Expert interview - 31/08/2021 Health Data Scenarios - many possibilities for the future? The digitization of healthcare is progressing slowly but steadily. In addition to simple telemedical applications, data such as electronic patient records are forming the basis of digitization. The ‘Health Data Scenarios’ project aims to model the future of healthcare data by using scenarios. Lucas Scherdel, Healthcare Innovation Director at DayOne, and Dr. Alexander Fink, founder and CEO of ScMI AG, explain how this will work.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/health-data-scenarios-many-possibilities-future
Press release - 30/08/2021 Active-Bending Structure from Natural Fibre Profiles In August 2021, the BioMat Pavilion 2021 was inaugurated on the campus of the University of Stuttgart in a ceremonial setting and in compliance with the hygiene concept. The core of the elegantly curved lightweight construction is an active-bending structure made of natural fibers, reminiscent of bamboo. It was developed as part of the "LeichtPRO" research project.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biegsam-wie-bambus-belastbar-und-leicht
Press release - 20/08/2021 Innovative Drug Discovery New drugs are intended to help stop viral zoonoses – infections that jump from animals to humans. To study suitable inhibitors, Prof. Dr Christian Klein from the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB) of Heidelberg University is receiving funding in the amount of 450,000 euros from the Volkswagen Foundation. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/innovative-drug-discovery
Press release - 16/08/2021 Heidelberg is calling for life sciences start-ups As a dominant part of southern Germany’s life-science industry hub, Heidelberg will soon have a life-science startup incubator of its own. BioLabs, the premier US network of managed co-working lab space, will open its first German branch in the Heidelberg Innovation Park (hip). On August 16, representatives of city and state governments, BioLabs and the life-science industry celebrated the Heidelberg BioLabs groundbreaking.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/heidelberg-calling-life-sciences-start-ups
Workplace of the future - 10/08/2021 Intelligent body support system for surgery staff Operating room staff often spend hours in strenuous postures, which has a significant impact on concentration and quality of work. While operating room equipment is increasingly networked, state-of-the-art medical technology, conditions for operating room staff trail way behind. The start-up company Hellstern medical offers an effective solution for serious pain, fatigue and incorrect interventions.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/intelligent-body-support-system-surgery-staff
ROKO Farming - 03/08/2021 Thinking upwards: vertical farming to be further developed into continuous production ROKO Farming’s novel technology is designed to produce fruit and vegetables worldwide all year round, while also freeing up areas for rewilding. This semi-automatic production method created by the Ulm-based business has huge future potential, as their success in innovation competitions demonstrates.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/thinking-upwards-vertical-farming-be-further-developed-continuous-production
Alpha-Protein GmbH - 27/07/2021 Insect farming for sustainability Mealworms instead of fish meal and soybean meal - this is what the sustainable future of feed production looks like as Alpha-Protein GmbH see it. The company has built a highly efficient automated production plant in which residual materials from local food production are used to breed mealworms.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/insect-farming-sustainability
Press release - 16/07/2021 Robotically wound natural fibre construction The "livMatS Pavilion" in the Botanical Garden of the University of Freiburg is a model for a bioinspired sustainable construction. In a joint project, researchers from the Universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart together with master’s students from the University of Stuttgart have designed a lightweight pavilion. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/robotically-wound-natural-fibre-construction
Press release - 07/07/2021 Treasure Hunt in Sewage Sludge The European Union is largely dependent on imports of white phosphorus (P4), a strategic raw material for the food and pharmaceutical industries. To tackle this challenge, the newly started four-year EU-funded project FlashPhos – led by the University of Stuttgart – will recover at a large scale high-quality white phosphorus and other raw materials using sewage sludge as input material. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/schatzsuche-im-klaerschlamm
Press release - 06/07/2021 High-throughput metabolic profiling of single cells Scientists from the EMBL and the German Cancer Research Center have presented a new method for generating metabolic profiles of individual cells. The method, which combines fluorescence microscopy and a specific form of mass spectroscopy, can analyze over a hundred metabolites and lipids from more than a thousand individual cells per hour. Researchers expect the method to better answer a variety of biomedical questions in the future.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/high-throughput-metabolic-profiling-single-cells
Funding Horizone Europe Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, sb_search.searchresult.label.programSubmissionDate: 31/12/2027 https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/database/funding/horizone-europe
Funding Horizone Europe Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, sb_search.searchresult.label.programSubmissionDate: 31/12/2027 https://www.bio-pro.de/en/service/funding/horizone-europe
Funding Horizone Europe Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, sb_search.searchresult.label.programSubmissionDate: 31/12/2027 https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/databases/funding/horizone-europe
Article - 22/06/2021 Using virtual reality in the clinic to rehabilitate patients with cognitive disorders Outdated and inadequate methods of neurological rehabilitation are still being used for patients with neurological diseases or injuries – and what’s more, the treatment is usually too late. This is because cognitive training is especially important in the critical phases when the brain is particularly plastic. The Heidelberg-based company living brain proves that early treatment is possible using an extremely innovative method – with concentrated…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/using-virtual-reality-clinic-rehabilitate-patients-cognitive-disorders
Showcase Bioeconomy - 22/06/2021 Advanced biofuel breakthrough: HyFlexFuel converted sewage sludge and other biomasses into kerosene by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) The EU funded research project HyFlexFuel recently succeeded to produce biocrudes via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) from a variety of biomasses, including sewage sludge, food waste, manure, wheat straw, corn stover, pine sawdust, miscanthus and microalgae in a pilot-scale continuous HTL plant at Aarhus University (Denmark).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/advanced-biofuel-breakthrough-hyflexfuel-converted-sewage-sludge-and-other-biomasses-kerosene-hydrothermal-liquefaction-htl
Press release - 10/06/2021 Nose2Brain – Active substances without detour through the nose into the brain Effective drugs for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system do exist. However, the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain as the body's control center, makes it especially difficult for therapeutic biomolecules to pass through. Thus, researchers from an international consortium coordinated by the Fraunhofer IGB have spent the last four and a half years developing a novel system in the EU project "N2B-patch"…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/nose2brain-active-substances-without-detour-through-nose-brain
Final chord of the EU-project Smart SMEs - 31/05/2021 Building a sustainable network for natural fibre-based SMEs in the Alpine Space The European project Smart SMEs came successfully to its end in May 2021 with the final conference, which attracted participants from different parts of Europe. https://www.bio-pro.de/en/information/press-release/building-sustainable-network-natural-fibre-based-smes-alpine-space
Final chord of the EU-project Smart SMEs - 31/05/2021 Building a sustainable network for natural fibre-based SMEs in the Alpine Space The European project Smart SMEs came successfully to its end in May 2021 with the final conference, which attracted participants from different parts of Europe. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/building-sustainable-network-natural-fibre-based-smes-alpine-space
Zero Bullshit Company - 31/05/2021 From being thrown away to becoming a recycled product - Stuttgart start-up produces healthy snacks Throwing away food? The Stuttgart-based start-up Zero Bullshit Company is declaring war on food wastage by making nutrient-rich products largely from food industry leftovers. The three food technologists who created this transparent brand are looking to develop more than just delicious and nutritious products.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/being-thrown-away-becoming-recycled-product-stuttgart-start-produces-healthy-snacks
Press release - 27/05/2021 Coffee´s pulp waste becomes organic compost The pulp of coffee beans is considered a waste product on coffee plantations, which is usually thrown away or dumped into rivers - with significant negative consequences for climate change and the environment. Macarena San Martín-Ruiz from the University of Stuttgart is working with Coopetarrazú, the largest coffee cooperative in Costa Rica, to find out how the mixture of pulp and husks can be turned into organic compost and thus protect the…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/coffee-s-pulp-waste-becomes-organic-compost
Press release - 26/05/2021 Memetis continues its path to become a technology leader in Shape Memory driven miniature valving – Fluid-o-Tech S.r.l. invests an undisclosed amount to support memetis’ growth and development The Deep-Tech Start-Up memetis GmbH from Germany, which produces the world’s most compact and lightest commercially available valves driven by shape memory alloys, announces a new partnership with Fluid-o-Tech S.r.l., an Italian innovation and market leader in the field of fluid-pumps. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/memetis-continues-its-path-become-technology-leader-shape-memory-driven-miniature-valving-fluid-o-tech-srl-invests-undisclosed-a
Press release - 25/05/2021 How “paralyzed” immune cells can be reactivated against brain tumors Brain tumor cells with a certain common mutation reprogram invading immune cells. This leads to the paralysis of the body's immune defense against the tumor in the brain. Researchers from Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Freiburg discovered this mechanism and at the same time identified a way of reactivating the paralyzed immune system to fight the tumor.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-paralyzed-immune-cells-can-be-reactivated-against-brain-tumors
Vaccine development - 25/05/2021 Vaccines - a beacon of hope in the fight against pandemics Having long been considered less lucrative for the big pharmaceutical companies, vaccine development is taking off in an unforeseen way in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial support is flooding in and all kinds of vaccine development strategies are being deployed. Among the winners in the competition for effective coronavirus vaccines are vaccines based on RNA technology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/vaccines-beacon-hope-fight-against-pandemics
Health Data Scenarios Health Data Scenarios Data generated by the healthcare system has enormous potential for improving the quality of patient-centered care. As part of the Health Data Scenarios project, Basel Area Business & Innovation worked with numerous experts from industry and academia in 2020 to develop ten scenarios of what future health data ecosystems could look like. These scenarios are now being discussed and validated together with experts and opinion leaders from…https://www.bio-pro.de/en/projects/Completed-projects/health-data-scenarios
Press release - 18/05/2021 BBI JU to invest €104.5 million into circular bio-based projects The Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has signed the grant agreements with 18 new projects, selected for funding under the 2020 Call for proposals. 199 beneficiaries from 26 countries across the EU and beyond will receive BBI JU’s financial support worth €104.5 million. This is the seventh and last BBI JU call which will bring the total investment of the initiative to €821.6 million and the BBI JU’s portfolio to 142 projects. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bbi-ju-invest-eur1045-million-circular-bio-based-projects
Press release - 17/05/2021 New findings in genome research The working group around Dr. Philipp Rathert at the Institute for Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry investigates the regulation of epigenetic networks of certain cancers and ways of treating them. The working group published its new findings in April. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-findings-genome-research
Press release - 03/05/2021 Bioactive paper coatings to replace plastic for packaging foods The amount of plastic waste increases every year. Some of this waste is due to plastic packaging used to protect food. As part of the “BioActiveMaterials” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed an eco-friendly coating for paper packaging. With this, not only is plastic saved, but the coating of plant-based proteins and waxes also extends the shelf life of the food.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bioactive-paper-coatings-replace-plastic-packaging-foods
Press release - 23/04/2021 The Amazing Field of Science: Bioeconomy to End the Ecological Crisis Population growth and the increasing standard of living make our society face big ecological challenges: Climate change, littering of the seas, dwindling agricultural areas, resource scarcity. Bioeconomy aims at replacing fossil by regenerative resources and at using advanced and sustainable technologies based on biological knowledge and principles.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/amazing-field-science-bioeconomy-end-ecological-crisis
Press release - 21/04/2021 A study identifies the top 50 life and biological sciences and technologies driving innovation in the bio-based sectors in Europe. The study “Life and Biological Sciences and Technologies as Engines for Bio-based Innovation”, funded by the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation has been published and is now available for download from the website of the Publications Office of the European Union.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/study-identifies-top-50-life-and-biological-sciences-and-technologies-driving-innovation-bio-based-sectors-europe
Press release - 14/04/2021 Engineering T cells for cancer therapy efficiently and safely Genetically enhancing a patient's immune cells by adding therapeutic genes to them outside the body is regarded as a promising new treatment approach in oncology. However, the production of these therapeutic cells using viruses is not only expensive but time-consuming. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed an innovative non-viral vector that can efficiently introduce therapeutic genes into immune cells. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/engineering-t-cells-cancer-therapy-efficiently-and-safely
Press release - 13/04/2021 Evotec’s BRIDGE “beLAB2122” leverages academic innovation from our region Evotec SE announced today the launch of beLAB2122 in the Rhine- Main-Neckar region to efficiently advance first-in-class therapeutic concepts into investable drug discovery projects. Mediated and supported by BioRN, Evotec’s newest BRIDGE brings together the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (“EMBL”), the German Cancer Research Center (“DKFZ”), the Goethe University Frankfurt, Heidelberg University and the University of Tübingen.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/evotecs-bridge-belab2122-leverages-academic-innovation-our-region
Press release - 08/04/2021 How to enhance innovative value chains in the bioeconomy in the Alpine Space? The European Interreg project AlpLinkBioEco in comes April 2021 to a successful end. The final conference of the project was conducted on the 31st of March 2021 and attracted over 160 participants from different parts of Europe. AlpLinkBioEco, of which BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg is a partner, has been running for three years (2018-2021) as part of the EU-Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP).https://www.bio-pro.de/en/information/press-release/how-enhance-innovative-value-chains-bioeconomy-alpine-space
Quantum Technology Ulm - 08/04/2021 Diamonds for life sciences innovations The world's first commercial quantum computer,’IBM Q System One’, is now in operation in Ehningen near Stuttgart. This is a major leap forward in quantum technology in Germany. It marks the point at which conventional computers reach their limits. The University of Ulm is involved in three of six collaborative projects being funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing Construction.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/diamonds-life-sciences-innovations
Microfluidics in medical technology - 24/03/2021 Ultra-compact: valves with shape memory actuators Karlsruhe-based company memetis shows that this is possible. Intelligent components for controlling fluids open up huge potential in the medical technology and biotechnology sectors - from vaccine development and cell line analysis to drug research and point-of-care solutions.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ultra-compact-valves-shape-memory-actuators
Press release - 23/03/2021 AFYREN and Südzucker reach long term deal to supply factory producing biobased organic acids AFYREN secures procurement of sugar beet co-products, major feedstock for industrial- scale production of its sustainable chemicals.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/afyren-and-sudzucker-reach-long-term-deal-supply-factory-producing-biobased-organic-acids
Press release - 18/03/2021 DBFZ presents exensively expanded online database on biogenic raw materials Systematically prepared and easily accessible research data can provide an essential basis for decision-making for a wide range of stakeholders from politics, science and industry. The resource database developed by the DBFZ, which contains a wealth of information on various biomass potentials and their current use, has been extensively expanded and is now also available in two languages (DE/EN) with a variety of new functionalities.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/dbfz-presents-exensively-expanded-online-database-biogenic-raw-materials
Press release - 23/02/2021 Commission gives the green light to the successor of BBI JU The European Commission agreed on the successor of BBI JU – the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) in a legislative proposal adopted today. The new partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) is expected to build on the success of BBI JU while stepping up its contribution to the EU’s climate targets, in line with the European Green Deal. The European Parliament and Council will now study the…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/commission-gives-green-light-successor-bbi-ju
Article - 17/02/2021 Whole blood model enables development of early warning system for sepsis Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that can be treated all the more successfully the faster therapy is initiated. It is not just the infection itself that is so dangerous, but a dysregulated response of the immune system. Physicians at Ulm University Hospital have now developed an animal-free test system that can be used to research the disease and develop innovative diagnostic tools to quickly assess a patient's sepsis risk and optimise…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/whole-blood-model-enables-development-early-warning-system-sepsis
Press release - 08/02/2021 Water-repellent and more: coating textiles sustainably with chitosan Textiles can be coated with the biopolymer chitosan and thus made water-repellent by binding hydrophobic molecules. The good thing is that this can also replace toxic and petroleum-based substances that are currently used for textile finishing. In the last few years Fraunhofer IGB and partners have developed technology to provide fibers with the desired properties using biotechnological processes and chitosan.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Water-repellent-and-more-coating-textiles-sustainably-with-chitosan
AI application potential & Matchmaking - 22/04/2021 - 06/05/2021 Application Potential of Artificial Intelligence in the Pharmaceutical Industry Onlinehttps://www.bio-pro.de/en/events/past-events/ki-in-der-pharmaindustrie
Press release - 05/02/2021 Showcase Bioeconomy: Intelligent Robot Helps Preserve Orchard Meadows University of Hohenheim project contributes to maintaining valuable biotopes: Autonomous robot to help prune fruit trees so they stay healthy.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Showcase-Bioeconomy-Intelligent-Robot-Helps-Preserve-Orchard-Meadows
Press release - 01/02/2021 Targeting a rapid market breakthrough for new vaccine production method In a so-called inactivated or killed vaccine, the virus particles it contains are first rendered inactive by means of the toxic chemical formaldehyde. A better way of achieving this, however, is to irradiate the pathogens with low-energy electrons. Four Fraunhofer Institutes have now developed a new method of vaccine production based on this technique that is not only quicker but also guarantees a higher quality of product. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/targeting-rapid-market-breakthrough-new-vaccine-production-method
Press release - 29/01/2021 The added value of compostable plastics for the circular economy For quite some time now, the European Commission (EC) is putting a special focus on biodegradable and compostable polymers when assessing the general role of bioplastics. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/added-value-compostable-plastics-circular-economy
Development of biogenic packaging - 16/11/2020 Sustainable packaging - the devil is in the detail Modern packaging often boils down to a tick list of biogenic origin and/or biodegradability. But comprehensive sustainable packaging concepts need more than just that. Perishable foods, for example, require special barrier properties. The Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences is researching packaging concepts for their sustainability.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/sustainable-packaging-devil-detail
Lab-on-a-chip - 11/11/2020 Microfluidic platform for the best possible cancer therapy Every tumour and every patient is different, and there are individual reactions to drugs as well as the problem of resistance. Patient-specific cancer treatments require innovative and cost-effective approaches. The TheraMe! consortium has developed a novel instrument: a combination of microfluidic experiments and mathematical modelling for use in cancer precision medicine to prevent incorrect therapy options.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microfluidic-platform-best-possible-cancer-therapy
Dossier - 09/11/2020 Packaging of the future What will the packaging of the future look like, and what will be required of it? Can packaging be biobased, recyclable, sustainable and economic? In Baden-Württemberg, there are various approaches to developing packaging with the above properties from various sources including agricultural residual and side streams as well as municipal waste.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/packaging-future
Inside the fight against COVID-19 - 28/10/2020 A new immunotherapeutic agent for treating severe COVID-19 cases Apogenix, a Heidelberg-based biopharmaceutical company specialising in innovative immunotherapeutics, has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with asunercept, the company’s lead drug candidate for treating severe cases of COVID-19. The fusion protein blocks the CD95-ligand-mediated death of epithelial cells in the lung and thus prevents damage to the organ.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-immunotherapeutic-agent-treating-severe-covid-19-cases
Innovative Therapies - 20/08/2020 Labor Dr. Merk is fully committed to viral therapies Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen is reorienting its business towards viral therapeutics. With this change of strategy, the company, which has decades of expertise in virology, wants to position itself in a timely fashion in the growing new market for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP). In gene and virotherapies (oncolytic viruses), tumour vaccines and CAR-T cell therapies, viruses are essential as vectors, killers of tumour cells or…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/labor-dr-merk-fully-committed-viral-therapies
Microstructure Technology - 17/07/2020 An electronic nose for many applications Sensory organs are sophisticated masterpieces of nature. That is why humans have often tried to copy them. Be it cameras or microphones - there are technical objects that have always been based on natural models such as the eye or the ear. For a long time, however, no artificial sense of smell has featured in the technical repertoire. Now researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an electronic nose. It can…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/electronic-nose-many-applications
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