Article - 11/06/2010 Recycling of bacterial cell wall constituents Bacterial cells are focused on growth and proliferation. These processes are initiated by cellular enzymes that break up the cell wall material murein introduce new material and degrade material that is no longer needed. And all this in large amounts about 50 per cent of murein are degraded and newly formed turnover per cell generation. Dr. Christoph Mayer and his team from the University of Constance have shown that the cells carry out effective…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/recycling-of-bacterial-cell-wall-constituents
Press release - 21/05/2010 The road to individualized tumour vaccines What are the typical cancer cell characteristics that our immune system is directed against? Using a new biochemical method, scientists from the Neurosurgery Department of the Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) are now able to answer this question for each individual patient. The method is expected to help identify new target structures for individualized tumour vaccines. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-road-to-individualized-tumour-vaccines
Article - 30/04/2010 Silke Hofmann: Why does our body sometimes fight its own skin? The skin is the largest organ in the human body. It is not known why the immune system sometimes forms autoantibodies against it. This process can lead to blistering diseases such as pemphigus or bullous pemphigoid. Dr. Silke Hofmann from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Freiburg is investigating the molecular mechanisms that lead to such diseases. As she finds dermatology a very fascinating subject she does not restrict herself…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/silke-hofmann-why-does-our-body-sometimes-fight-its-own-skin
Article - 26/04/2010 PACT Pharmaceuticals – signalling pathways and RNA interference In March 2010 PACT Pharmaceuticals the founding concept of Professor Dr. Michael Boutros team at the German Cancer Research Centre was selected as one of ten outstanding business concepts in the Science4Life business plan competition intermediary award. Around 200 business plans were originally submitted. PACT develops innovative cancer therapeutics that target the signalling pathways involved in tumour pathogenesis. PACT develops innovative…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pact-pharmaceuticals-signalling-pathways-and-rna-interference
Article - 26/03/2010 How do killer cells manage to survive? It is not easy for the body to protect itself once a virus has broken through the body’s lines of defence and caused a chronic infection. This task is made even more difficult when the intruders are viral hepatitis pathogens that attack the liver, the place where immunological tolerance is induced. Jörg Reimann (physician) and Reinhold Schirmbeck (biologist) are working on the development of T-cell-mediated therapeutic vaccination strategies to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-do-killer-cells-manage-to-survive
Article - 18/03/2010 Cancer treatment adapted to individual patient requirements There is still no treatment available for a number of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas. Chemotherapy, which is the standard method of treating the lymphomas, has unpleasant side effects. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Hendrik Veelken at the Freiburg University Medical Centre in cooperation with Freiburg-based CellGenix Technologie Transfer GmbH have developed a promising new treatment strategy. Results of the Phase I and the Phase II study, which has…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cancer-treatment-adapted-to-individual-patient-requirements
Article - 15/03/2010 Campaign to eradicate malaria After many decades, efforts to develop an effective vaccine against malaria have finally brought researchers closer to their goal. However, the goal of eradicating malaria completely can only be reached through a complex strategy, to which researchers from Heidelberg are making intensive contributions.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/campaign-to-eradicate-malaria
Article - 15/03/2010 Andreas Diefenbach: A molecular approach to disease mechanisms Prof. Dr. Andreas Diefenbach began his academic career as a philosophy student. Nowadays, the immunologist at the Freiburg University Medical Centre investigates how cells of the innate immune system fight off cancer and infections. He believes that, in contrast to all other subjects, immunology is an area that very much focuses on concepts. Diefenbach’s research frequently gives rise to situations needing new paradigms.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/andreas-diefenbach-a-molecular-approach-to-disease-mechanisms
Article - 13/03/2010 Assembling life from building blocks? As part of its “Bioethics Forum”, the German Ethics Council recently held a meeting in Berlin to inform the public about the fundamentals of synthetic biology and potential ethical problems and consequences in terms of our ideas about life and mankind in general arising from the progress made in this new field of research. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/assembling-life-from-building-blocks
Article - 04/03/2010 Asthma and COPD – how to control centres of inflammation In today’s world, not all asthma patients benefit from adequate treatment. There is no cure at all for people who suffer from COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A group of researchers led by Dr. Marco Idzko at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are looking for new strategies to treat lung diseases such as these. They have already discovered that ATP, which is the major energy currency molecule in the body, has an effect on the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/asthma-and-copd-how-to-control-centres-of-inflammation
Article - 22/02/2010 Immune system discovers mould fungi through surface structures Mould fungus spores which are found in air aerosols are constantly being taken up in the air we inhale. As a rule this poses no danger to healthy people. However depending on the quantity of spores inhaled and the duration of exposure mould fungi could possibly lead or contribute to lung diseases and allergies. Dr. Mardas Daneshian and his team at the University of Constance are focusing on the immunostimulatory capacity of fungal spores. The…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/immune-system-discovers-mould-fungi-through-surface-structures
Press release - 28/01/2010 Kenta and Rentschler to develop antibodies against hospital-acquired infections The young Swiss company Kenta Biotech will work with the Laupheim-based contract manufacturer Rentschler to develop a fully human monoclonal antibody against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/kenta-and-rentschler-to-develop-antibodies-against-hospital-acquired-infections
Article - 14/01/2010 A biological test for environmental toxins Every day, we breathe in gas emitted by waste incineration plants, evaporation from chemicals in wooden furniture and particulate matter from car exhausts or office equipment. Scientists in Dr. Richard Gminski’s group at the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene (IUK) at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are investigating the components that can cause damage to body cells. The researchers are using living human cells to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-biological-test-for-environmental-toxins
Press release - 08/01/2010 Harmless or lethal? Insilico Furthers Research on Fungal Infections Candida albicans is a harmless yeast fungus – at least most of the time. However, if the immune system is weak, then the fungus normally found on everyone’s skin and mucous membranes can become a lethal threat. Insilico Biotechnology is participating in a joint project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in which interactions between fungus and human host cells are to be studied on the molecular level with the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/harmless-or-lethal-insilico-furthers-research-on-fungal-infections
Article - 15/12/2009 Arming the immune system against cancer The theory that immune cells are able to attack tumours has long been a theory with only a minority of supporters. However, this theory is currently experiencing a renaissance. In the future, it might even be possible to specifically alter T-lymphocytes in order to improve their ability to identify and destroy certain tumour types. Prof. Dr. Hanspeter Pircher and his team at the Freiburg University Medical Centre are focusing on the development…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/arming-the-immune-system-against-cancer
Article - 14/12/2009 Clever surveillance system keeps yeast in check The spectrum of human diseases (mycoses) caused by fungi ranges from trivial nail infections to life-threatening systemic infections. The latter are mainly caused by Candida albicans. The dermatologist Prof. Dr. med. Martin Schaller from Tübingen is investigating how this fungus, which is actually part of the normal microbial flora of humans, becomes a pathogen. At the same time, he is looking into the role the patient’s immune system plays in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/clever-surveillance-system-keeps-yeast-in-check
Article - 08/12/2009 Sentinels against microbial invaders Dendritic cells are sentinels of the innate immune system that activate the adaptive immune system when infectious microorganisms enter the body. Prof. Dr. Klaus Heeg and his team from the Department of Infectiology at the University of Heidelberg are focusing on the complex signalling pathways that link the innate and adaptive immune systems.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/sentinels-against-microbial-invaders
Press release - 08/12/2009 Vaccination of honeybees against the Varroa mite is possible For the first time ever, honeybees were orally ‚vaccinated’ with a genetically engineered product that was later detected in the bloodsucking Varroa mite. This product is a DNA-plasmid that is normally used for man, horses, swine and also for fish. The inventor of this innovative DNA-vaccination system for bees is Matthias Giese, PhD, who launches his own Institute for Molecular Vaccines (IMV) in Heidelberg/Germany starting in 2010.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/vaccination-of-honeybees-against-the-varroa-mite-is-possible
Article - 03/12/2009 Matthias Giese: DNA vaccine to combat worldwide honeybee deaths Varroa mites attach to the body of bees and weaken them by sucking hemolymph infecting them with viruses that are believed to be the cause of the mass death of European honeybee colonies. Matthias Giese of the Heidelberg-based Institute for Molecular Vaccines developed a DNA vaccine that might just lead to a breakthrough in the quest to get rid of the Varroa parasites. Giese tells us about his project in the following interview.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/matthias-giese-dna-vaccine-to-combat-worldwide-honeybee-deaths
Article - 10/11/2009 Fungi as human pathogens The majority of fungal infections are unpleasant rather than dangerous. But they can be life-threatening for individuals with weakened immune systems. The number of deaths caused by systemic mycoses is currently experiencing a big increase. The pathogenicity of opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans might potentially be related to their unusual reproduction abilities.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fungi-as-human-pathogens
Press release - 12/10/2009 Cancer Cells Suppress the Body’s Own Defense Mechanisms Cancer cells use tricks to evade the immune system. Thus, for example, they attract specific blood cells which suppress the body’s own defense mechanisms. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), collaborating with colleagues of the University Surgical Hospital in Heidelberg and an international research team, have investigated these processes in bowel cancer. The results of their research have now…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cancer-cells-suppress-the-body-s-own-defense-mechanisms
Press release - 12/10/2009 Natural killer cells against cancer: Georges Köhler Prize awarded to scientist at the German Cancer Research Centre Dr. Adelheid Cerwenka was awarded the Georges Köhler Prize 2009 for her outstanding achievements in her research on natural killer cells and their importance in the defence against tumours. The Georges Köhler Prize, which is sponsored by the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and awarded by the German Society of Immunology, comes with a purse of €3000. The prize is given to scientists under 40 for outstanding research into the immune system.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/natural-killer-cells-against-cancer-georges-koehler-prize-awarded-to-scientist-at-the-german-cancer
Article - 12/10/2009 Gudula Schmidt: E. coli and the rigid cytoskeleton Many bacterial toxins destroy the shape and function of their host cells – some of them degrade the cytoskeleton, others have a tendency to inhibit the elasticity of the cytoskeleton. Prof. Dr. Gudula Schmidt and her team at the University of Freiburg are investigating the effect of the substance CNF-1 and have already discovered the mechanism that is initiated by this toxin.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/gudula-schmidt-e-coli-and-the-rigid-cytoskeleton
Press release - 12/10/2009 Immatics appoints Carsten Reinhardt as Chief Medical Officer The biopharmaceutical company immatics biotechnologies GmbH announced the appointment of Dr Carsten Reinhardt as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) effective October 1, 2009. “I am very pleased to be joining immatics at this exciting stage of the company’s development” said Dr Reinhardt.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/immatics-appoints-carsten-reinhardt-as-chief-medical-officer
Article - 22/09/2009 More than just waste removers Cells need to get rid of misfolded proteins as quickly as possible, something that for a long time has appeared to be the major function of the enzyme ubiquitin and other similarly structured proteins. It has since become clear that ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins also interfere considerably with the signalling networks of cells. Dr. Klaus-Peter Knobeloch and his colleagues at the Freiburg Neurocentre are investigating the molecular…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/more-than-just-waste-removers