Healthcare industry

Researchers at the University Hospital of Heidelberg are investigating the effect of signalling substances on muscle development. If mice are missing a gene for a certain muscle protein they become marathon runners.

Article - 15/12/2014

Heart muscle cell 1.0 and 2.0 – two epigenetic programmes in one cell

All the cells in an organism have to adapt to changing requirements as they develop and grow - including muscle cells in the heart. Crucial to this process are the cells’ growth in size and epigenetic factors that play a role in modulating the expression of various genes. The role of epigenetics in cancer development has been the focus of research for quite some time. The question is, what role do epigenetic factors play in the development of the…

Article - 29/03/2016

The zebrafish can mend its own heart

In adults, cells such as nerve or cardiac muscle cells have lost the ability to regenerate. This is why myocardial infarction is so dangerous – damaged cardiac muscle cells do not grow back and scar tissue forms in their place. Prof. Dr. Gilbert Weidinger and an international team of researchers have deciphered a mechanism responsible for the regeneration of the zebrafish heart.

Press release - 30/03/2011

Scientists Find Cause of Fatal Inflammation of the Heart Muscle

Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), jointly with colleagues in the United States, have found out that inflammations of the heart muscle are caused by attacks of a specific type of immune cells. These immune cells attack the body’s own tissue because during their maturation they did not have the chance to develop tolerance against a protein that is only found in the heart muscle.

Article - 18/03/2013

Protein depositions in the brain promote the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Being aware of ones own physical degradation as intellect and cognition remain completely intact this is what the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS also known as Lou Gehrigs disease means to sufferers. The disease is currently not curable as far too little is known as yet about its causes. However basic research is making progress and providing increasing insights into the causes of ALS. Dr. Günter Fritz and his colleagues from the…

Dossier - 01/07/2013

Electrophysiology – from cardiac pacemakers to drug discovery

Electrochemical reactions are involved in many processes in the human organism. Electrophysiology is the study of the central processes of electrical and chemical interaction and communication between neurons and muscle cells, including the transmission and processing of signals in the nerves and the subsequent contraction of the muscles. For example, electrophysiology studies examine the rhythm which which our heart pumps blood through the…

Article - 17/04/2010

Sounding out human motion

Although standing upright and moving forward may appear to be simple, they are in fact complex activities that are not yet understood in detail. Even less is known about how we hop, run and jump. Researchers at the Stuttgart-based Institute of Sport and Movement Science are looking into the ways the musculoskeletal system interacts to create movements as well as studying the effect of disorders. Computer simulation is one of the principal tools…

Press release - 26/03/2010

Restarting the muscular engine – Research Prize awarded to two medical practitioners from Ulm and Heidelberg

Dr. Karin Jurkat-Rott, associate professor at the Institute of Applied Physiology at the University of Ulm, and Dr. Marc-André Weber, associate professor and chief physician in the Department of Radiology at the Heidelberg University Hospital, were awarded the Eva Luise Köhler Research Prize for Rare Diseases in Berlin on 1st March 2010. The prize was awarded by Luise Köhler in the presence the German Federal President Horst Köhler, the German…

Dossier - 12/04/2010

Biomechanics – a broad field

Biomechanics is a combination of the life sciences and the engineering sciences. Based on their knowledge and understanding of mechanics and the development of complex mathematical models and computer simulations engineers mathematicians and computer specialists help scientists gain new insights and give medical specialists access to new therapeutic options. In many cases such as in the development of implants or in sports medicine engineers…

Duchenne muscular dystrophy DMD is a severe disease affecting boys characterised by rapid progression of muscle degeneration so that boys as young as 10 to 12 years of age have to use a wheelchair and leading to death in young men. In Germany about 2500 children and young adults suffer from DMD.

The scientist Dr. Derk Frank from Heidelberg has discovered that calsarcin 1 protects the heart against pathological alterations caused by overstraining. Frank was awarded the 2008 Gotthard Schettler Prize for Cardiovascular Research.

About 500000 people in Germany suffer from dilatative cardiomyopathy DCM. Viral infections are the major cause of this myocardial disease. Its molecular and cellular mechanisms are being investigated in a transregional SFB project at the University of Tübingen.

Almost half of the veins transplanted to restore blood flow in the heart become clogged again within ten years after surgery. Gene therapy pre-treatment of the vein fragments that prevents the muscle cells from entering the vascular wall might decrease the risk of this happening.

Article - 26/10/2011

Simple nerve cells regulate swimming depth of marine plankton

Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen Germany have identified some signaling substances in the nervous system of larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis regulating the swimming depth. These substances influence the ciliary beating and thus hold the larvae in the preferred water depth. The scientists discovered a very simple circuitry of nerve cells underlying this regulation reflecting an early evolutionary…

Press release - 13/11/2009

New genetic cause of cardiac insufficiency discovered

The heart needs to pump approximately 250 million litres of blood through the body during a person’s lifetime. In order to do this effectively, the cardiac muscle fibres need to be extremely resilient. A team led by Dr. Wolfgang Rottbauer, assistant medical director of the Department of Internal Medicine III at the University Hospital of Heidelberg, has discovered a protein component that is responsible for the stability of the smallest muscle…

During his doctorate Dr Rüdiger Rupp from the University of Heidelberg developed neuroprostheses that can be controlled with weak muscle tension or even with thought power. Rupp was awarded the Konrad Biesalski Prize of 5000.

The neurogeneticists in the group of Professor Karl-Friedrich Fischbach at the University of Freiburg are investigating how the complex optical areas of the brain are organised. They found that proteins form a functional unit.

The Centre for Regenerative Biology and Medicine ZRM in Tübingen has joined forces with Naturin GmbH based in Weinheim. The partners plan to develop new carrier materials on the basis of collagen which improve cell cultures and medical implants.

The German Research Foundation will continue to fund the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy - Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapy for another four years with a total of 10 million euros. The Department of Cardiology of the University Hospital of Tübingen will also become part of the SFB.

Article - 03/12/2012

Differences between white, brown and “brite” fat tissue

The latest results on the different metabolic pathways used by white and brown fat cells and potential transformations between the two cell types were discussed at the conference “Metabolism 2012: From Signalling to Disease” held on 15th and 16th November 2012 in Heidelberg. A special cell type, so-called “brite” adipocytes, may have the potential to be used in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Article - 12/04/2010

Why do weightless bodies have to vibrate?

“It is a totally new feeling,” said Ramona Ritzmann from the University of Freiburg referring to the feeling of weightlessness she experienced during her experiments on board the Airbus 300. Something that can trigger amazing sensations over a short period of time, can have seriously negative consequences for astronauts. Prolonged stays aboard the International Space Station ISS can lead to muscle degeneration. Along with her colleagues Andreas…

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Light scattering of cylindrical structures

Many biological tissues contain cylindrical microstructures, including teeth, muscles and skin. Therefore, the detailed understanding of light propagation in these structures is of great importance for biomedical optics. The transport theory is often used for the numerical calculation of light propagation in biological tissue. The ILM uses the Monte Carlo method to make these calculations.

Press release - 18/03/2013

Med Cell Europe AG: medicine from a patient’s own adipose tissue

Med Cell Europe AG, which is headquartered in Münchwilen, Switzerland, and a member of the BioLAGO bioregion, is the only private stem cell bank in Europe that isolates adult stem cells from customers’ adipose tissue. The biotech company, which was founded in 2010, is also active in research. The focus, amongst other things, is on the transformation of stem cells into insulin-producing cells and cytotoxicity tests to explore potential damage to…

Sometimes a few nanogrammes of toxin are all that is needed to kill someone. Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Aktories from the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Freiburg is investigating why some bacterial toxins are so extremely toxic. Together with his team of researchers Aktories has identified the molecular mechanism of action of Clostridium difficile toxins.

Article - 16/05/2011

Oliver Röhrle and the biomechanics of the musculo-skeletal system

Dr. Oliver Röhrle contributes to the excellent standards in the field of biomechanics at the University of Stuttgart. He has held one of the popular junior professorships in the Simulation Technology (SimTech) cluster of excellence since 2008 and has recently received a research prize for his work on the biomechanics of the musculo-skeletal system.