Healthcare industry

Dossier - 12/12/2011

Development of new molecular biomarkers

Biomarkers are playing an increasing role in drug discovery and development. They can be used as molecular indicators for diseases and disease risks as well as for monitoring the effectiveness of therapy. Highly specific molecular biomarkers are being identified using state-of-the-art technologies from the fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics.

Press release - 15/11/2011

Lung cancer: CureVac presents results of a Phase I/IIa trial with an mRNA based vaccine

CureVac GmbH, the mRNA vaccine company, presented at the 26th Annual SITC Meeting in Washington the results of a Phase I/IIa trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with CV9201, an mRNA-based cancer vaccine, in patients with NSCLC stage IIIB/IV after first-line chemo-radiotherapy or chemotherapy, respectively.

Press release - 20/06/2011

CureVac presents new data for prostate and lung cancer vaccines

CureVac GmbH presented promising new data for prostate cancer vaccine CV9103 and lung cancer vaccine CV9201 at the ASCO Conference in Chicago. Final trial results confirm safety and excellent antigen-specific immunogenicity of prostate cancer vaccine CV9103. And initial promising data from phase I/IIa trial of lung cancer vaccine CV9201 further supports the potential of CureVac’s RNActive® vaccination technology in cancer immunotherapy and…

An international team of researchers led by Dr. Rutledge Ellis-Behnke, Director of the “Nanomedicine Translational Think Tank” at the Mannheim Medical Faculty at Universität Heidelberg, has developed a method that has the potential to prevent cancer stem cells from dividing and metastasising. The trick is to use nanomaterials that trap cancer stem cells.

Press release - 09/03/2011

DKFZ and IBM have signed a collaboration agreement on cancer genome analysis

The International Cancer Genome Project analyzes the complete genomes of thousands of cancer patients. This generates enormous amounts of data. To find those gene segments which are pivotal for cancer development and treatment, intelligent IT systems are needed. The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg and IBM have signed a strategic partnering agreement at CeBIT 2011. The aim of the agreement is to…

Germany will contribute another project to the International Cancer Genome Consortium ICGC. Coordinated by the German Cancer Research Center and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf physicians and molecular biologists will now start to investigate the genetic causes of early prostate cancer.

Article - 13/09/2010

Sven Perner: a pathologist with the courage to carry out interdisciplinary research

Dr Sven Perner from Tuebingen was recently awarded the newly created Württemberg Cancer Prize for his work that has made decisive contributions to the understanding of prostate cancer development. In addition the identification of a tumour-specific gene fusion might also be of great importance for other types of cancer.

An international team of scientists working on the largest diabetes study to date have found 12 new diabetes genes in around 140000 Europeans. One of the authors the endocrinologist Bernhard Böhm from Ulm considers the findings to be a breakthrough in the research and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

CureVac GmbH, the mRNA company, today announced that the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, the German regulatory authority for medicinal products, has approved the start of a Phase IIa trial for CV9201 to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

Press release - 12/05/2010

CureVac raises EUR 27.6 Million in Financing Round

CureVac GmbH, the mRNA vaccine company, today announced the closing of a EUR 27.6 million (US$ 35.25 million) financing round with its major shareholder, dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH & Co. KG.

Press release - 05/11/2009

Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Centre (HIT) officially opened

The Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Centre HIT at the University of Heidelberg was officially opened on 2nd November 2009 by Minister President Günther H. Oettinger. The HIT in Heidelberg is the first radiation therapy facility in Europe that enables the treatment of malignant tumours both with heavy ions and with protons. The centres rotatable gantry used for heavy-ion treatment is the only one of its kind in the world.

CureVac GmbH, the mRNA vaccine company, today announced that the German authorities approved the start of the Phase IIa trial in Prostate Cancer after assessment of the first safety data of lead candidate CV9103, a RNActive®-derived mRNA vaccine. Results so far from the Phase I show CV9103 to be safe and well tolerated.

Article - 14/07/2009

Tiny particles are a weapon against tumours

Prostate carcinoma is one of the most common malignant diseases claiming more than 84000 lives per year in the EU and the United States. In cooperation with the University of Constance the Thurgau Biotechnology Institute BITg is working on ways to remove prostate carcinomas and other tumours that are difficult to treat by using tiny particles made of biologically degradable polyester. Prof. Dr. Marcus Groettrup and his team of researchers have…

Press release - 22/06/2009

New important triggers for the migration of cancer cells

Embryonic cells and metastasising cancer cells are able to migrate and intrude into other tissues. Investigations of frog embryos have now provided scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology with the information that a well-known protein, cadherin-11, triggers cell migration. This glycoprotein is also responsible for the defective behaviour of cells that results in prostate cancer and arthritis.

Press release - 28/05/2009

CureVac Begins Clinical Study with mRNA Vaccine

CureVac GmbH announced that the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, the German regulatory authority for medicinal products, has approved the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) to begin a Phase I clinical study with RNActive® derived mRNA vaccine CV9201. The vaccine will be tested in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have been pre-treated with different therapies.

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.

At present active immunotherapy seems to produce the best results in the treatment of cancer. The Tübingen-based biotech company CureVac is now hoping to achieve a breakthrough in cancer therapy with a worldwide unique vaccine. The first clinical trials have recently commenced.

CureVac Receives IND Approval from the FDA to start its Phase I/IIa mRNA Vaccine Clinical Trial in Prostate Cancer.

The German regulatory authority has approved the Clinical Trial Application CTA to begin a Phase I clinical study with RNActive - derived mRNA vaccine CV9103. It will be tested in patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.

The Lake Constance region offers a broad range of cancer therapies and is home to several institutes and companies that are dealing with cancer research. The BioLAGO biotechnology network offers them a joint platform for co-operation and exchange of information.

CureVac GmbH has entered into a partnership with the Department of Urology University of Florida Gainesville U.S. to jointly advance its lead candidate CV9103 into the clinical development. The alliance covers preclinical studies and a US phase III trial.

The Thurgau Biotechnology Institute BITg located in Kreuzlingen and associated with the University of Constance will receive a total of 1.98 million Swiss Francs over the next four years. Between 2004 and 2008 the BITg already received about 400000 Swiss Francs per year.

Professor Peter Öhlschläger established his major scientific interests very early on. During his degree thesis at the German Cancer Research Centre DKFZ in Heidelberg the immunologist succeeded in combining his two major interests namely virology and cancer. Öhlschläger is now junior professor at the University of Constance and mainly deals with the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines.

Professor Roland Schuele from the University Womens Hospital in Freiburg originally studied biochemistry. Nowadays Schuele is researching the development of prostate cancer. During his scientific career he has learnt that research cannot be steered in a particular direction. It develops and we follow it said Schuele who has been able to gain astonishing insights into the molecular processes in tumour cells.

Prostate cancer is the most frequent malignant tumour in men. Researchers from Freiburg and Bonn have succeeded in developing the basics for new therapies in particular for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.