Press release - 09/02/2022 Connecting fibres: The cellulose fibre industry impresses with innovation and vision The annual highlight of the industry is the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres in Cologne (www.cellulose-fibres.eu), where the latest innovations were showcased last week: new cellulose fibre technologies for various feedstocks and a wide range of hygiene and textile products as well as alternatives to plastics and carbon fibre for lightweight constructions.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/connecting-fibres-cellulose-fibre-industry-impresses-innovation-and-vision
Press release - 02/02/2022 Animal Friends made of renewable resources fischertechnik has set a new milestone with the Animal Friends construction kit, as the building blocks and packaging are largely made of renewable resources and the models depict playful animals in new colours. The company is thereby taking another major step towards sustainability. The bio-based building set recently won the Toy Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the industry.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/animal-friends-aus-nachwachsenden-rohstoffen
Press release - 13/01/2022 Turning harmful CO2 into useful chemicals Making important raw materials for fine chemicals out of carbon dioxide really works. As part of the Max Planck collaborative project eBioCO2n, a team of researchers from Fraunhofer IGB have successfully performed a first ever fixation of CO2 via a multi-enzyme enzyme reaction driven by electricity yielding a prospective intermediate for the chemical industry. The process for electro-biocatalytic CO2 fixation was recently published and is…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/turning-harmful-co2-useful-chemicals
Press release - 12/01/2022 From insect carapace to sustainable building material Chitin is the main component of insect carapaces and ensures that they are both stable and flexible. The Chitinfluid research project, funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, focuses on the use of chitin in construction and aims to process chitin and its derivatives into sustainable materials. In a hybrid symposium under the auspices of Prof. Sabine Laschat from the University of Stuttgart, the project team discussed the current state of research…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/insect-carapace-sustainable-building-material
Dossier - 16/12/2021 Advanced therapy medicinal products: gene and cell therapies Novel gene and cell therapies for treating incurable and hereditary diseases have raised high expectations. However, success has so far been limited to the long-established bone marrow transplants involving the administration of haematopoietic stem cells used to treat blood cancer. CAR T-cell therapies have recently emerged as a major new hope in cancer treatment.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/advanced-therapy-medicinal-products-gene-and-cell-therapies
Press release - 14/12/2021 Carbon fibres from wood - DITF nomination for the "Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year" award For the second time, the nova Institute for Ecology and Innovation is honouring outstanding scientific research that provides sustainable solutions for the cellulose fibre value chain as part of the "International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022". The DITF Denkendorf is one of the six nominees.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/carbon-fibres-wood-ditf-nomination-cellulose-fibre-innovation-year-award
Plant residues - 14/12/2021 Straw pulp: agricultural residues become sanitary paper products Straw cannot yet be spun into gold, but in Mannheim, Germany, it is being turned into something else of great value: Essity is the first and only company in Europe to produce toilet paper and kitchen rolls from wheat straw in a new pulp mill. From next year, these sustainable sanitary paper products will be found on supermarket shelves.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/straw-pulp-agricultural-residues-become-sanitary-paper-products
Press release - 14/12/2021 EU regulation approved: G-BA collaborates on European health technology assessment Today, the EU Parliament adopted the EU Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA), which includes not only new medicines (including gene and cell therapies), but also medical devices.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/eu-regulation-approved-g-ba-collaborates-european-health-technology-assessment
Press release - 30/11/2021 A mould dominates the eukaryotic microbiota in Parkinson’s disease patients Parkinson's disease is characterised by a slow, progressive loss of nerve cells in certain brain areas. The disease is still incurable and the exact causes are unclear. The dopamine deficiency in the brain can only be controlled to some extent in the initial phase of the disease. Basic research is being conducted in an attempt to unravel the mystery of Parkinson's disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mould-dominates-eukaryotic-microbiota-parkinsons-disease-patients
Press release - 25/11/2021 Environmentally-friendly reforestation: Biodegradable tree covers made from renewable raw materials. In reforestation projects, the seedlings must be protected. So-called growth covers prevent game from feeding on the young plants and help to ensure that they are not prevented from growing by other plants. Previously used sheaths made of plastic and metal are often not removed in time and pollute the environment. The DITF have developed a biodegradable yarn for growth covers from renewable raw materials.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/environmentally-friendly-reforestation-biodegradable-tree-covers-made-renewable-raw-materials
Press release - 23/11/2021 Multi-peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows strong T-cell immune response At the University Hospital Tübingen, clinical evaluation of an in-house developed vaccine (CoVac-1) against SARS-CoV-2 was started in November 2020 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Juliane Walz in the CCU Translational Immunology of the Medical Clinic (Medical Director Prof. Dr. Helmut Salih). Now the results of the Phase I study are available and demonstrate a potent activation of the T-cell response against the coronavirus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/multi-peptide-vaccine-against-sars-cov-2-shows-strong-t-cell-immune-response
Press release - 22/11/2021 Wound Lightness - Towards a novel material culture The Cluster of Excellence IntCDC of the University of Stuttgart presents the "Maison Fibre" at the International Architecture Exhibition Venice. The full-scale inhabitable installation is made from robotically produced, fibrous building elements.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/gewickelte-leichtigkeit-neue-materialkultur-der-architektur
Dossier - 17/11/2021 Biorefinery: new paths to build our tomorrow Sustainability is in vogue. And it’s not a question of wanting to be sustainable, but having to be: as the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows, protecting the climate and the environment calls for swift action. Biorefineries that use renewable raw materials and recycle industrial raw materials are playing an important role in the bioeconomy concepts of many countries - including the state of Baden-Württemberg.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/biorefinery-new-paths-build-our-tomorrow
Press release - 10/11/2021 Plasticizers can cause asthma and allergies Plastic products can be found everywhere in daily life, soft plastic in particular often being used for packaging or children's toys. These often contain so-called plasticizers which ensure that the material remains flexible. Because plasticizers are not bonded permanently to the plastic, they can escape from the material, meaning they can be absorbed by humans.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/plasticizers-can-cause-asthma-and-allergies
Funding EU4Health- Programme Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, sb_search.searchresult.label.programSubmissionDate: 31/12/2027 https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/database/funding/eu4health-programme
Funding EU4Health- Programme Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, sb_search.searchresult.label.programSubmissionDate: 31/12/2027 https://www.bio-pro.de/en/service/funding/eu4health-programme
Upcycling of lignin - 26/10/2021 Bioeconomic model project: vanillin from process industry residues Extracting vanillin from lignin dissolved in black liquor and developing it into a process that can be scaled up for industry is a bioeconomic approach that researchers at Biberach University of Applied Sciences and Ulm University are pursuing in a five-year project.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bioeconomic-model-project-vanillin-process-industry-residues
Press release - 19/10/2021 Gips Schüle Research Award for three scientists from the University of Stuttgart Prof. Dr. Harald Gießen from the Institute of Physics (4) as well as Prof. Dr. Alois Herkommer and Dr. Simon Thiele from the Institute of Applied Optics at the University of Stuttgart received the Gips Schüle Research Award 2021 on October 19, 2021. The researchers were awarded the prize, which is valued at EUR 50,000.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/gips-schuele-research-award-three-scientists-university-stuttgart
Press release - 18/10/2021 More precise characterization of brain tumors improves diagnosis and therapy An international study with about 3000 patients confirms the validity of a new classification system for meningiomas. It combines tissue characteristics (histology) with molecular analyses and thus improves therapy planning.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/more-precise-characterization-brain-tumors-improves-diagnosis-and-therapy
Compostable nappies - 14/10/2021 Nappies for a sustainable bioeconomy In an EU-funded project, the Tübingen-based biotech company Novis is working with international partners to develop a fully compostable nappy that contains no plastic parts. This could reduce the huge quantities of used disposable nappies that have been produced to date and the enormous costs of disposal, as well as avoiding the greenhouse gases produced when they are incinerated.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nappies-sustainable-bioeconomy
Press release - 04/10/2021 European bioeconomy robust as bio-based industry turnover jumps to 780 billion EUR The bio-based industries continue their ascent marking a total contribution of 780 billion EUR, a notable increase of 30 billion EUR (+ 4%) compared to 2017. This represents a more than 20% increase compared to 2008 which is the earliest data taken into account in this series of reports by nova-Institute. The first report of the series was first commissioned by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) in 2017.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/european-bioeconomy-robust-bio-based-industry-turnover-jumps-780-billion-eur
Press release - 30/09/2021 Essity begins tissue production from alternative fibers Hygiene and health company Essity is today presenting a breakthrough in sustainable tissue production and is beginning production based on pulp from wheat straw. The plant in Mannheim, Germany, is the first of its kind in Europe, and the first on a large-scale tissue production in the world.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/essity-begins-tissue-production-alternative-fibers
Specialized in Sustainability - 30/09/2021 The circular economy of the future The research project RUN (Rural Urban Nutrient Partnership) explores how waste might be used more efficiently as a resource. In this project, Veronika Fendel investigates how recyclable materials from biowaste and domestic wastewater can be fed back into the material cycle in the best possible way.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/circular-economy-future
Press release - 27/09/2021 Bacteria can boost the fitness of their host Microorganisms can increase their host’s ability to adapt to the environment and reproduce – evolutionary biologists are now studying the underlying molecular mechanisms. A research team headed by Dr. Fabian Staubach and Yun Wang from the Institute of Biology I at the University of Freiburg has now studied the relationship of Gluconobacter bacteria and fruit flies. They have found that specific Gluconobacter variants supply the flies with vitamin…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bacteria-can-boost-fitness-their-host
Start-up PROSERVATION - sustainable packaging - 21/09/2021 Husk as a substitute for polystyrene: packaging materials with a good conscience Expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging is very practical, but it is made from petroleum and is not very environmentally friendly in other ways either. Single-use plastic containers made of EPS have therefore been banned in the EU, but alternatives are also urgently needed. The Stuttgart-based start-up PROSERVATION has developed an ecological packaging material made from grain husks that could replace EPS and be just as effective.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/husk-substitute-polystyrene-packaging-materials-good-conscience
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 - 02/09/2021 Award-winning science: Cancer-promoting metabolic pathways as targets of new therapies Christiane Opitz, scientist at the German Cancer Research Center, is being awarded this year's Ita Askonas Prize of the European Federation of Immunological Societies. Opitz has discovered how tumor cells use certain metabolites to protect themselves against the immune system. Her research findings may provide important clues for the development of new therapeutic concepts.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/award-winning-science-cancer-promoting-metabolic-pathways-targets-new-therapies
Press release - 02/09/2021 Blood vessels produce growth factor that promotes metastases On the one hand, blood vessels supply tumors with nutrients and, on the other, enable cancer cells to spread throughout the body. The settlement of circulating tumor cells in a distant organ is promoted by factors whose production is induced by the primary tumor itself. Scientists have now identified a new growth factor produced by blood vessels that enables tumor cells to metastatically colonize organs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/blood-vessels-produce-growth-factor-promotes-metastases
Press release - 01/09/2021 Watch out, mold: Fraunhofer solution simulates bamboo’s response to moisture when used in construction As a rapidly growing renewable raw material, bamboo is an ideal substitute for wood. However, bamboo’s susceptibility to mold in damp conditions poses a problem. Researchers at Fraunhofer have now analyzed bamboo’s response to moisture under specific climatic conditions. By using simulation software, building owners can plan and implement measures to prevent the growth of mold.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/watch-out-mold-fraunhofer-solution-simulates-bamboos-response-moisture-when-used-construction
Reduction of greenhouse gases in wine production - 31/08/2021 The REDWine project and climate change In the EU project REDWine, the CO2 produced during wine fermentation is captured and used to produce algae biomass. Novis GmbH from Tübingen supplies the complete system for CO2 utilisation. The aim of the project is to reduce the share of global warming caused by wine production in a way that is economical for producers.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/redwine-project-and-climate-change
Press release - 30/08/2021 CureVac Preclinical Data Demonstrates Significant Reduction of Liver Fibrosis with mRNA Therapeutic CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), today announced the publication entitled “Therapeutic HNF4A mRNA attenuates liver fibrosis in a preclinical model” in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hepatology.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curevac-preclinical-data-demonstrates-significant-reduction-liver-fibrosis-mrna-therapeutic
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 - 25/08/2021 Material efficiency holds great potential for climate neutrality and should be utilized more for this purpose An international research team has calculated the potential for material efficiency strategies in residential buildings and passenger cars. Up to two-thirds of global emissions could be saved in these areas, provided that appropriate strategies are consistently implemented.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/material-efficiency-holds-great-potential-climate-neutrality-and-should-be-utilized-more-purpose
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
Plastics from the field - 12/08/2021 Great potential for biological residues Huge amounts of waste are produced both during food production and by consumers. The Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources group at the University of Hohenheim’s Institute of Agricultural Engineering has developed a process to convert this biomass into hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), the highly potent basic chemical that is used to produce plastics.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/great-potential-biological-residues
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
Press release - 02/08/2021 CO2 as a raw material for plastics and other products Carbon dioxide is one of the main drivers of climate change – which means that we need to reduce CO2 emissions in the future. Fraunhofer researchers are highlighting a possible way to lower these emissions: They use the greenhouse gas as a raw material, for instance to produce plastics. To do this, they first produce methanol and formic acid from CO2, which they convert via microorganisms into building blocks for polymers and the like.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/co2-raw-material-plastics-and-other-products
Press release - 27/07/2021 Furniture from the biogas plant The Hallertau is Germany's largest hop-growing region. During harvesting, hop bine chaff is left over, which is converted into environmentally friendly bio natural gas on site in a biogas plant. But that is not the end of the utilization chain for this fiber plant. Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have used the plant-containing biogas digestate to produce a composite material that can be…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/furniture-biogas-plant
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
Gene regulation - 20/07/2021 The many faces of the epigenetic regulator MOF Epigenetic modifications play a crucial role in coordinated gene transcription, and are required for a fertilised egg cell to be able to develop into an organism with different cell types. Dr. Asifa Akhtar from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg has been studying the essential epigenetic regulator protein MOF for 20 years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/die-vielen-gesichter-des-epigenetischen-regulators-mof
Press release - 16/07/2021 Corona test with cotton swab To diagnose an infection with the coronavirus, usually a throat swab is taken and genetic viral material detected by using a highly sensitive PCR. To date, more than 65 million of these tests have been performed in Germany alone. Due to the massive increase in testing worldwide and simultaneous loss of production, there was a significant shortage of test materials in the early stage of the pandemic.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/corona-test-cotton-swab
Press release - 13/07/2021 Breakthrough in research on age-related macular degenerationtion Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in developed countries affecting seven million in total in Germany, from which 500,000 people are suffering from late stage disease, around half of whom are registered as visually impaired. There are two forms of AMD, ‘wet’ and ‘dry’. There are currently no treatments available for the dry form of the disease (geographic atrophy).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/breakthrough-research-age-related-macular-degenerationtion
Press release - 09/07/2021 Refuels Are Suited for Wide Use Refuels are renewable fuels that can be produced in different ways. When they are mixed and processed such that they meet the existing fuel standards, they are suited for all types of combustion engines. This is the result of the latest vehicle and fleet tests within the project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Compared to fully fossil fuels, refuel mixes allow for a CO2 reduction by 25% at least. Moreover,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/refuels-are-suited-wide-use
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
Start-up kernique catch the zeitgeist - 29/06/2021 Nut snack as a sustainable ecological concept A delicious vegan nut snack that uses no sugar, artificial additives, gluten or palm oil, is full of essential nutrients, and is part of a commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Impossible? An Esslingen-based start-up called kernique proves otherwise. The start-up is currently planning a crowdfunding phase that offers a lucrative deal for investors. The idea catches the zeitgeist, but what exactly makes it stand out?https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nut-snack-sustainable-ecological-concept
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 - 16/06/2021 Fast and efficient nature-inspired joints power robotic systems It is not the first time that spiders have served as biological models in the research field of soft robotics. The hydraulic actuation mechanisms they apply to move their limbs when weaving their web or hunting for prey give them powers many roboticists and engineers have drawn inspiration from.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/von-spinnen-inspirierte-schnelle-und-effiziente-gelenke-steuern-eine-vielzahl-robotern