Healthcare industry

Article - 25/06/2012

Cannabidiol for the treatment of schizophrenic psychoses

A hemp compound has been shown to increase the effect of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide in the human brain, thus reducing the delusions associated with psychotic diseases. Studies carried out by Prof. Markus Leweke from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim involving patients with acute schizophrenic attacks show that the plant compound is better tolerated than currently approved antipsychotic drugs.

Article - 12/12/2011

Comprehensive Biomarker Center GmbH – next-generation biomarkers

Biomarker research has moved on from proteins to nucleic acids where one of the main priorities is the use of microRNA expression profiles. The Heidelberg-based biotech company Comprehensive Biomarker Center GmbH (CBC, formerly febit) has state-of-the-art technologies and the skills and knowledge to advance the development of new nucleic acid biomarkers for complex diseases in cooperation with partners from research and industry.

Article - 20/02/2012

Microporation: an innovative laser replaces jabs

People who are afraid of needles now have something to celebrate: hypodermic needles, which have long been the key instrument for administering drugs used to treat allergies and diseases as well as for vaccinations, now have a serious competitor. The minimally invasive P.L.E.A.S.E. ® platform developed by Pantec Biosolutions AG combines a laser device and stick-on patches to deliver drugs transdermally and painlessly into the bloodstream. The…

Article - 04/03/2010

“I’ve seen too many company foundations that were essentially meaningless”

Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG was established in Heidelberg in 2002. The company develops pharmaceutical substances that target nuclear receptors. In the following interview with Christoph Bächtle the companys managing directors Dr. Claus Kremoser and Thomas Hoffmann describe the rocky road to success highlight the differences between America and Germany in terms of company foundation and cast a critical eye on many company foundations

Article - 27/06/2016

A nasal spray for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Neuroscientists from Heidelberg have created the scientific foundations for a nasal spray that can stabilise the dendrites of nerve cells, thus reducing nerve damage and brain function losses following a stroke. Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading and his team received the 2016 German BioRegions Innovation Prize for their invention and have set up a company called FundaMental Pharma to further accelerate the development of a marketable medicinal product.

Press release - 29/04/2013

BIOBreakfast: exclusive networking in Chicago

The annual Networking Breakfast was held at the Chicago Club on 23rd April 2013 on the occasion of the 2013 BIO International Convention the global event for biotechnology. As part of the event Heidelberg Technology Park HTP and the University Technology Park in Chicago unveiled an expanded partnering programme. Around 70 participants from 12 countries used the exclusive setting to make new international contacts renew old ones and exchange…

Press release - 17/06/2011

Vetter Invests in Additional Lyophilization Capacity

Vetter, a leading specialist in aseptic filling, has installed three additional state-of-the-art lyophilizers at the company’s Ravensburg Vetter South facility, nearly doubling its number of freeze-dryers. Altogether, the site will be able to produce up to 24 million lyophilized units annually. The new equipment increases the number of lyophilizers across all Vetter facilities by 30 percent.

The new drug screening and safety pharmacology laboratory at NMI Technologie Transfer GmbH NMI TT GmbH in Reutlingen with its standardised and special test systems complies fully with the requirements of safety pharmacology tests.

Article - 09/08/2010

Elara Pharmaceuticals

The Heidelberg-based biotech company ELARA Pharmaceuticals is focused on the development of treatments of tumours through the inhibition of the hypoxia signalling pathway (HIF) and through the induction of apoptosis. The company’s lead candidate targets multiple myeloma, a cancer that arises in the plasma cells of the immune system.

Article - 18/03/2010

Giant becomes even bigger: Teva acquires ratiopharm

As it turned out, the deal went through quicker than expected. The world’s biggest generic pharmaceuticals producer Teva Pharmaceuticals is set to acquire the Ulm-based competitor ratiopharm for around 3.6 billion euros. Representatives from both companies and other parties involved in the bidding process announced the signing of the purchase agreement in Cologne on 18th March.

Article - 28/01/2010

Drug safety: there is always a risk

In the best-case scenario, drugs are 100% effective; however, there are many cases where they are ineffective. Medicinal therapy is always associated with numerous risks. Experts from all over Germany recently gathered at the 1st Ulm Drug Safety Day to discuss the mode of action of drugs, the influences on drug action and how drug safety can be ensured. The “Stadthaus” in Ulm, where the meeting was held, was packed.

Press release - 30/05/2012

Valuable Discussions at the Third International DDI Workshop

The organisation team of the Third International DDI (drug-drug interactions) Workshop has expressed great satisfaction with the course of the scientific meeting. The participants of the DDI Workshop commended the very high scientific level of the presentations and valuable and inspiring discussions of the different topics. Without a doubt, the DDI Workshop at Marbach Castle is a well established platform for the annual exchange between experts,…

Dossier - 04/11/2013

Biotechnology – driver of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

The biotech industry is the innovative driver for a pharmaceutical industry that, due to the shift from blockbluster products to personalised medicine, now depends on new concepts. The production of new drugs using genetic engineering relies on knowledge gained from genomics, proteomics and systems biology and creates new treatment strategies that combine therapy and diagnostics (i.e. companion diagnostics) to provide a specific individualised…

Press release - 16/09/2011

Cellzome Achieves Clinical Candidate Milestone from Inflammation Alliance with GlaxoSmithKline

Cellzome’s Kinobeads™ platform drives design of selective clinical candidate and lead for additional kinase target. Cellzome announces that it has successfully reached the clinical candidate milestone for a program as well as a lead declaration milestone for a further target (under a separate program) as part of the kinase alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The achievement of these milestones triggers undisclosed payments from GSK.

CureVac AG, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of pioneering mRNA therapeutics, and Arcturus Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:ARCT), an RNA medicines company, today announced they have entered into a broad strategic collaboration to jointly discover, develop and commercialize novel messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics.

Article - 09/07/2012

Crayfish chitin is an important raw material

In his Konstanz-based Vegafood project office Dr. Peter May is focused on sustainable breeding of crayfish with the aim of advancing industrial scale chitin research. European crayfish shed their skin several times a year providing research institutions and chitin product manufacturers with access to crustacean carapaces.

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 - 15/03/2010

Campaign to eradicate malaria

After many decades, efforts to develop an effective vaccine against malaria have finally brought researchers closer to their goal. However, the goal of eradicating malaria completely can only be reached through a complex strategy, to which researchers from Heidelberg are making intensive contributions.

Guest article - 31/01/2014

Experience report: internship at Boehringer Ingelheim in Shanghai

A scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts enabled Henrik Baran to do an internship at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co. KG in Shanghai. From March to August 2013, Henrik worked in the company's Global Biopharma Engineering & Technology department where he was involved in cleanroom planning. He was also project coordinator in charge of redeveloping company premises. Here he summarises his…

Press release - 19/11/2009

TET Systems and Novo Nordisk sign license agreement

TET Systems Holding GmbH & Co. KG (“TET Systems”), a worldwide leader in controlled gene expression, today announced that TET Systems and Novo Nordisk A/S have signed a license agreement allowing the Hagedorn Research Institute (HRI), a research institute within Novo Nordisk A/S, the use of the Tet Technology for its internal research activities.

Article - 03/12/2010

Review: Science meets Business Day 2010 (part II)

How can plant physiologists and seed developers work together to achieve an understanding of the processes happening in the germinating plant embryo in order to improve the seed quality of sugar beet? How can virologists find new ways to switch off the flu virus and develop a marketable vaccine in cooperation with industrial partners?

Dr. Pitter Huesgen Dr. Michael Strerath and Dr. Carl Kübler have been awarded this years Nycomed Award. The Award which is worth a total of 15000 distinguishes outstanding doctoral theses in the fields of biology chemistry and physics.

CureVac N.V., a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on mRNA and Celonic Group, a premium biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization specializing in the development and production of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products and mammalian cell line-expressed bio-therapeutics, announced their partnership for the production of CureVac’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV.

Article - 28/03/2010

Acrovis biostructures: because the beginning of a process is crucial

Targeted substance design using an advanced platform technology that takes into account the natural dynamics of pharmaceutical substances and targets early on during the discovery process – this is what the Ulm-based biopharmaceutical company Acrovis biostructures GmbH offers. Acrovis has all the instruments needed to be able to optimally determine the structure of pharmaceutical substances.

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…