated chaperones are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/chaperone-research-using-baker-s-yeast-and-bacteria
Article - 10/09/2009 Excessive numbers of ageing stem cells accumulate without a guardian Adult stem cells grow older too. A group of researchers focusing on the ageing of stem cells at the Max Planck Institute in Ulm under the leadership of Leibniz prizewinner Lenhard Rudolph, has now made a surprising discovery in their research into telomer-associated ageing, which further substantiates this hypothesis.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/excessive-numbers-of-ageing-stem-cells-accumulate-without-a-guardian
Press release - 10/09/2009 Genome-wide study to identify risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease A study carried out by an international team of scientists, including scientists from the Freiburg University Medical Centre, pooled 16,000 probands and produced large datasets for the identification of genes with an elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/genome-wide-study-to-identify-risk-factors-of-alzheimer-s-disease
Dossier - 26/08/2009 Model organisms Given that everything is very individual in nature, how can a biologist come up with general statements about how life functions? The answers can only be found using models that represent the entire whole. Modern research uses representative species from the kingdom of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals to glean information about fundamental biological principles. How can the knowledge gained be transferred to other organisms, including humans?…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/model-organisms
Article - 26/08/2009 Are fruit flies on the rise again? An inconspicuous buzzing insect – it is difficult to imagine that such a creature could be used as a model for humans. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the 20th century Drosophila melanogaster has provided us with decisive insights into human genetics, development and neurobiology. Prof. Dr. Karl-Friedrich Fischbach of the University of Freiburg has been focusing on the development and function of the fruit fly brain for several decades. What…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/are-fruit-flies-on-the-rise-again
Press release - 10/08/2009 How do immune cells recognise infectious pathogens? Scientists of the University of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Centre have clarified the functional principles of an important receptor for bacterial infections: immune cells recognise bacterial and viral pathogens with a receptor known as toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), which mediates biochemical reaction chains in order to fend off intruders. This discovery made by the Heidelberg researchers paves the way to develop new anti-infective…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-do-immune-cells-recognise-infectious-pathogens
Article - 06/08/2009 PEPperPRINT wins award for its peptide chips PEPperPRINT GmbH, a spin-off of the German Cancer Research Centre, has won the Science4Life Venture Cup, a German start-up contest that comes with the most prize money. The Heidelberg-based start-up company was previously awarded the renowned research prize by the German Stifterverband and was chosen as a “Landmark in the Land of Ideas” competition run by the German government in 2009.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pepperprint-wins-award-for-its-peptide-chips
Press release - 13/07/2009 Genome-wide study on the development of schizophrenia Numerous research centres around the world have been working together in order to clarify the genetic basis of schizophrenia. The Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim was also involved in the study, which was recently published online in the scientific journal Nature.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/genome-wide-study-on-the-development-of-schizophrenia
Article - 08/07/2009 The small directors in the cell They have been overlooked for quite a long time, despite the fact that they constitute a large part of the genetic material in many organisms. Biologists are gradually discovering that bacteria as well as human and plant cells need them for proper function. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hess and his team at the Institute of Biology III at the University of Freiburg have been focusing on them for a number of years – we are referring to non-coding RNAs. The…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-small-directors-in-the-cell
Article - 02/07/2009 A virus that hides while it waits for an opportunity to replicate Thomas Mertens, Medical Director of the Institute of Virology in Ulm, has a strong scientific and clinical interest in the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a big virus with a big impact which, despite its size, is overshadowed by known viruses such as the HI virus that is the object of research for Mertens’ colleagues. HCMV research is a challenging area where quick successes are rare.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-virus-that-hides-while-it-waits-for-an-opportunity-to-replicate
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/febit-first-to-offer-newly-published-mouse-genome-on-a-chip-for-dna-rna-detection-and-enrichment
Press release - 30/06/2009 The genome as glue Many engineers who need to work with structured materials with small pores most likely dream of a glue that not only holds the tiny particles together, but also automatically brings them into contact at the correct distance from each other. Scientists under the leadership of Prof. Clemens Richert and Prof. Stefan Bräse at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a “bioglue” using a process that is summarised in the journal…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-genome-as-glue
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/alternative-protein-structures-and-breast-cancer
Dossier - 25/06/2009 DNA and RNA replication The replication of the genome is essential for the continuity of life. The molecular mechanism is very similar in all groups of organisms. Although the basics of replication are already well understood, researchers are still focusing on questions relating to DNA replication. These questions not only deal with the understanding of a basic biological process, but also with related medical aspects.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/dna-and-rna-replication
Article - 23/06/2009 Hepatitis B and the Münchhausen enzyme Virologists in Prof. Dr. Michael Nassals group at the University Medical Centre in Freiburg are investigating the molecular mechanisms used by the hepatitis B virus to reproduce. The researchers work might in future be able to help the three to four hundred million people worldwide who suffer from chronic hepatitis B infections. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hepatitis-b-and-the-muenchhausen-enzyme
Article - 10/06/2009 Dirk Linke - a vaccine is ready - just in case There is a well-known saying: travel broadens the mind. This is not the only consequence of travel – the biochemist Dr. Dirk Linke from Tübingen travelled to India on holiday and brought back an idea for a new scientific project. Since his return, his idea, the possibility of developing a vaccine with a wide-ranging effect against some of the most frequent diarrhoea pathogens, has even generated financial backing from prominent supporters.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dirk-linke-a-vaccine-is-ready-just-in-case
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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/perikles-simon-more-than-just-hunting-down-the-dope-cheats
Press release - 01/05/2009 Gaining insights into potato cells Viruses and bacteria are the lifeblood of GATC a family-run biotechnology company that is continuing to grow in spite of the current economic downturn. At the moment GATC is working on the sequence of one particular vegetable - and the company has submitted a building application to add another 1000 square metres to the existing 800.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/gaining-insights-into-potato-cells