Article - 19/11/2012 Uncovering the genetics of prostate cancer The prostate genome project, which is part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium, is focused on the genetic and epigenetic causes of the development and progression of this highly variable cancer and finding markers that enable the reliable diagnosis of the disease. The German research groups involved in the project are coordinated by the German Cancer Research Center and concentrate on prostate cancer patients under 50 years of age, as…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/uncovering-the-genetics-of-prostate-cancer
Press release - 12/11/2012 immatics appoints Peter Chambré as Chairman immatics biotechnologies GmbH, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing advanced therapeutic vaccines that are active against cancer, today announced the appointment of Peter Chambré as Chairman of the Board with immediate effect. Peter Chambré has had extensive senior management experience in the biopharmaceutical sector and now holds several Chairman positions in the life sciences industry. He will replace Thomas Widmann, who has…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/immatics-appoints-peter-chambr-as-chairman
Press release - 12/11/2012 Spot the difference: The 1000 Genomes Project The 1000 Genomes Project presents a map of normal human genetic variation – everything from tiny changes in the genetic code to major alterations in our chromosomes. In a DNA version of ‘spot-the-difference’, EMBL scientists and their colleagues studied the genomes of 1092 healthy people from Europe, the Americas and East Asia, systematically tracking what makes us different from each other. Their results, published in Nature, open new approaches…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/spot-the-difference-the-1000-genomes-project
Press release - 12/11/2012 Searching for new strategies against prostate cancer The European Research Council (ERC) has announced that Roland Schüle, Scientific Director at the Department of Urology, University of Freiburg Medical Centre has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. Professor Schüle will receive €2.5 million for a period of 5 years for his research proposal to identify and characterize the molecular and physiological functions of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and to explore its role in prostate cancer.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/searching-for-new-strategies-against-prostate-cancer
Press release - 12/11/2012 GATC Biotech joins a new EU research network for young researchers Seven European research institutions and GATC Biotech have formed a consortium providing cutting-edge training in the scientific study of the human past. The BEAN (Bridging the European and Anatolian Neolithic) Initial Training Network has been awarded four years of funding from the European Commission through the Marie Curie Actions program. It is a new multinational and multidisciplinary Marie Curie Research initiative exploring the origins of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/gatc-biotech-joins-a-new-eu-research-network-for-young-researchers
Article - 05/11/2012 Biophysicist Jens Michaelis takes a look into the molecular machine room Jens Michaelis is extremely interested in the molecular machines that control the gene expression process. He has developed a method that enables basic researchers to localise biomolecules in real time as well as gaining insights into their spatial order. In fact what the method does is actually allow researchers to watch proteins at work.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biophysicist-jens-michaelis-takes-a-look-into-the-molecular-machine-room
Dossier - 05/11/2012 Cancer – basic research, successes and trends Science is approaching cancer treatment by using new systems biology approaches and setting up large-scale multidisciplinary projects such as the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Progress in genome, epigenome and gene expression analyses of cancer cells, new insights into the regulation and interaction of cells gained in cooperation with stem cell research and virus research contributes to gaining a causal understanding of cancer. This…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/cancer-basic-research-successes-and-trends
Press release - 30/10/2012 DKFZ and Genetic Immunity Sign Collaboration Agreement to Develop HPV Therapeutic Vaccine Genetic Immunity, Budapest, a leader in immunotherapy technology product development, and DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany) signed a collaborative agreement to develop a DNA-based vaccine for the treatment of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that causes cervical cancer and other cancers of the anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and oropharynx. Present HPV vaccines (Cervarix, Gardasil) have no therapeutic effect on…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/dkfz-and-genetic-immunity-sign-collaboration-agreement-to-develop-hpv-therapeutic-vaccine
Press release - 26/10/2012 What causes chronic bowel disease? Europe-wide network for investigating irritable bowel syndrome headed by Heidelberg University HospitalEuropean Science Foundation provides 500000 euros in funding for understanding causes improving options for diagnosis and treatment.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/what-causes-chronic-bowel-disease
Press release - 09/10/2012 European Commission proposes measures to tackle 'biopiracy' and facilitate nature-based research On 4th October 2012 researchers and companies in the EU received a boost today with a new proposal that should provide reliable access to genetic resources from outside the Union. The proposal is designed to protect the rights of countries and of indigenous and local communities that allow their genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge to be used while also giving researchers in Europe improved reliable access to quality samples of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/european-commission-proposes-measures-to-tackle-biopiracy-and-facilitate-nature-based-research
Article - 08/10/2012 The Heidelberg Institute of Human Genetics celebrates its 50th anniversary On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital of Heidelberg celebrates its major achievements in molecular genetic analyses, the diagnosis of hereditary diseases and tumour diseases as well as its research into the molecular causes of genetic defects. The largest institute of human genetics in Germany is also at the forefront of genetic counselling and debates on health policies and ethical…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-heidelberg-institute-of-human-genetics-celebrates-its-50th-anniversary
Press release - 02/10/2012 One- or two-way transcription depends on gene loops In certain toy racecar tracks sneaky players can flip a switch trapping their opponents vehicles in a loop of track. Cells employ a less subtle approach they change the tracks layout. In a study scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL and Oxford University discovered that by forming or undoing gene loops cells manipulate the path of the transcription machinery which reads out instructions from DNA controlling whether it…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/one-or-two-way-transcription-depends-on-gene-loops
Dossier - 01/10/2012 Systems biology: understanding complex biological systems Systems biology studies complex interactions within biological systems on the genome proteome and organelle level. Many techniques from the fields of systems theory and associated fields can be used to gain an understanding of the behaviour and biological mechanisms of cellular systems.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/systems-biology-understanding-complex-biological-systems
Article - 24/09/2012 20 millilitres of blood to diagnose Down syndrome Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, occurs when there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. LifeCodexx AG has developed PraenaTest®, an innovative diagnostic test that is able to reliably confirm or exclude trisomy 21 from a blood sample of a pregnant woman. The non-invasive test developed by the Konstanz-based biotech company has recently been placed on the market as an alternative to current invasive tests which result in up to 700 miscarriages per year…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/20-millilitres-of-blood-to-diagnose-down-syndrome
Press release - 12/09/2012 Allegedly Useless Parts of the Human Genome Fulfil Regulatory Tasks The international ENCODE project aims to assemble an encyclopedia of all functional DNA elements in the human genome. The Heidelberg scientists were able to confirm in a showcase with the model organism Medaka fish that surprisingly many of the analysed elements in the non-protein-coding part of the DNA can actually regulate gene activity in a very specific way. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/allegedly-useless-parts-of-the-human-genome-fulfil-regulatory-tasks
Article - 27/08/2012 A worm that turned The body plan of vertebrates resembles an earthworm turned on its back. Unsurprisingly, this radical idea initially met with great criticism but modern evo-devo research supports this idea of inversion. An evolutionarily conserved gene cassette determines the dorsoventral axis in the developing embryo. It does so in both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, the body plans of vertebrates and invertebrates are dorsoventrally inverted with…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-worm-that-turned
Article - 27/08/2012 How the distance from the source affects tissue patterning and growth in embryos During the embryonic development of fruit flies, zebra fish and humans, just a handful of molecules control cell migration, induce cell division and determine which cells form which type of tissue. A group of researchers led by Dr. Giorgos Pyrowolakis at the University of Freiburg is specifically focused on one of these so-called master regulators. How do the differently patterned BMP gradients develop in Drosophila melanogaster eggs, embryos and…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-the-distance-from-the-source-affects-tissue-patterning-and-growth-in-embryos
Article - 27/08/2012 Why don't dogs talk? Humans have developed a unique ability to communicate through speech and language. Research focusing on the development of human language and its genetic basis focuses specifically on the developmental gene FOXP2. Evo-devo research has shown that a human-specific FOXP2 variant is key for the human ability to talk. It is likely that the human variant of the rather common FOXP2 protein was already present in Neanderthals.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/why-don-t-dogs-talk
Press release - 17/08/2012 Max Planck scientist investigates the evolutionary model of Muller’s ratchet Especially in small asexual populations unfavourable mutations can accumulate. This process is known as Mullers ratchet in evolutionary biology. The ratchet predicts that the genome deteriorates irreversibly leaving populations on a one-way street to extinction. In collaboration with colleagues from the US Richard Neher from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology has shown mathematically how Mullers ratchet operates and he has…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/max-planck-scientist-investigates-the-evolutionary-model-of-muller-s-ratchet
Press release - 03/08/2012 Dosage compensation in male flies: Balance between sexes The sex of many organisms is determined by the number of X chromosomes. In humans women have two X chromosomes whereas men have only one but also have an additional Y chromosome. Why this does not result in an imbalance in the expression of important genes on the X chromosome is what researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg have examined in collaboration with researcher in Cambridge UK. They have been able to show that the initiation…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/dosage-compensation-in-male-flies-balance-between-sexes
Press release - 01/08/2012 Combination of businesses of SYGNIS and GENETRIX’ subsidiary X-Pol proposed SYGNIS Pharma AG and GENETRIX announced today, that the biotechnology companies SYGNIS and GENETRIX have signed a binding Term Sheet under which the companies propose to combine the GENETRIX’ DNA sequencing subsidiary X-Pol Biotech and SYGNIS. Goal is to develop and market X-Pol Biotech, S.L.’s DNA sequencing technologies and products.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/combination-of-businesses-of-sygnis-and-genetrix-subsidiary-x-pol-proposed
Press release - 01/08/2012 Micro-Copier for genome analysis The scientists Jochen Hoffmann, Dr. Guenther Roth, and Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg can copy simultaneously 100.000 different DNA sequences in a so called picowell array that has the size of a one cent coin. The new method holds promise to advance the personalised medicine.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/micro-copier-for-genome-analysis
Article - 23/07/2012 Inhospitable niches are a rich source of extremozymes At first sight nothing much seems to grow in either the Namib desert or the Antarctic. However a closer inspection of the ground a few centimetres below the surface reveals an enormous diversity of organisms. Industry is well aware of this rich source of microorganisms that have something to offer on the molecular level as well as for use in technical applications. So-called extremozymes have long been popular ingredients in cosmetics detergents…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/inhospitable-niches-are-a-rich-source-of-extremozymes
Article - 23/07/2012 Evolution of regenerative mechanisms and stem cell systems Researchers from around the world participated in the first annual symposium organised by the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) Heidelberg in early July to discuss the evolution of the regenerative mechanisms and stem cell systems of plants and animals. Although stem cells and the multicellularity of animals and plants evolved independently from each other, their stem cell systems are nevertheless governed by the same principles. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/evolution-of-regenerative-mechanisms-and-stem-cell-systems
Article - 16/07/2012 "Autism gene" causes problems in the composition of synapses A new finding in the field of autism research has attracted the attention of the scientific world. Although the international group of researchers that published the findings in the renowned journal Nature have so far only managed to switch off two genes in mice, the animals’ conspicuous behaviour change has nevertheless made the scientific world sit up and listen. It appears that the enigmatic neuropsychiatric disease could have a genetic…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/autism-gene-causes-problems-in-the-composition-of-synapses