Dossier - 20/12/2012 Medical technology – serving healthcare Modern healthcare would be impossible without medical technology. The achievements in medical technology are indispensable for our health and quality of life. The range of medical technology available covers surgical instruments and implants to diagnostic methods and medical devices.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/medical-technology-serving-healthcare
Article - 17/12/2012 Medicyte GmbH – gold standard for human cells Medicyte GmbH is a life sciences company located in the city of Heidelberg. It focuses primarily on the production of quasi-primary human cells of the highest quality and in virtually unlimited quantity. MediCyte’s goal is to establish its proprietary cell proliferation technologies as gold standard for the use of human cells and cell products in research, development and cell therapy.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/medicyte-gmbh-gold-standard-for-human-cells
Article - 08/10/2012 Epilepsy changes brain architecture Epileptic fits, i. e. abnormal excessive neuronal activity in the hippocampus, severely affects nerve cells and can lead to permanent damage. A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Carola Haas from the Neurocenter at the University of Freiburg is focusing on changes in the brain anatomy of patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy as well as on the molecular and cellular processes underlying the disease. The team’s research focuses on stem…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/epilepsy-changes-brain-architecture
Press release - 28/09/2012 Safer, more effective and innovative medical devices Ranging from simple sticking plasters to the most sophisticated life-supporting machines medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices are central to our health and quality of life. To ensure that these devices serve the needs and ensure the safety of European citizens the European Commission proposed two Regulations which are fit for purpose more transparent and better adapted to scientific and technological progress.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/safer-more-effective-and-innovative-medical-devices
Article - 18/09/2012 Michael Kühl: in search of the gene architects of the heart Michael Kühl is investigating the development of the heart using a broad range of different model organisms. The developmental biologist, director of the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Ulm, also uses evolutionary and systems biology approaches for his work. Kühl’s basic research does not follow an art for art’s sake principle, but also addresses the development of new therapies for the treatment of heart…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/michael-kuehl-in-search-of-the-gene-architects-of-the-heart
Press release - 06/07/2012 Medicyte is receiving 4.2 Mio Euros from the European Union Seventh Framework Programm Medicyte, The Electrospinning Company and the Universities of Manchester and Pisa launch a European wide unique project with the aim to design a biomimetic bioartificial liver (Re-Liver). The company GABO:mi ensures professional project management. Research is receiving 4.2 Mio Euros from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/medicyte-is-receiving-4-2-mio-euros-from-the-european-union-seventh-framework-programm
Article - 21/05/2012 Microchip facilitates bowel movements Faecal incontinence is a common problem, but is still a strong taboo. A small microchip, implanted above the sacral bone, promises to make sufferers’ lives a lot easier. Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) not only restores patients’ ability to control defaecation, but also provides new insights into the innervation and physiology of the bowel and the pelvic floor.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microchip-facilitates-bowel-movements
Dossier - 26/03/2012 Nanobiotechnology The term nanotechnology is known by well over 50 of Germans especially since the lotus effect hit the headlines in the late 1990s. Around the turn of the millennium bio was inserted between nano and technology and nanobiotechnology has since taken up more and more room in the headlines as well as requiring major financial investment. What is nanobiotechnology what is the difference between nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology and where and what…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/nanobiotechnology
Article - 19/03/2012 When the “second brain” fails – therapeutic options from the field of regenerative medicine Researchers from the Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine ZRM in Tübingen are focused on the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract with the aim of developing cell-based therapies for the treatment of bowel diseases. The researchers are working with local partners in a BMBF-funded project that is seeking to develop therapies for Hirschsprung’s disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/when-the-second-brain-fails-therapeutic-options-from-the-field-of-regenerative-medicine
Dossier - 12/03/2012 Regenerative medicine makes use of patients’ own resources Regenerative medicine offers new therapeutic options for many diseases in which organ function or structure are damaged or lost. The majority of regenerative therapies involve cell-based methods that are often combined with innovative biomaterials. Regenerative therapies combine know-how from the biosciences with state-of-the-art medical technology and also benefit from progress in the engineering and material sciences.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/regenerative-medicine-makes-use-of-patients-own-resources
Press release - 07/03/2012 Implant to replace defective venous valve If heart valves don’t close properly, they are replaced. Conventional treatment of venous valve failure, however, has up to now always and exclusively been via medication. In future, an implant will assume the function of damaged valves. In close collaboration with other partners researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart developed an automated production facility that can make venous…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/implant-to-replace-defective-venous-valve
Article - 23/01/2012 Karen Lienkamp: intelligent surface materials fight off microbes Resistant germs are tough and will settle anywhere. They grow on all types of surface which is a major cause for concern for medical doctors and industrial researchers alike. The chemist Dr. Karen Lienkamp Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies FRIAS and head of a group of junior researchers at the University of Freiburg develops surface materials for biomedical applications and industrial production facilities. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/karen-lienkamp-intelligent-surface-materials-fight-off-microbes
Article - 16/01/2012 Alexander Titz: molecular design to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa has become an important cause of infection, and is often picked up in hospitals, especially by patients with weakened immune systems. It can cause respiratory and urinary tract infections, as well as lead to infections on implants and wounds. P. aeruginosa lives in a gel-like matrix, a so-called biofilm that is highly resistant to antibiotics, making it very difficult to eradicate. Dr. Alexander Titz and his team at the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/alexander-titz-molecular-design-to-combat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria
Article - 09/01/2012 Parkinson’s disease – a fatal cycle of falling and rising activity in the basal ganglia As the disease progresses Parkinsons patients find it increasingly difficult to voluntarily control body movements. The disease is associated with oscillations of electrical activity in specific brain areas known as basal ganglia. Dr. Arvind Kumar and his colleagues at the Bernstein Center Freiburg have used neuronal network simulations to develop a model to explain these rhythmic oscillations.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/parkinson-s-disease-a-fatal-cycle-of-falling-and-rising-activity-in-the-basal-ganglia
Article - 06/12/2011 Bridging the gap between academia and industry Prof. Dr. Katja Schenke-Layland divides her work equally between the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, where she is the deputy head of the Department of Cell Systems, and the University Hospital in Tübingen where she teaches and researches the use of biomaterials in the field of regenerative medicine at the Department of Thoracic, Cardiac and Vascular Surgery. By working between the two…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/bridging-the-gap-between-academia-and-industry
Press release - 30/09/2011 Blood Vessels from Your Printer Researchers have been working at growing tissue and organs in the laboratory for a long time. These days, tissue engineering enables us to build up artificial tissue, although science still hasn’t been successful with larger organs. Now, researchers at Fraunhofer are applying new techniques and materials to come up with artificial blood vessels in their BioRap project that will be able to supply artificial tissue and maybe even complex organs in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/blood-vessels-from-your-printer
Article - 29/07/2011 Labor Dr. Merk und Kollegen - Viruses under control It is difficult to imagine how Ochsenhausen-based Labor Dr. Merk und Kollegen (LMK) would be able to develop, produce and test medical products for bacterial and viral contaminations without using cell cultures. The medium-sized company also produces viruses for testing and has stored more than 80 different viruses – enveloped and non-enveloped ones, animal and human pathogens – at -80˚C.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/labor-dr-merk-und-kollegen-viruses-under-control
Article - 18/07/2011 Titanium screws and stem cells for dental implants How are we supposed to chew and smile when the tooth fairy comes to fetch our second set of teeth? When it’s difficult to tell the difference between modern tooth implants and real teeth in both technical and aesthetical terms, people who lose their teeth due to accidents or age very quickly regain their smile. However, there needs to be enough bone to hold and support the implant. Prof. Dr. Dr. Ralf Gutwald and his team in the Department of Oral…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/titanium-screws-and-stem-cells-for-dental-implants
Article - 04/07/2011 Orthobion GmbH: biomaterials for spinal implants If one takes a closer look at the mechanisms involved in bone growth, it turns out that the supposedly simple issue as to how bones grow cannot be fully answered. Konstanz-based Orthobion GmbH investigates and produces targeted biomaterials for use in implants designed for the treatment of spinal column defects. The surface structures of materials and how they affect the adhesion of bones to implant surfaces are key issues in the production of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/orthobion-gmbh-biomaterials-for-spinal-implants
Article - 04/07/2011 Synthetic tendons made from bicomponent fibres Organs are not the only things to be transplanted. Sometimes tendons also need to be replaced. At St. Gallen-based Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), an interdisciplinary team of scientists is working on the development of synthetic tendons for surgical applications. The synthetic tendons are made of bicomponent fibres that decompose efficiently in the body after implantation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/synthetic-tendons-made-from-bicomponent-fibres
Article - 04/07/2011 The use of regenerative biomaterials is likely to grow Tuttlingen-based Aesculap AG is committed to using different materials including ceramics, titanium and high-performance polymers for the development and production of implants. The medical technology company has come up with a solution to prevent people from developing allergies against substances used in prostheses. Dr. Harald Stallforth, CEO Research & Development and Vice Chairman of the Aesculap AG management board talks with a BioLAGO…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-use-of-regenerative-biomaterials-is-likely-to-grow
Article - 04/07/2011 The adhesion of cells to the endothelium and to artificial surfaces Professor Stefan W. Schneider from the Mannheim Medical Faculty is investigating the function of the vascular endothelium and its interaction with blood and tumour cells using microfluidics methods that enable him to measure the adhesion of cells to the walls of blood vessels under physiological flow conditions. As part of an interdisciplinary project, he is investigating the characteristics of wafer-thin surfaces covered with living cells, which…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-adhesion-of-cells-to-the-endothelium-and-to-artificial-surfaces
Dossier - 04/07/2011 Implants of the future: bioactive, corrosion-resistant and antibacterial People’s life expectancy is increasing due to constantly improving medical treatment. One result of this is the greater wear of joints, which then need to be replaced with implants. Increased life expectancy means that the implants remain in the body for much longer and therefore need to be longer lasting. The revision rate of implant materials used in clinical practice is still as much as 10 per cent, particularly in the case of hip and knee…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/implants-of-the-future-bioactive-corrosion-resistant-and-antibacterial
Article - 14/06/2011 Retinitis pigmentosa: a new form of cell death What form of cell death do the photoreceptors of people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa undergo and how can their degeneration be prevented or delayed with pharmaceutical substances? Dr. Paquet-Durand from the Institute for Ophthalmic Research in Tübingen is working to resolve these questions.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/retinitis-pigmentosa-a-new-form-of-cell-death