Healthcare industry

Assay to support the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases - 22/06/2022

Tracking down pathogenic immune complexes

Soluble complexes of antibodies and their target structures circulating in the blood can trigger serious systemic inflammations. Dr. Philipp Kolb and Haizhang Chen from the Institute of Virology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have developed a sensitive, cell-based test system for detecting these immune complexes. The system can be used to diagnose systemic autoimmune diseases, and also severe cases of COVID-19.

As cancer progresses, the tumor cells continually change, ultimately resulting in a tumor consisting of a large number of different cell clones with different characteristics. This is referred to as "tumor heterogeneity". In many cases, the cancer cells become resistant to the treatments available.

Article - 31/05/2021

Tracking down tumour-associated pain in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer comes along quietly: unnoticed for a long time, it often triggers excruciating pain as the tumour progresses. This pain is associated with cancer cells invading pancreatic nerves. Dr. Michael Hirth from Mannheim University Hospital has shed some light on the complex communication between cancer cells and nerve cells. His findings could eventually be used for personalised pain therapies.

Tumors of the pancreas are particularly feared. They are usually discovered late and mortality is high. Until now, no targeted and personalized therapies exist. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine* (HI-STEM) have now succeeded for the first time in defining two differently aggressive molecular subtypes of pancreatic carcinoma.

Press release - 10/12/2018

High distinction for stem cell researcher Andreas Trumpp

This year's State Research Prize of Baden-Württemberg awarded for outstanding achievements in applied research goes to Andreas Trumpp from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM). Theresia Bauer, State Minister of Science, Research and the Arts, presented the award, which carries a monetary prize of €100.000, at a festive ceremony on December 10, 2018.

Article - 14/02/2018

Animal-free diabetes research with the pancreas chip

Quite a number of promising drug candidates for the treatment of diabetes are currently in the pharmaceutical pipeline, including innovative drugs that can stimulate the regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic cells. However, they will have to be safety tested in animals. Scientists from Ulm University Hospital have now begun to develop a pancreatic chip from stem cells.

Article - 29/08/2016

Cellendes and EU partners develop cell therapy for treating type 1 diabetes

Cells derived from suitable donor stem cells that can do the work defective insulin-producing cells can no longer do are the central focus of a European cell therapy project involving Reutlingen-based Cellendes GmbH as one of the partners. Cellendes develops a biomaterial that facilitates the mass production of cells and could potentially be approved for therapeutic use in humans.

Article - 25/04/2016

Pancreatic cancer and its resistance to therapy

Pancreatic tumours are among the cancers with the worst prognosis. In many cases they are resistant to treatment. Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp and his colleagues from the DKFZ and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine HI-STEM have discovered that the reason why some pancreatic tumours are so resistant to treatment is down to larger quantities of the enzyme CYP3A5 in subtypes of pancreatic cancer. Molecular…

Article - 27/07/2015

Looking for the Achilles’ heel of the tumour

Although medicines that inhibit the growth of cancer cells are available, the prognosis for patients with solid tumours is generally still rather poor. The reason for this is that tumour cells develop resistance to therapy during treatment, and the tumour can continue to grow. However, tumours are vulnerable – if only more robust medicines were available. Prof. Dr. Lars Zender, senior physician and head of the Division of Translational…

Article - 29/04/2013

Bioactive plant foods: plant substances against cancer stem cells

Many findings indicate that the consumption of cruciferous vegetable plants rich in mustard oil glycosides has a cancer-inhibiting effect. Researchers from Heidelberg have now shown that sulforaphane, a broccoli mustard oil, blocks a signalling pathway that makes tumour stem cells resistant to cytotoxic drugs. The administration of sulforaphane can prevent therapy resistance and metastasis of pancreatic cancer in animal models.

Article - 02/07/2012

amcure GmbH is working on a new compound against pancreatic cancer

amcure GmbH has identified a new compound with a new efficacy profile against pancreatic cancer. Animal experiments have shown promising results: the drug candidate successfully prevents tumour growth and destroys existing metastases. The company, which was spun out from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in 2011, is now working on its first financing round and is looking for new investors. At the same time it is carefully planning its…

Press release - 12/10/2011

Autoimmune Diseases Affect Cancer Risk

In a recently published study, scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have calculated the interrelations between autoimmune diseases and cancer of the digestive tract. They discovered that many autoimmune diseases increase the cancer risk, while others, such as rheumatism, are associated with a significantly lower bowel cancer risk. These differing impacts on cancer risk may be attributable to the…

Article - 06/03/2011

Heidelberg Translational Lung Research Centre

University and non-university research institutions in Heidelberg that carry out research into lung diseases have established an expert network – the Heidelberg Translational Lung Research Centre – which is part of the new BMBF-funded German Centre for Lung Research. In Heidelberg, research focuses on the development and treatment of cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer.

Germans like natural solutions and show a marked preference for medicines made from St. John’s wort, valerian, devil’s claw or Marian Thistle. However, when taking herbal medicines people are well advised to be cautious: "herbal" does not automatically mean safe, warns Thomas Simmet, pharmacologist from the University Hospital of Ulm.

Article - 12/07/2010

TET Systems: Controlled gene expression in eukaryotes

The most common and most successful system used for the experimental regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes is based on a gene switch that regulates the resistance of bacteria to tetracycline. The Tet technology also provides researchers with a tool that enables them to specifically, quantitatively and reversibly control the activity of individual genes in vivo and in vitro. The Heidelberg-based company TET Systems sells licences for the Tet…

The new cancer medication sorafenib inhibits resistant tumour stem cells in pancreatic cancer and is especially effective when combined with sulforaphane, an organic compound found in broccoli and cauliflower.

Article - 15/03/2010

Cystic fibrosis therapy is making good progress

Thirty years ago cystic fibrosis CF formerly also known as mucoviscidosis was considered to be a disease that only affected children. Hardly any children with this hereditary metabolic disease ever reached early adulthood. Since then both the therapy and the life expectancy of CF patients have improved considerably. Dr. Gerd Döring from Tübingen is investigating the occurrence of respiratory tract defects that are common in CF patients.

Dossier - 22/02/2010

Respiratory disease - congestion in the respiratory system

Lung diseases are by far the most frequent cause of death worldwide. Every year three million people die from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases 2.3 million die from lung cancer and 1.5 die from tuberculosis WHO World Health Organisation. There is no improvement in sight and experts believe that the number of deaths will continue to rise particularly in the case of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases COPD lung cancer and tuberculosis TB.…

Article - 12/05/2009

Fatal relatives: adiposity and diabetes

Martin Wabitsch was the first German pediatrician to investigate adiposity back when it was seen as a strange subject to study. Nowadays, in Germany the attitude towards adiposity has completely changed. More and more people are suffering from adiposity and diabetes and are consequently at risk of contracting other severe diseases as a result. In children and young adults the situation is alarming; many children are at risk of contracting…

Article - 12/05/2009

Islet cell transplantation gives new hope to diabetics

Establishing a medical therapy requires a great deal of patience. An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University Hospital Tübingen knows this from experience. It took more than three years before researchers succeeded in transplanting insulin-producing cells. However, the huge effort has paid off two-fold: the diabetes sufferer feels well after the intervention and secondly, Tübingen became the first German centre to receive the…

Dossier - 11/05/2009

Diabetes, a danger that is still underestimated

In 2010 there will be 10 million diabetes patients in Germany and nearly 33 millions in Europe. The diabetes avalanche is rolling and what is Germany doing? So far so little say experts. There is a lot happening at the same time in different places little is evaluated and a lot is lost in the maelstrom of individual interests. The figures are clear The metabolic disease known as diabetes has reached the proportions of a worldwide epidemic. It not…

Article - 11/05/2009

Can stem cells treat diabetes?

Stem cells are seen as the miracle cure of the future for many degenerative diseases. Scientists and physicians also hope that stem cells will exert their regenerative effect in the treatment of diabetes type 1 which is caused by damaged tissue.

Article - 11/05/2009

Metastasis-inducing cancer stem cells

Just a small subpopulation of cancer cells namely metastasis-inducing cancer stem cells MICs is potentially responsible for the formation of distant malignant tumour metastases. The characterisation of MICs and the clarification of mechanisms that lead to their reactivation from a dormant state opens up new strategies for the development of new effective therapies against metastasising tumours.

Article - 07/04/2009

All-rounders that export cancer

Migrating stem cells have been the focus of attention for some years now opening up potential new strategies for cancer research and therapy. Professor Dr. Thomas Brabletz and his team at the University Medical Centre in Freiburg are working on these stem cells that have an ability to generate new tumours anywhere in the body.

Press release - 04/03/2009

Federal funding for new stem cell project at the ZRM

Researchers in Tübingen have successfully cultivated germ cells of adult men to create pluripotent stem cells with a therapeutic potential similar to that of embryonic stem cells, but with much less potential for ethical conflict. Now, with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, a new project has been launched to characterize these cells in depth and to explore their therapeutic application in regenerative medicine.