Healthcare industry

Article - 18/02/2013

Biotechnology in Biberach: a success story that breaks new ground

At its New Year reception Biberach University of Applied Sciences outlined the universitys success the establishment of its biotechnology programme is going smoothly and student interest remains steady. Biberach also has a successful track record of acquiring third-party funding and has established new national and international cooperations.

Article - 23/08/2010

Signals that trigger symbiotic relationships

Some fungi kill plants by wearing them down. Other fungi however are on friendly terms with plants. The research group led by Prof. Dr. Natalia Requena from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT investigates the molecular mechanisms that enable fungi and plants to initiate contact with each other. How do plants differentiate good from bad fungi? How do they manage to set up a functional and effective symbiotic relationship?

Article - 10/10/2016

Teva plans the large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies in Ulm

Teva is investing heavily in its biotechnological production site in Ulm. On behalf of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, Walter Pytlik spoke with Dr. Hermann Allgaier, CEO of Teva Biotech, about the importance of biotechnology for the Group and about Teva in general. The company is headquartered in Israel.

Article - 29/07/2013

Food supplements from blue-green algae do more harm than good

Dietary supplements containing different types of algae claim to be rich in minerals that help improve mental acuity and concentration. While many of these products are neither useful nor harmful, products containing blue-green algae have raised serious concerns. Consumers have repeatedly complained about pain and discomfort after consumption. A study carried out by toxicologist Prof. Dr. Daniel Dietrich from the University of Konstanz has now…

Article - 21/05/2012

Interactions between the genome and the environment

Parental neglect appears to lead to epigenetic changes in children, which result in behavioural problems in later years. This is one issue amongst the many that were addressed at the colloquium “Gene und Umwelt – Wie wir werden, was wir sind” (Genes and the environment – how we become what we are) recently organized by the Daimler and Benz Foundation in Berlin.

Article - 16/01/2014

Kerstin Otte and her specific interest in tiny RNA molecules

Molecular biologist Kerstin Otte is guided and inspired by content. This interest-based principle has brought Kerstin Otte to the Upper Swabian city of Biberach where she has found her professional niche. She has been professor of general molecular and cell biology at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Biberach University of Applied Sciences since 2006. She is currently specifically focussed on a class of small RNA molecules that…

Press release - 12/10/2011

Dioxin-like Chemical Messenger Makes Brain Tumors More Aggressive

Scientists from German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have discovered a new dioxin receptor-coupled metabolic pathway which weakens the immune system and promotes the growth of malignant gliomas. Glioma is the most frequent and most malignant brain tumor in adults. In Germany, about 4,500 people are newly diagnosed with glioma every year.

Article - 04/03/2013

Genomic structural variations can cause cancer

Genome-wide sequencing analyses show that comprehensive structural variations of chromosomes can play a key role in the pathogenesis of many types of cancer. Dr. Jan Korbel’s research group at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg has been investigating chromosomal aberrations in paediatric brain tumours and early-onset prostate cancer.

Guest article - 22/09/2014

Experience report: Six months Shanghai

Sebastian Giese, a doctoral student at the University of Freiburg, spent six months in Shanghai with funding from a Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts China scholarship. Below, Sebastian tells us about his impressions of the country and its people and his experiences in the megacity.

Article - 06/08/2009

PEPperPRINT wins award for its peptide chips

PEPperPRINT GmbH, a spin-off of the German Cancer Research Centre, has won the Science4Life Venture Cup, a German start-up contest that comes with the most prize money. The Heidelberg-based start-up company was previously awarded the renowned research prize by the German Stifterverband and was chosen as a “Landmark in the Land of Ideas” competition run by the German government in 2009.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Vitae Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that they have entered into a significant worldwide collaboration to research and develop beta-secretase BACE inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimers disease.

Article - 28/01/2010

Liver cell transplantation for the treatment of innate urea cycle defects

Liver transplantation is the only life-saving therapy available to patients suffering from genetic defects of the urea cycle. However, newborns cannot be transplanted with a donor liver. The injection of liver cell suspensions into the liver of sick babies through the portal vein can substitute the lack of enzyme activity, hence preventing brain damage until such time as liver transplantation becomes possible.

mtm laboratories has launched the Cervatec assay for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer. The Cervatec assay will initially be commercialized as an adjunct to the Pap test for the screening of women aged 35 and younger.

Article - 24/10/2011

Ascendis Pharma: transient drug conjugates

Ascendis Pharma’s proprietary technology platform, TransCon, is a novel prodrug technology for the production of new patentable versions of drugs already on the market, which has been developed for improving the dosage form and effect in patients. A Phase II clinical study of Ascendis Pharma’s most advanced drug candidate, a PEGylated growth hormone that only needs to be administered once-weekly to growth hormone-deficient adults, has recently…

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.

Article - 13/12/2010

Christoph Kleineidam – communication without words

Neuroethologist Dr. Christoph Kleineidam from the University of Konstanz focuses mainly on ants and their highly sensitive sensory system that allows them to communicate with each other by way of pheromones. He believes that these sensory mechanisms can be technologically implemented in the fields of thermosensor and chemosensor technology in the not-too-distant future.

Article - 24/11/2014

Lipid zipper triggers bacterial invasion

Millions of people die each year from infections both in developing and industrial countries. There is still no effective treatment for a large number of diseases caused by pathogens. In order to treat infectious diseases effectively, we need to understand the mechanisms that bacteria use to infect human cells. The cytoskeleton of the host cell usually plays a key role in this process. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have discovered a…

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.

Article - 02/06/2010

Jens Timmer simulates dynamic processes in the cell

Systems biology is growing in influence around the world. The cell is a dynamic network consisting of thousands of molecules that interact with each other. Only when scientists take into account these constantly changing patterns are they able to develop new ideas for drugs to treat certain disorders. Such developments require the contribution of theoretical physicists like Prof. Dr. Jens Timmer from the University of Freiburg. The researcher…

Article - 20/04/2009

Anita Ignatius makes biomaterials smart

Anita Ignatius is not interested in knowledge just for the sake of knowledge. “I have always been interested in the practical application of knowledge,” said the 45-year-old veterinarian. Highly theoretical courses she had to attend during her studies put an end to her dreams of opening her own practice after university. But this experience also had its advantages, because it helped her realise what she really wanted – namely doing research of…

Sometimes a few nanogrammes of toxin are all that is needed to kill someone. Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Aktories from the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Freiburg is investigating why some bacterial toxins are so extremely toxic. Together with his team of researchers Aktories has identified the molecular mechanism of action of Clostridium difficile toxins.

After a highly competitive process Ulm University has been awarded its fifth Collaborative Research Centre (CRC). The new CRC 1506 ‘Aging at Interfaces’ addresses one of the most urgent medical challenges of our time: the aging of the human body and the diseases and constraints that are frequently associated with the aging process.

Article - 19/04/2017

Are start-ups a matter for the boss? A professor’s thoughts on university spin-offs

Research work and entrepreneurship are by no means mutually exclusive. There are numerous successful university spin-offs in the life sciences sector that prove this only too well. However, the road from a good idea to a commercially successful company can be long and arduous. Those who benefit from the support of their boss from the outset can consider themselves extremely fortunate. Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Rammensee talks about his experience with…

Hartmut Geiger a biochemist and stem cell researcher at Ulm University Hospital is using genetic methods to investigate the molecular basis of the physiological ageing of haematopoietic stem cells. After having spent a period in Cincinnati Geiger is currently head of the clinical research group Molecular and cellular ageing from the mechanisms of action to clinical perspectives.