Article - 24/11/2015 Researchers from Tübingen set out to thwart viral survival strategies Around two thirds of people carry the JC polyomavirus, a normally harmless virus that, in immunocompromised patients, can evade the body’s defences and cause a fatal brain infection. An international research network has now found a way to activate the immune system and attack the virus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/researchers-from-tuebingen-set-out-to-thwart-viral-survival-strategies
Press release - 03/11/2015 CureVac raises $110 Million in a private placement CureVac, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based technology, today announces that it has raised about $110 million (€100 million) to enable accelerated expansion of its industry-leading messenger RNA (mRNA) development platform and clinical-stage pipeline. CureVac also announces the change of its corporate legal form to a joint stock company, Aktiengesellschaft (AG).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-raises-110-million-in-a-private-placement
Article - 11/05/2015 How Lactobacillus bacteria fight Candida albicans infections Fungal infections of skin and mucous membranes are relatively common. Around 75 percent of the human population lives with Candida albicans, a fungus that has no harmful effects in people with an intact immune system that can fight off systemic infections. However, in people with immune systems that have been weakened by antibiotics or radiotherapy for example C. albicans infections can lead to sepsis which may even be life-threatening. Prof. Dr.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-lactobacillus-bacteria-fight-candida-albicans-infections
Article - 09/03/2015 Treating cancer by activating the immune system Vaccines that prevent infection with cancer-causing viruses are already available. Moreover, the development of therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of a number of other cancers is well under way. These vaccines not only prevent the development of cancer, but also treat early stages of cancer. Antigen-armed antibodies have long been used in vaccines against infectious diseases, and can now also be used for treating cancer. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/treating-cancer-by-activating-the-immune-system
Press release - 06/03/2015 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invests €46 million in CureVac The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CureVac announced that the foundation has made a commitment to invest €46 million in CureVac, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in mRNA-based vaccine technologies. As part of the agreement, the foundation will also provide separate funding for several projects to develop prophylactic vaccines based on CureVac’s proprietary messenger RNA platform. In addition, CureVac’s…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-invests-46-million-in-curevac
Article - 26/01/2015 Pooling efforts against infectious diseases in Germany Over 150 scientists at various locations throughout Germany work together as part of the German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF). The centre focuses on the development of new diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic methods for treating infectious diseases. Scientists from the University and University Hospital of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology are also part of the project. The researchers from Tübingen are…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pooling-efforts-against-infectious-diseases-in-germany
Article - 22/12/2014 Fighting hepatitis viruses with their own weapons Virologist Prof. Dr. Stephan Urban from the University of Heidelberg has been awarded the DZIF Prize for Translational Infection Research for the discovery and development of a promising peptide drug for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infections. The peptide prevents viruses from entering the liver cells, and is also effective against hepatitis D infection. Hepatitis D is the deadliest of all viral liver diseases and no specific antiviral…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fighting-hepatitis-viruses-with-their-own-weapons
Press release - 26/11/2014 Curetis Closes EUR 14.5 Million Extension of Series B Financing Curetis AG wins new investors QIAGEN and LSP-HEF, committing EUR 7 million. Hence Curetis is well financed into 2017. Curetis AG, a developer of next-level molecular diagnostic solutions, today announced it has closed a EUR 14.5 million extension of its Series B financing round, which was originally led by HBM Partners in April 2013.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curetis-closes-eur-14-5-million-extension-of-series-b-financing
Article - 24/11/2014 Lipid zipper triggers bacterial invasion Millions of people die each year from infections both in developing and industrial countries. There is still no effective treatment for a large number of diseases caused by pathogens. In order to treat infectious diseases effectively, we need to understand the mechanisms that bacteria use to infect human cells. The cytoskeleton of the host cell usually plays a key role in this process. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have discovered a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/lipid-zipper-triggers-bacterial-invasion
Article - 20/10/2014 Michael Schindler: HI virus and host interactions Prof. Dr. Michael Schindler explores the interaction between viruses and their human host cells on the molecular level. His specific interest is HI virus infections and the mechanisms the virus uses to attack the human immune system. Schindler’s eventual aim is to identify a new target for the therapy of HIV infections. In April 2014, Schindler was appointed head of the Department of Molecular Virology of Human Infectious Diseases at the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/michael-schindler-hi-virus-and-host-interactions
Article - 30/06/2014 The German National Cohort: collecting data for a healthier future A large-scale long-term cohort study will be carried out to explain the causes of widespread diseases, in particular cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and to identify the risk factors that lead to or favour the development of a certain disease. The principal objective of the German National Cohort (GNC) is to create the conditions that enable the development of new strategies for the prevention, risk assessment and early…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-german-national-cohort-collecting-data-for-a-healthier-future
Article - 12/05/2014 A DNA cracker from Ulm for making clean drinking water Drinking water that is pathogen-free and safe for humans flows from German taps. There is no nutrient as vital to human beings as water and – at least in Germany – that is subjected to so many checks and controls. Nevertheless, access to clean drinking water is not to be taken as given. According to the latest WHO figures (2011), 768 million people do not have access to healthy drinking water, especially in some of the poorer African countries.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-dna-cracker-from-ulm-for-making-clean-drinking-water
Article - 28/04/2014 New ways to interfere with bacterial strategies Bacteria themselves provide the key to their destruction. New insights into the growth and interaction between different pathogens are used in microbial genetics to develop new methods and active substances for combatting multidrug-resistant bacterial strains.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-ways-to-interfere-with-bacterial-strategies
Dossier - 28/04/2014 Data mining: new opportunities for medicine and public health Research and healthcare activities produce huge quantities of data that need to be presented in an understandable structure. This requires computer-assisted extraction of relevant data and the use of statistical methods. This process, known as data mining, enables the discovery of patterns in large data sets. Data mining methods are of particular importance in fields that use high-throughput methods, visualisation methods and telemedical…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/data-mining-new-opportunities-for-medicine-and-public-health
Article - 31/03/2014 The growing significance of peptide therapeutics The therapeutic use of peptides lags behind that of proteins. And there are good reasons for this. However, it seems that this is beginning to change and that peptide therapeutics are growing in significance. As a matter of fact, peptides have become rather popular candidates for drugs. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-growing-significance-of-peptide-therapeutics
Dossier - 10/02/2014 Multiresistant pathogens – a self-inflicted threat? Most bacterial infections have lost their capacity to cause terror thanks to antibiotics. However, the increase in antibiotic resistances is making the fight against bacterial pathogens rather difficult, and the widespread overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics continues to fuel the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Strict surveillance strategies and hygiene rules have been in place for some years with the aim of ensuring the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/multiresistant-pathogens-a-self-inflicted-threat
Article - 25/01/2014 Call for responsible antibiotics prescription Heidelberg University Hospital and the University Medical Centre in Mannheim are working hard to counteract the increase of antibiotic resistance. Strategies include a European-wide system for infection surveillance, the training of health professionals in the responsible use of antibiotics and the search for novel antibiotic substances in unconventional organisms.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/call-for-responsible-antibiotics-prescription
Article - 20/01/2014 Curetis AG: Miniaturised laboratory for the simple, rapid and reliable diagnosis of serious infections Acute pneumonia usually leaves doctors with no choice the situation can quickly become life threatening requiring doctors to act quickly. Instead of waiting for laboratory results they often prescribe an antibiotic that is effective against numerous bacterial species in the hope that it will also work against the bacterium that has caused the inflammation in the lung tissue. Curetis AG from Holzgerlingen close to Stuttgart has developed a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/curetis-ag-miniaturised-laboratory-for-the-simple-rapid-and-reliable-diagnosis-of-serious-infections
Article - 13/01/2014 DIARECT AG – development and production of immunodiagnostics components Founded by Dr. Heinz Haubruck and Prof. Dr. Bodo Liedvogel in 1998, the biotechnology company DIARECT AG (DIAgnostic by RECombinant Technology) from Freiburg sells tried and tested and new products. The company produces proteins, nucleoproteins and assay components for the diagnostics sector. These products enable the reliable identification of autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/diarect-ag-development-and-production-of-immunodiagnostics-components
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
Article - 31/10/2013 Fire blight monitoring generates new knowledge Plant diseases such as fire blight, a common infectious disease that predominantly affects pomaceous fruit trees, can reach epidemic proportions. Weather-based prediction models, which are routinely used to calculate fire blight infection risk, can now be replaced by a molecular test that is far more accurate. This new test is used by Bio-Protect GmbH and Büro für Biologische-Ökologische Beratung, both located in Konstanz and members of BioLAGO,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fire-blight-monitoring-generates-new-knowledge
Article - 30/09/2013 CureVac GmbH: RNA-based vaccines and immunotherapies CureVac GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company based in Tübingen, develops immunotherapies for cancer along with prophylactic vaccines based on its proprietary messenger RNA (mRNA) technology platform. CureVac also uses RNA for developing adjuvants. Two clinical trials, a Phase I trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a Phase IIb trial in prostate cancer, are currently underway to test the efficiency of mRNA-based drugs in treating cancer and…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/curevac-gmbh-rna-based-vaccines-and-immunotherapies
Article - 17/05/2013 Dengue fever, the neglected infectious disease Dengue fever is the most common infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease is spreading in Europe and Germany, an upward trend that is due to increased long-distance travel. There are no specific drugs or vaccine for dengue, which is why an international research network has been established to improve the management of the disease. The consortium is coordinated by the Department of Tropical Medicine at Heidelberg University.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dengue-fever-the-neglected-infectious-disease
Dossier - 13/05/2013 The human proteome – the next major goal The “Human Proteome Project”, a ten-year global initiative that is making a systematic effort to map all human proteins, has moved from the planning to the experimental stage. How significant and how effective the project will be depends on how much the resources offered are used by proteome researchers and on the data that the researchers bring into the project. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/the-human-proteome-the-next-major-goal
Article - 11/02/2013 Johannes Krause examines historical pathogens: old pathogens in a new light Palaeogeneticist Johannes Krause is drawn to ancient DNA. His work on the evolution of human pathogens shows that his findings are not purely of historical interest, but also enable conclusions to be made on future disease outbreaks and epidemics. In autumn 2012, Krause was awarded an ERC Starting Grant. Krause uses the grant to expand his research into plague and other historical pathogens that continue to be a threat to human health. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/johannes-krause-examines-historical-pathogens-old-pathogens-in-a-new-light