Article - 14/09/2015 A membrane for protein factories of the future The cellular protein machinery is a marvel of nature and produces umpteen different proteins. Most of these proteins pass through a stack of membrane-enclosed discs, known as the Golgi apparatus, a miniature reaction chamber where the finishing touch is progressively added to the proteins. Rudolf Hausmann, professor and head of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering at the University of Hohenheim, is developing membranes based on the Golgi…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-membrane-for-protein-factories-of-the-future
Article - 03/09/2015 Pattern formation: How undifferentiated cell clusters develop orderly structures Dr. Patrick Müller explores cellular signalling pathways that turn undifferentiated cell clusters into orderly structures as embryos develop. Supported by an ERC grant, the Max Planck researcher from Tübingen uses a broad range of methods from the fields of genetics, biophysics, mathematics and the computer sciences for his investigations. Regenerative medicine is one field that particularly stands to benefit from Müller’s findings. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pattern-formation-how-undifferentiated-cell-clusters-develop-orderly-structures
Press release - 26/08/2015 Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH - new alliances and launch of Immatics US, Inc. MorphoSys and Immatics Biotechnologies Enter Strategic Alliance in Immuno-oncology. Furthermore Immatics and MD Anderson announce launch of Immatics US, Inc., to develop multiple T-cell and TCR-based adoptive cellular therapies.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/immatics-biotechnologies-gmbh-new-alliances-and-launch-of-immatics-us-inc
Epigenetics - 10/08/2015 Reading domains detect and identify histone modifications Prof. Dr. Albert Jeltsch from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Stuttgart and his team of researchers have now presented an alternative method to detect and identify changes in the post-translational modifications of histones. They envisage that their new method, which uses parts of natural proteins, so-called reading domains, will make such tests cheaper and simpler, and experimental data more reliable. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/reading-domains-detect-and-identify-histone-modifications
Article - 20/07/2015 How cells communicate with each other The ability of cells to move around as a cohesive group and communicate with each other plays a major role in many vital processes, including wound healing and embryo development. One cell becomes a lead cell and determines the direction that follower cells take. Researchers led by biophysicist Joachim Spatz from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have successfully decoded the collective movement of cells in the body.…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-cells-communicate-with-each-other
Article - 06/07/2015 Using mosses to produce medicines Human disease can be treated with substances from traditional medicinal plants or with molecular pharming products. Molecular pharming uses genetic engineering techniques to insert genes into plants or animals that would otherwise not express these genes. These transgenics can then be used to produce therapeutic proteins such as antibodies. Dr. Eva Decker from the University of Freiburg and her team have now successfully produced a key protein of…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/using-mosses-to-produce-medicines
Article - 29/06/2015 The transition from acute to chronic pain Prof. Dr. Rohini Kuner and fellow scientists from Heidelberg have shown that a protein that inhibits an enzyme produced by immune cells protects nerve cells from chronic hypersensitivity to neuropathic pain. Kuner is also the spokesperson of a new collaborative research centre in Heidelberg that is receiving funding from the German Research Foundation totalling over 12 million euros. The centre is seeking to find the reasons why acute pain…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-transition-from-acute-to-chronic-pain
Article - 22/06/2015 Through the nose directly into the brain: Biberach researchers are working on a novel way to apply pharmaceuticals The blood-brain barrier prevents most drugs, and large biologics in particular, from entering the brain. This physiological barrier impairs the study of central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis as well as the development of drugs. However, there is a hidden side entrance to the brain, which means that there is a way to circumvent this barrier.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/through-the-nose-directly-into-the-brain-biberach-researchers-are-working-on-a-novel-way-to-apply-pharmaceuticals
Article - 15/06/2015 Centre for Personalised Medicine in Tübingen - developing tailor-made treatments for patients Since January 2015, Tübingen has been home to a Centre for Personalised Medicine (ZPM). Twenty-three institutes and hospitals have joined forces to improve diagnosis of disease and develop individualised treatments for patients with a variety of diseases. In parallel, the centre also develops new diagnostic strategies. This means, for example, that data derived from the analysis of the entire genetic material of cells, proteins and metabolic…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/centre-for-personalised-medicine-in-tuebingen-developing-tailor-made-treatments-for-patients
Article - 08/06/2015 New construction kit for designing new proteins Protein building blocks with well-defined properties that can be assembled into new molecules with desired structures and functions are highly sought after in biotechnology and medicine. Birte Höcker, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, is currently working on this in a project she calls “Protein Lego”.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-construction-kit-for-designing-new-proteins
Article - 01/06/2015 A protein complex that maintains order in the cell Researchers believe that the defective transport of proteins can be linked with diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Prof. Dr. Elke Deuerling and Dr. Martin Gamerdinger, molecular biologists from the University of Konstanz, have now discovered what is necessary to prevent erroneous protein transport.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-protein-complex-that-maintains-order-in-the-cell
Article - 26/05/2015 Novel effect of B-Raf inhibitors against bowel cancer discovered Colorectal carcinoma is the most frequent type of bowel cancer and the second most common tumour disease in men and women in Germany. A particularly aggressive form occurs when a mutation is present in the proto-oncogene BRAF. As part of the Collaborative Research Centre 850 at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research at the University of Freiburg, Dr. Ricarda Herr and Dr. Tilman Brummer are trying to find out how a mutated BRAF gene…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/novel-effect-of-b-raf-inhibitors-against-bowel-cancer-discovered
Article - 11/05/2015 Lung cancer: MTSS1 is a putative marker of tumour progression and metastatic disease Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. 90% of all lung cancer cases in men and 80% in women are due to long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. In Germany, around 140 new cases are diagnosed every day, and 50,000 people die of lung cancer every year. PD Dr. Gian Kayser, senior consultant in the Department of Clinical Pathology at Freiburg University Medical Centre,…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/lung-cancer-mtss1-is-a-putative-marker-of-tumour-progression-and-metastatic-disease
Article - 04/05/2015 “Persistence leads to success” - corporate development in the biotech sector For graduates with innovative business ideas, becoming independent entrepreneurs can be an interesting alternative to traditional career paths. This is exactly what Dr. Reinhold Horlacher thought 15 years ago. He had just been awarded his PhD from the University of Konstanz, and had a business idea that he decided to turn into reality by establishing a company called Trenzyme GmbH. In the following interview with BIOPRO, he describes his…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/persistence-leads-to-success-corporate-development-in-the-biotech-sector
Article - 27/04/2015 Newly discovered gene mutation favour obesity Professor Martin Wabitsch from Ulm University Hospital has been studying the genetic causes of obesity for quite some time. The discovery of another cause of this complex condition that has key clinical consequences was recently published in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine. Despite the internationally acknowledged success of this research and in contrast to the view of the World Health Organisation and scientific organisations, the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/newly-discovered-gene-mutation-favour-obesity
Overview Basic research The latest articles, press releases and dossiers on basic research in Baden-Württemberghttps://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/research
Article - 16/03/2015 Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt - searching for novel antibiotics in bacteria Microbial metabolic products can be used in the fight against dangerous pathogens such as multidrug-resistant bacteria. Since summer 2014, microbiologist Prof. Dr. Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt has been investigating the mechanisms of action of bacterial substances at the University of Tübingen with the aim of paving the way for new antibiotics. Interesting candidates have already been identified.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/heike-broetz-oesterhelt-searching-for-novel-antibiotics-in-bacteria
Article - 16/03/2015 The critical balance between liver fibrosis and liver regeneration When the liver has been damaged, a receptor protein of the hepatic stellate cells called endosialin controls the balance between liver repair and scar formation. A team of researchers from Heidelberg and Mannheim has shown that endosialin is a positive regulator of fibrogenesis and a negative regulator of hepatocyte proliferation. Endosialin therefore seems to be a promising therapeutic drug target in non-neoplastic settings. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-critical-balance-between-liver-fibrosis-and-liver-regeneration
Article - 09/03/2015 Malaria: when an antimalarial drug is no longer fit for purpose Malaria can be treated with atovaquone a drug that inhibits a particular enzyme in Plasmodia. However the parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to the drug. Carola Hunte and Dominic Birth from the Institute for Biochemistry at the University of Freiburg have shown how atovaquone binds to the protein and what happens at the molecular level in resistant plasmodia. Their research provides an impetus for structure-based drug design aimed at…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/malaria-when-an-antimalarial-drug-is-no-longer-fit-for-purpose
Press release - 06/03/2015 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invests €46 million in CureVac The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CureVac announced that the foundation has made a commitment to invest €46 million in CureVac, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in mRNA-based vaccine technologies. As part of the agreement, the foundation will also provide separate funding for several projects to develop prophylactic vaccines based on CureVac’s proprietary messenger RNA platform. In addition, CureVac’s…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/the-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-invests-46-million-in-curevac
Article - 02/03/2015 EU supports biophysicists from Ulm to elucidate the structure of chromatin Human DNA consists of three billion base pairs, which corresponds to a total length of approximately two metres. DNA must be compressed 200,000-fold in order to fit into the tiny nuclei of mammalian cells. The thread-like complex of DNA and proteins is called chromatin. Although chromatin has been widely studied, relatively little is yet known about the spatial and temporal organisation of chromatin in interphase cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/eu-supports-biophysicists-from-ulm-to-elucidate-the-structure-of-chromatin
Article - 23/02/2015 Miriam Erlacher: apoptosis research – balancing clinical work and research Programmed cell death plays an important role in embryonic development and has also been identified as the cause of a range of diseases. It also plays a key role in the development and survival of higher organisms. Its regulation is based on a sophisticated system of interacting antagonistic signals in a network that is still largely unknown. Disturbances in this delicate balance promote the development of diseases such as cancer. Dr. Miriam…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/miriam-erlacher-apoptosis-research-balancing-clinical-work-and-research
Article - 16/02/2015 The cellular power station of the cholera pathogen – from the structure to new antibiotics The bacterium Vibrio cholerae causes cholera, a severe disease that affects up to 3.5 million people a year. A team of scientists from the universities of Freiburg, Hohenheim and Konstanz have now gained new insights into the way the bacterium produces energy. They have elucidated the structure and function of the bacterium’s energy-production machinery. The research results provide new insights into biochemical energy production and the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-cellular-power-station-of-the-cholera-pathogen-from-the-structure-to-new-antibiotics
Article - 16/02/2015 Therapeutic vaccines against brain tumours Therapeutic cancer vaccines have the potential to boost the immune system's ability to destroy tumour cells. Cancer researchers around the world are intensively studying the potential of this therapeutic concept and initial positive results have been obtained. Cancer researchers from Heidelberg have developed a vaccine that triggers an immune response against a protein that is mutated in brain cancer. The vaccine, which successfully arrested…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/therapeutic-vaccines-against-brain-tumours