Article - 13/05/2008 Just follow your nose Sharks can sense a few drops of blood in water. In fact they are able to smell blood in dilutions of as little as one to 10 billion. Is it just sharks or piranhas that have such an acute sense of smell? The answer is no - all fish have a highly developed sense of smell.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/just-follow-your-nose
Article - 20/12/2007 Viruses are the major cause of myocardial diseases About 500000 people in Germany suffer from dilatative cardiomyopathy DCM. Viral infections are the major cause of this myocardial disease. Its molecular and cellular mechanisms are being investigated in a transregional SFB project at the University of Tübingen.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/viruses-are-the-major-cause-of-myocardial-diseases
Press release - 03/10/2011 Astonishing discovery: iron-overloading of macrophages is the cause of venous leg ulcers Around three to five per cent of people in industrial nations suffer from chronic venous leg ulcers. Elderly people are particularly prone to developing these chronic wounds. A dermatologist from Ulm has now discovered the reason why chronic venous leg ulcers fail to heal even after months or years. The scientific community is astonished by the new findings.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/astonishing-discovery-iron-overloading-of-macrophages-is-the-cause-of-venous-leg-ulcers
Article - 07/03/2011 Thomas Brunner: steroid synthesis in the intestine A research team led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Brunner at the University of Konstanz has found out that intestinal epithelial cells are able to synthesise anti-inflammatory steroids glucocorticoids following immunological stress which makes a considerable contribution to the maintenance of local immune homoeostasis. Brunner plans to use his findings to develop a therapeutic approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/thomas-brunner-steroid-synthesis-in-the-intestine
Article - 23/11/2015 Double-secured immune protection against plant attackers Plants have sophisticated defence mechanisms to help them fight off all kinds of pathogens. A group of researchers led by Dr. Gabriel Schaaf at the University of Tübingen’s ZMBP has now discovered that plants’ immune response is more similar to the innate immune system of humans and animals than previously thought. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/double-secured-immune-protection-against-plant-attackers
Article - 29/05/2012 Intestinal bacteria and human gut types The type of bacteria that colonize the human gut does not just influence our digestion and well-being. Metagenome sequencing has provided an international consortium involving scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory at the University Hospital of Heidelberg with evidence that certain individuals have different gut types with different types of bacteria. Such individuals not only differ in their predisposition to disease, but also…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/intestinal-bacteria-and-human-gut-types
Article - 27/09/2010 Harald Langer combines cardiology with immunology The Volkswagen Foundation has taken the decision to finance a “Lichtenberg Professorship” at the University of Tübingen for a period of up to eight years. The new chair, cardiologist Dr. Harald Langer, uses molecular and cell biology methods to investigate how the immune system affects the development of arteriosclerosis in order to come up with innovative therapeutic strategies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/harald-langer-combines-cardiology-with-immunology
Press release - 30/11/2011 Researchers are challenging a common model of immunology Up to now, scientists have assumed that mast cells, a certain type of immune cells, play a central role in the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Current studies conducted at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now provided evidence to refute this assumption. Now it is only the mast cells’ central function in allergies that remains undisputed.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/researchers-are-challenging-a-common-model-of-immunology
Article - 28/02/2011 Development of food allergies Allergic reactions to certain types of food can, in extreme cases, lead to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. People with peanut allergies are particularly at risk. Allergic reactions can also gradually develop into chronic intolerances such as coeliac disease, for example. The causes of food allergies nearly always originate in early childhood. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/development-of-food-allergies
Article - 20/12/2010 Michael Reth – Immunobiological discoveries that meet resistance Dr Michael Reth professor at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and the University of Freiburg and some of his colleagues have recently uncovered the mechanism that foreign substances use to activate B cells of the immune system. The researchers were using synthetic biology methods long before this particular branch of science existed in its present form. Their results require a paradigm change and a revision of the reference books.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/michael-reth-immunobiological-discoveries-that-meet-resistance
Article - 18/03/2011 Allergen research – present and future An allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. It is an exaggerated immune reaction to external stimuli such as pollen and is associated with symptoms that range in degree from uncomfortable (hay fever, asthma) to life-threatening (anaphylactic shock). Dr. Thomas Bethke, Medical Director of Nycomed Germany, explains in the following interview how a drug manufacturer approaches the research and development of anti-allergy…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/allergen-research-present-and-future
Article - 26/09/2008 University Hospital of Ulm combines forces The Comprehensive Infectious Diseases Centre at the University of Ulm was recently presented to the public. The centre is responsible for coordinating the cooperation between specialists in the diagnosis and therapy of complex infectious diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/university-hospital-of-ulm-combines-forces
Overview Pharmaceutics The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on pharmaceutics in Baden-Württemberghttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/pharma
Cancer immunotherapy - 06/09/2018 The immunogenicity of tumours and the development of new cancer medicines Microsatellite-unstable cancers are characterised by a large number of mutations within short repetitive DNA sequence regions, and can form novel peptides that the human immune system recognises as neoantigens. These cancers represent a starting point for the development of vaccines to prevent them appearing at an early stage of development. Microsatellite instability is particularly frequent in colon and cervical cancers.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-immunogenicity-of-tumours-and-the-development-of-new-cancer-medicines
Press release - 12/10/2011 Dioxin-like Chemical Messenger Makes Brain Tumors More Aggressive Scientists from German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have discovered a new dioxin receptor-coupled metabolic pathway which weakens the immune system and promotes the growth of malignant gliomas. Glioma is the most frequent and most malignant brain tumor in adults. In Germany, about 4,500 people are newly diagnosed with glioma every year.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/dioxin-like-chemical-messenger-makes-brain-tumors-more-aggressive
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
Macrophages interacting with cytomegaloviruses - 22/02/2022 Cytomegaloviruses subvert macrophage identity Cytomegaloviruses are basically harmless. However, if they occur along with other pathogens, they can trigger serious diseases. They can manipulate our immune system and encourage resident defence cells to migrate. Researchers at the Centre for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have discovered which mechanisms underlie the behavioural changes in macrophages that make it easier for other pathogens to attack.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cytomegaloviruses-subvert-macrophage-identity
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
Article - 12/06/2010 Correcting enzyme defects using stem cells Bone marrow transplantation was originally developed for the treatment of leukaemias and other malignant diseases of the haemotopoietic system. Thanks to increasing technological process it has been possible to considerably expand the treatment spectrum over the last few years. Dr. Ingo Müller paediatrician at the University Hospital in Tübingen now uses bone marrow transplantation for the therapy of genetic metabolic diseases with highly…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/correcting-enzyme-defects-using-stem-cells
Article - 02/07/2012 Together against liver failure Medicines that are usually effective in treating diseases can sometimes be associated with severe adverse effects. This can occur when the liver which normally metabolizes drugs and renders them harmless becomes overburdened and even collapses completely. Prof. Dr. Jens Timmer from the University of Freiburg and Prof. Dr. Ursula Klingmüller from the German Cancer Research Center DKFZ in Heidelberg have joined forces in a huge European research…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/together-against-liver-failure
Press release - 14/09/2021 Bridging antibodies plus enhancer can destroy breast cancer cells Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have developed antibodies that have two antigen-binding sites and can couple cancer cells with effector cells of the immune system. In laboratory tests, these bridging antibodies, together with an enhancer antibody, were able to specifically mobilize the body's own immune defenses and destroy breast cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/Bridging-antibodies-plus-enhancer-can-destroy-breast-cancer-cells
Press release - 02/09/2021 Award-winning science: Cancer-promoting metabolic pathways as targets of new therapies Christiane Opitz, scientist at the German Cancer Research Center, is being awarded this year's Ita Askonas Prize of the European Federation of Immunological Societies. Opitz has discovered how tumor cells use certain metabolites to protect themselves against the immune system. Her research findings may provide important clues for the development of new therapeutic concepts.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/award-winning-science-cancer-promoting-metabolic-pathways-targets-new-therapies
Mosses for pharmaceutical production - 16/09/2020 Factor H as a therapeutic option for viral diseases - including COVID-19 The search for drug candidates for COVID-19 diseases is well underway. Factor H, which is part of the innate immune system, might also be a future therapeutic option. The Freiburg-based biotech company eleva has developed a technology for producing this human protein in moss cells. The active ingredient, which might also have a regulatory effect in other diseases, is currently undergoing preclinical testing.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/factor-h-therapeutic-option-viral-diseases-including-covid-19
Press release - 26/07/2021 Vaccination against hereditary colorectal cancer successful in mice Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University Hospital have for the first time been able to delay the development of hereditary colorectal cancer with a protective vaccination. Mice with a hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer survived significantly longer after vaccination than unvaccinated animals. Combining the vaccination with an anti-inflammatory drug increased the protective effect.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/vaccination-against-hereditary-colorectal-cancer-successful-mice
Peptide-based COVID-19 vaccine - 21/04/2022 CoVac-1: T-cell activator against COVID-19 Current vaccines against COVID-19 aim at forming neutralising antibodies that prevent the virus from penetrating the host cells. Since people with impaired B-cell immune responses – which can also occur in cancer or autoimmune diseases – are not able to do this, researchers at the University of Tübingen have developed the peptide-based T-cell activator CoVac-1, which promises broad and long-term immunity.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/covac-1-t-cell-activator-against-covid-19