Press release - 02/05/2016 2015 call - ERC Advanced Grants granted to Baden-Württemberg researchers The main goal of the European Research Council (ERC) is to fund Europe’s brightest minds and thus encourage the highest quality research. In April 2016, the ERC announced the awarding of its prestigious Advanced Grants, and three life sciences researchers from Baden-Württemberg were among the recipients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/2015-call-erc-advanced-grants-granted-to-baden-wuerttemberg-researchers
Article - 02/05/2016 Biopolymers – raw materials for innovative medical products Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable biopolymers that are becoming increasingly important. Bioplastics are now used not only in everyday objects such as plastic bags and yogurt pots but also increasingly in the field of medicine, which is why intensive research into medical devices made from biodegradable polymers such as PHA has been going on for quite some time. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biopolymers-raw-materials-for-innovative-medical-products
Article - 11/04/2016 Glycovirology: carbohydrate molecules against infections Many viruses enter cells by way of carbohydrate molecules known as glycans to which they bind during the initial steps of infection. However, it is still largely unknown how glycan-mediated infection proceeds. This is about to change with a working group that has been set up by the DFG at the University of Tübingen and five other universities. The group will focus on glycovirology, a new scientific area that aims to understand the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/glycovirology-carbohydrate-molecules-against-infections
Article - 07/01/2016 New protein helps B cells generate an effective immune response The human immune system plays a key role for human health. Dr. Gina Fiala, a scientist in Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schamel’s team in the Department of Immunology at Freiburg University, has discovered Kidins220/ARMS in B cells. Kidins220/ARMS is part of the adaptive immune system where it plays a key role in the maturation of B cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/kidins220-hilft-b-zellen-bei-der-immunabwehr
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
Vaccine development - 02/11/2015 A new vaccine could prevent influenza epidemics Influenza pandemics are dangerous and can claim many lives. Children and the elderly in particular run a high risk of developing influenza-related complications, because their immune system is often weakened by the virus. In Germany, annual vaccination against seasonal influenza has therefore been recommended for these target groups for quite a few years now. However, producing vaccines is costly and time-consuming. Researchers at the University…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-new-vaccine-could-prevent-influenza-epidemics
Article - 30/03/2015 How psychological stress weakens the immune system Too much stress makes you sick – this is the widely held opinion. But exactly how chronic psychological stress affects our body is not yet fully understood. This is the question Dr. Annette Sommershof and her team from the University of Konstanz are trying to answer. The scientists are exploring stress-related changes in the immune system and have found evidence for the observation that long-term stress weakens the immune system, resulting in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-psychological-stress-weakens-the-immune-system
Article - 23/02/2015 Miriam Erlacher: apoptosis research – balancing clinical work and research Programmed cell death plays an important role in embryonic development and has also been identified as the cause of a range of diseases. It also plays a key role in the development and survival of higher organisms. Its regulation is based on a sophisticated system of interacting antagonistic signals in a network that is still largely unknown. Disturbances in this delicate balance promote the development of diseases such as cancer. Dr. Miriam…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/miriam-erlacher-apoptosis-research-balancing-clinical-work-and-research
Article - 23/02/2015 Systems biology: Ulm scientists' search for molecules that delay ageing As stem cells get older, they gradually lose their ability to grow and reproduce. They accumulate damage and lose their ability to regenerate, thus knocking tissue homeostasis off balance. If stem cell ageing could be delayed or, even better, reversed, organs would work longer more effectively. The SyStaR research consortium is using systems biology methods and tools to investigate the mechanisms of age-dependent reduction of stem cell function…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/systems-biology-ulm-scientists-search-for-molecules-that-delay-ageing
Article - 09/02/2015 Joining forces to develop anti-cancer immunotherapies No cancer therapy is currently achieving such promising results as immunotherapy. The German Cancer Research Center and Bayer HealthCare have established a joint laboratory to develop novel immunotherapies that selectively reactivate the body’s own immune system and incite it to attack tumour cells, thereby supporting the faster translation of concepts from the laboratory into clinical application.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/joining-forces-to-develop-anti-cancer-immunotherapies
Article - 22/12/2014 The immune system – both weak and overreactive in the absence of CTLA4 The ability to recognise a pathogen and combat it effectively is certainly one of the most complex and sophisticated processes the human body has evolved. People with an immunodeficiency or autoimmune disease may have a genetic defect in one of the genes involved in the immune response. Working with immunologists from London scientists Desire Schubert and Prof. Dr. Bodo Grimbacher from the Centre for Chronic Immunodeficiency CCI at the Freiburg…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-immune-system-both-weak-and-overreactive-in-the-absence-of-ctla4
Article - 01/12/2014 Stem cell research for preventing radiation-induced developmental damage Although ionizing radiation is known to cause cell damage and genetic modifications, its effects on embryonic development are still poorly understood. This is why Prof. Dr. Suzanne Kadereit from the Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences is involved in a cooperative project that uses human embryonic stem cells for studying the effects of ionizing radiation on prenatal brain development. She heads up the only university of applied…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stem-cell-research-for-preventing-radiation-induced-developmental-damage
Article - 20/10/2014 QIAGEN Lake Constance – pocket-sized laboratories for the efficient identification of pathogens Quick, simple and decentralized – this is how QIAGEN Lake Constance GmbH envisages diagnostics applications in the future. The Stockach-based QIAGEN subsidiary develops test systems for point-of-need diagnostics, i.e. tests that can be carried out in close proximity to the sample collection point, for example in GP surgeries. They enable the rapid identification of pathogens, and as a result the timely initiation of suitable treatment.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/qiagen-lake-constance-pocket-sized-laboratories-for-the-efficient-identification-of-pathogens
Article - 08/09/2014 Molecular effects of traumatic stress After a traumatic experience, people often suffer not only mental, but also physical effects. Dr. María Moreno-Villanueva from the University of Konstanz has investigated the molecular effects of traumatic stress in people and has found a higher than normal number of DNA strand breaks. In the worst cases this can lead to diseases such as cancer. However, her study also shows that successful psychotherapy can reverse DNA damage. Her findings will…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/molecular-effects-of-traumatic-stress
Article - 08/09/2014 Thomas Boehm – pushing back the frontiers of knowledge The comparison of different animal species enables us to understand the crucial principle of immune defence on condition that the right investigative approach is chosen. Prof. Dr. Thomas Boehm director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has been doing just this for many years. Based on insights into fundamental immune system functions Boehms research is aimed at developing new strategies for the diagnosis…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/thomas-boehm-pushing-back-the-frontiers-of-knowledge
Article - 18/08/2014 VAXIMM: Vaccines that impede cancer growth VAXIMM GmbH, a young biotechnology company from Mannheim, Germany, specialises in the development of vaccines for cancer treatment. The company’s first product candidate, VXM01, is a live oral vaccine that targets the VEGFR-2 receptor and hence the blood supply of tumours. VXM01 is currently undergoing clinical testing in pancreatic cancer patients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vaximm-vaccines-that-impede-cancer-growth
Article - 21/07/2014 Predicting the efficiency of cancer drugs using mathematical models A research consortium was established at the Stuttgart Research Center Systems Biology SRCSB at the University of Stuttgart in January 2013 with the goal of establishing models that help predict the action of targeted therapeutics. The scientists combine molecular biology experiments with complex mathematical models in order to achieve a holistic understanding of disease and therapy. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/predicting-the-efficiency-of-cancer-drugs-using-mathematical-models
Guest article - 21/07/2014 China - experiencing something new every single day The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts finances a scholarship scheme called “Research stay for application-oriented bioscientists and biotechnologists in Shanghai and Jiangsu/China”. A recent winner of this scholarship, Felix Wertek, spent six months at the Chinese Academy of Science in Shanghai and collected first-hand impressions of Chinese laboratory practice. Here, Felix reports about his exciting time in the Chinese…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/china-experiencing-something-new-every-single-day
Article - 24/03/2014 Vaccine against papillomaviruses protects from skin cancer Papillomaviruses are thought to cause non-melanoma skin cancer in people exposed to UV radiation, especially those who have suppressed immune systems. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Charité University Hospital in Berlin have developed a vaccine that protects mice against such skin tumours. The vaccine is even effective in mice that have previously been infected with papillomaviruses and that have suppressed…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vaccine-against-papillomaviruses-protects-from-skin-cancer
Article - 27/01/2014 immatics biotechnologies GmbH: active against cancer immatics biotechnologies GmbH is a biopharmaceutical company wholly concerned with the development of advanced immunotherapies that are active against different types of cancer, including renal cell, colorectal, brain and gastric cancer. The company currently has a workforce of 80 at its headquarters in Tübingen and subsidiary in Munich. It capitalises on the know-how in the analysis of tumour cells and vaccine development gained through its…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/immatics-biotechnologies-gmbh-active-against-cancer
Article - 29/11/2013 QIAGEN Lake Constance: a “disk player” for rapid diagnoses The diagnosis of infectious diseases frequently not only depends on the reliable identification of the pathogenic species that has caused them, but also on obtaining rapid results in order to immediately initiate appropriate therapy or further diagnostic measures. Tests are normally carried out in central laboratories, samples need to be sent to the laboratories and the results are rarely immediate. As part of the BMBF-funded project “ResCheck”,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/qiagen-lake-constance-a-disk-player-for-rapid-diagnoses
Dossier - 09/09/2013 New trends in the field of immunology B- and T- lymphocytes along with macrophages have long been regarded as the most important cells of the human immune system and have thus been a major focus of research. This has now changed and it is now the dendritic cells that are regarded as the major components of the adaptive immune system and have become a major focus of scientific interest. Research into innate immune defence mechanisms has also become more important due to the discovery…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/new-trends-in-the-field-of-immunology
Article - 07/08/2013 New regulations covering the use of laboratory animals The new directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes was adopted on 22nd September 2010 and was implemented into the German Animal Welfare Act which came into force in February 2013. These regulations have implications for companies and researchers alike. In recent years a growing number of alternative methods to animal testing have been developed. Dr. Nina Hasiwa CEO of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-regulations-covering-the-use-of-laboratory-animals
Article - 09/05/2013 Immunoproteasome Drug Targeting: Immunoproteasome inhibitors allow control of autoimmune diseases Marcus Groettrup is the chair of immunology at the University of Konstanz and has been active in the field of immunology for many years. In 2009 Groettrup made a discovery that led to him setting up a company. His analysis of immunoproteasomes whose main function is to degrade unneeded or damaged proteins showed that these protein complexes also play a major role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Based on this knowledge Groettrup…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/immunoproteasome-drug-targeting-immunoproteasome-inhibitors-allow-control-of-autoimmune-diseases
Article - 25/02/2013 Molecular monitoring of premature infants Premature births are not uncommon in Germany where around seven percent of newborns are born before week 37 of pregnancy. The WHO estimates that the numbers of preterm births are growing due to the increasing age of mothers. Doctors caring for the tiny patients are faced with a dilemma because regular blood samples required for the clinical monitoring of important blood parameters cannot be taken due to the infants low body volume.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/molecular-monitoring-of-premature-infants