Dossier - 30/04/2012 Human infectious diseases new threats The serious EHEC outbreak in Germany in 2011, the 2009 swine flu pandemic, the bird flu pandemic in 2005 and 2006 and the SARS outbreak in China in 2003, all of which have fuelled the fear of devastating epidemics for many people in Germany, have fortunately all been contained – at least up until now. However, experts warn of new dangerous pathogens that are spreading as a result of globalization and global climate warming. This is leading to new…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/human-infectious-diseases-new-threats
Press release - 10/02/2022 CureVac Doses First Participant in Phase 1 Study with Multivalent Influenza Vaccine Candidate Based on Second-Generation mRNA Backbone Developed in Collaboration with GSK CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced that it has dosed the first participant in a Phase 1 study of its seasonal influenza second-generation mRNA vaccine candidate, CVSQIV, developed in collaboration with GSK.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-doses-first-participant-phase-1-study-multivalent-influenza-vaccine-candidate-based-second-generation-mrna-backbone-deve
Press release - 20/10/2023 Why tuberculosis bacteria form long chains A researcher team from Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne led by Dr. Vivek Thacker now group leader at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital have studied why tuberculosis bacteria form long strands and how this affects their infectivity. Their findings could lead to new therapies and have now been published in the journal Cell.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/why-tuberculosis-bacteria-form-long-chains
Press release - 08/05/2023 CureVac Announces Dosing of First Participant in Combined Phase 1/2 Study of Multivalent, Modified Influenza Vaccine Candidates Developed in Collaboration with GSK Initial Phase 1 part started with multivalent modified mRNA influenza vaccine candidates. Candidates developed in collaboration with GSK within broad infectious disease vaccine program encode for antigens covering four WHO-recommended flu strains.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-announces-dosing-first-participant-combined-phase-12-study-multivalent-modified-influenza-vaccine-candidates-developed-c
Press release - 30/03/2022 CureVac and GSK Start Clinical Development of Second-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CV2CoV CureVac N.V. a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced that the first participant was dosed in a Phase 1 study of COVID-19 second-generation mRNA vaccine candidate, CV2CoV, developed in collaboration with GSK.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-and-gsk-start-clinical-development-second-generation-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-cv2cov
Press release - 18/08/2022 CureVac Starts Phase 1 Clinical Study of Modified, Omicron-Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate CureVac N.V., a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on mRNA, today announced the start of a Phase 1 study of the modified COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate CV0501, administered as a booster dose to previous COVID-19 vaccination. Developed in collaboration with GSK, CV0501 is based on CureVac’s second-generation mRNA backbone and is designed to specifically protect against the Omicron variant.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-starts-phase-1-clinical-study-modified-omicron-targeting-covid-19-vaccine-candidate
Press release - 22/05/2023 Prevention of pandemics Volkswagen Foundation to fund international research project with around 1.5 million euros. Interdisciplinary team led by the Institute for Global Health at Heidelberg University Hospital to research the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans in Thailand and Laos. Long-term goal is to develop sustainable preventive measures against future pandemics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/prevention-pandemics
Viral cancer therapy - 26/10/2022 Therapeutic viruses against tumours and metastases Viruses can overcome cell barriers and transfer information to their host cells. They know how to make their host cell’s infrastructure work for them. This makes them excellent biotechnological tools, which a research group from the Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart is using to its advantage. The team is developing a therapeutic virus that not only recognises and fights tumours, but also has the potential to reach metastases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/therapeutic-viruses-against-tumours-and-metastases
Prime Vector Technologies GmbH - 09/04/2020 A modular brick system for developing a COVID-19 vaccine Prime Vector Technologies GmbH (PVT), a start-up company based in Tübingen in southern Germany, uses a modular brick system to develop vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases. The PVT team is currently working flat out to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/mit-einem-impfstoffbaukasten-gegen-covid-19
Optimised peptides against infections and cancer - 07/10/2021 New bioactive ingredients from the peptidome treasure chest Peptides are increasingly coming into scientific focus for application in diagnostics and therapy. The human body is full of these protein fragments, but only a fraction have been characterised. So there is enormous potential for discovering new biologically active substances that can help in the fight against bacteria, viruses and cancer. A collaborative research centre at Ulm University Hospital is on the trail of these promising fragments.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-bioactive-ingredients-peptidome-treasure-chest
Dossier - 28/04/2014 Data mining new opportunities for medicine and public health https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/data-mining-new-opportunities-for-medicine-and-public-health
Press release - 18/01/2021 How a protein variant could explain resistance to sleeping sickness drug A specific variant of the surface protein VSG of African trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness, is associated with resistance to the important drug Suramin. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have now been able to find a possible explanation for the formation of resistance based on the crystal structure of this protein variant.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-protein-variant-could-explain-resistance-sleeping-sickness-drug
Press release - 25/05/2021 From harmless skin bacteria to dreaded pathogens The bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidisis primarily a harmless microbe found on the skin and in the noses of humans. Yet some strains of this species can cause infections – in catheters, artificial joints, heart valves, and in the bloodstream – which are difficult to treat. These bacteria are often resistant to a particularly effective antibiotic, methicillin, and are among the most feared germs in hospitals.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/harmless-skin-bacteria-dreaded-pathogens
Press release - 13/03/2024 Protection from an unexpected source Contrary to common belief, not all viruses are harmful to their hosts. Sometimes viruses can even protect their hosts from infection by other viruses. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg and their collaborators have now demonstrated that this is the case for so-called endogenous virophages: small DNA viruses that are mostly found inserted into the genomes of single-cell eukaryotes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/protection-unexpected-source
Press release - 20/06/2023 Tuberculosis Therapy: Smallest Particles Will Deliver the Drug to the Lungs in Future KIT and Research Center Borstel Present Nanoparticles with a High Antibiotic Concentration for Inhalation – Nanocarriers of Antibiotics Can Reduce Resistances and Enhance Compatibility.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/tuberculosis-therapy-smallest-particles-will-deliver-drug-lungs-future
Dossier - 12/10/2022 The health sector must become greener Worldwide, the health sector is struggling with the consequences of global warming, but fatally is itself responsible for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. Studies show that hospitals and rehabilitation clinics in particular have great potential for reducing these emissions and, like the manufacturing industry, need to fundamentally revise established processes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/health-sector-must-become-greener
Press release - 21/09/2021 Antibiotic levels measurable in breath for first time A team of engineers and biotechnologists at the University of Freiburg has for the first time shown in mammals that the concentration of antibiotics in the body can be determined using breath samples. The breath measurements also corresponded to the antibiotic concentrations in the blood. The team’s biosensor – a multiplex chip – will in future enable personalized dosing of medicines against infectious diseases on-site.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/antibiotic-levels-measurable-breath-first-time
Press release - 06/01/2023 CureVac Announces Positive Data on Joint COVID-19 and Flu mRNA Vaccine Development Programs CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced positive preliminary data from ongoing Phase 1 clinical programs in COVID-19 and seasonal flu, assessing both modified and unmodified mRNA technology. The tested vaccine candidates are being developed in collaboration with GSK.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-announces-positive-data-joint-covid-19-and-flu-mrna-vaccine-development-programs
Review article (new edition) - 08/07/2020 Immunology – at the forefront of medical progress Immunology is constantly changing with the emergence of new technologies and areas of application, and has branched out in many directions. Immunological approaches are central to everything – be it the development of innovative active substances and vaccinations against cancer, the search for new therapies against neurodegenerative diseases or autoimmune diseases, or combatting well-known infectious diseases or new virus epidemics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/immunology-forefront-medical-progress
Press release - 17/02/2021 A new piece of the HIV infection puzzle explored Researchers from EMBL and Heidelberg University Hospital combine high-resolution imaging to observe the infection process in cell nuclei, opening the door for new therapeutics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-piece-hiv-infection-puzzle-explored
Press release - 13/10/2021 Tackling the collateral damage from antibiotics EMBL scientists pave the way for reducing the harmful side effects antibiotics have on gut bacteria. Antibiotics help us to treat bacterial infections and save millions of lives each year. But they can also harm the helpful microbes residing in our gut, weakening one of our body’s first lines of defence against pathogens and compromising the multiple beneficial effects our microbiota has for our health.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/tackling-collateral-damage-antibiotics
Press release - 12/10/2021 CureVac to Shift Focus of COVID-19 Vaccine Development to Second-Generation mRNA Technology CureVac N.V., a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced the strategic decision to focus its COVID-19 vaccine development towards the development of second-generation mRNA vaccine candidates in collaboration with GSK and to withdraw its first-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, from the current approval process.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-shift-focus-covid-19-vaccine-development-second-generation-mrna-technology
Press release - 01/12/2022 Development of the immune system before and after birth The newborn's immune system is suddenly confronted with microorganisms, food and numerous environmental influences at birth. How do the baby's immune cells prepare for this moment during pregnancy and birth? How do external influences shape the immune system immediately after birth? And what influence does an event like a premature birth have?https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/development-immune-system-and-after-birth
Expert interview on NTDs – part 1 - 11/04/2019 Neglected tropical diseases – Carsten Köhler: impulses from Baden-Württemberg More than one billion people worldwide suffer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are mostly poverty-related infectious diseases that prevail in tropical countries due to lack of research and measures to detect, prevent and control them. Dr. Dr. Carsten Köhler reports on the political, economic and scientific contributions Germany and Baden-Württemberg can make to successfully change this situation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/vernachlaessigte-tropenkrankheiten-carsten-koehler-impulse-aus-baden-wuerttemberg
Epifadin from the nasal microbiome - 28/03/2024 From the nose: novel antibiotic substance discovered Antibiotics are becoming an increasingly blunt weapon against infectious diseases. The number of (multi-)resistant germs has been rising rapidly for years and even reserve antibiotics no longer work. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have now isolated a completely new antibiotic substance called epifadin from the microbiome of the human nose. It is effective against many different bacteria - including the dangerous hospital MRSA.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nose-novel-antibiotic-substance-discovered