Healthcare industry

Article - 11/03/2009

Gerd Jürgens – from model fly to model plant: a high risk career

Some scientists have a keen sense for new and exciting research topics. The developmental biologist Dr. Gerd Jürgens from Tübingen is one such scientist. His courageous step from research involving the well-known fruit fly to research on a rather inconspicuous plant has recently been rewarded with his appointment as the new director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology.

Article - 10/03/2009

When neurones lose their way

Dr. Deborah Morris-Rosendahl and her team at the Freiburg Medical School are investigating genetic cephalic disorders which are collectively referred to as lissencephaly. The scientists offer clinical diagnostics and investigate the causes of the disease.

Drug treatment of neuroblastoma, a tumor of the nervous system in children, poses major problems. Therefore, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have been searching for substances that are suitable as a basis for developing better drugs. Now they have found a candidate: HC-toxin, which is isolated from a fungal plant pathogen. The substance from the maize pathogen reprograms neuroblastoma cells…

Press release - 02/03/2009

Paralysed parasites

Researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital have discovered a protein that is vital for the toxoplasmosis pathogen. This quite common infectious disease which is mainly transferred to humans from cats is especially dangerous for pregnant women as it can harm an unborn child.

Article - 26/02/2009

Smart gates in cell membranes

Far from being isolated units cells constantly interact with their environment, exchanging substances and information. Such interaction is possible thanks to proteins that are gated across the cell membrane out of the cell and proteins that are integrated in the cell membrane, such as receptors. A research group led by Dr. Hans-Georg Koch from the University of Freiburg focuses on transport mechanisms in bacteria that have developed smart…

Article - 17/02/2009

Genes and epigenetic mechanisms

The different cell types in a multicellular organism contain the same genome but differ from each other dramatically in both function and structure nerve cells kidney cells etc.. The differentiation of the cells is linked to the identity of their precursors. This then raises the question If the cells destiny is not encoded in the DNA how do they know what to become? The new director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg…

Article - 09/02/2009

All Hans Kiefer wants is pure proteins

Hans Kiefer 47 is one of only a handful of scientists at German universities who focus on the purification of proteins which is a topic of great interest to biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

Article - 09/02/2009

Bodo Philipp – the discovery of the general principles of bacterial interaction

Dr. Bodo Philipp from the University of Constance specifically focuses on ecologically relevant activities of bacteria for example cell-cell interactions. His findings could prove effective in removing bacteria from areas where high levels of hygiene are required thereby making it possible to prevent life-threatening bacterial infectious diseases. Dr. Bodo Philipp uses the much feared Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria as model organisms for his…

Article - 05/02/2009

Cutting off the supply of nutrients and oxygen to tumours

Is it possible to cut cancer cells off from the supply infrastructure of the body and bring them to their knees? Dr. Jochen Rößlers research group from the Childrens Hospital at the Freiburg Medical School is investigating how tumours establish contacts with blood and lymph vessels and are hoping to find new ways of treating 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.

Article - 27/01/2009

An important milestone for M-Scan GmbH

Despite only having been established in 2006, Freiburg-based M-Scan GmbH has already achieved an important milestone in its short history: M-Scan GmbH has recently been granted “Good Manufacturing Practice” (GMP) status which certifies that the company carries out analyses of biopharmaceuticals and chemical products in compliance with quality standards set by regulatory agencies. As a result, M-Scan GmbH is able to offer a service that has become…

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen Germany determined the structure of a protein L1ORF1p which is encoded by a parasitic genetic element and which is responsible for its mobility.

Dossier - 14/01/2009

Biopharmaceuticals continue their triumphant success

The first genetically engineered drug entered the market a little over 25 years ago. Since then more than 100 others have been launched. Many of these biopharmaceuticals have an outstanding effect thus revolutionising the therapeutic options available in many medical sectors. Biopharmaceuticals also have a huge economic potential. The huge potential of these innovative drugs and their importance for Germanys pharmaceutical industry is reflected…

Article - 09/01/2009

Kay Diederichs – important insights in the fight against bacterial antibiotics resistance

Bacteria will always find ways to defend themselves against substances such as antibiotics, thus inhibiting their effect. Many bacteria have pump systems that they use to actively remove antibiotic drugs from the cell. Prof. Kay Diederichs at the University of Constance is working on the elucidation of these mechanisms in order to produce useful information for the development of bacterial pump inhibitors.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM - Microscopy

There are many different light microscopy methods for dealing with biological and medical issues on the cellular level. In many cases, this also involves the use of lasers either for the manipulation of cells or for the laser-assisted microscopic investigation of cells. A number of different confocal laser microscopy methods have proved to be particularly successful in such investigations to the extent that they have become virtually…

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Bioactive interfaces

It is particularly important to consider the biocompatibility of material interfaces. For example, implant materials with a surface composition that favours cell growth have a decisive advantage. However there are other cases where biophobic material characteristics might be more suitable. For example, specifically modifying the surface of surgical metals might prevent pathogens from attaching and could also make the cleaning and deactivation of…

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM - FLIM/SLIM to monitor protein interactions

In collaboration with the Department of Neurology at the University of Ulm, the ILM is working on a project called OPTIMA (Optical methods for the in vivo monitoring of protein interactions using Alzheimer’s disease as example), which is funded by the BMWi. The project is aimed at developing optical methods for the in vivo monitoring of complex intracellular protein interactions.

Rhodopsin mediates between the visual world and our brain. Biophysicists at Freiburg have used infrared spectroscopy to gain detailed insights into the rhodopsin centre to find out how the molecular side chains of the proteins have to interact in order for the brain to understand the visual environment.

Protein kinases are a major focus of modern cancer research. Since it has become known that these enzymes play a role in the development of tumours, researchers around the world are concentrating on finding drugs to inhibit overactive protein kinases and prevent cancer cells from growing. One of these active substances is currently being tested at the Tumour Biology Centre in Freiburg as part of a worldwide phase III clinical trial.

Article - 08/12/2008

Specific control of cellular processes

It would be extremely useful to have a remote control system which would enable processes inside cells to be switched on and off at will externally. Students from the University of Freiburg have succeeded in constructing just such a system.

Press release - 04/12/2008

Leibniz Awards for two Ulm University professors

Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchhoff Institute of Virology and Prof. Dr. Karl Lenhard Rudolph Institute of Molecular Medicine from the University of Ulm have received two of the German Research Foundations eleven Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme awards.

Article - 02/12/2008

Cancer cells do not like rocket salad

Isothiocyanates which are substances found in vegetables such as rocket kohlrabi or mustard promote good health. Dr. Evelyn Lamy and her team at the Freiburg University Hospital found out that isothiocyanates lead to considerably fewer DNA strand breaks.

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.

Prof. Dr. Lenhard Rudolph a well-known stem cell researcher at Ulm University is investigating the relationships between telomeres stem cell ageing and diseases. In the following interview with Walter Pytlik BioRegion Ulm Rudolph gives insights into state-of-the-art ageing research and its potential applications.

Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek dermatologist and head of the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the University Hospital of Ulm has spent a long time investigating skin ageing. Her specific focus on skin has not however restricted her understanding of ageing to barely deterministic or mechanistic details. Quite the opposite is true.