Press release - 20/10/2022 Cytoskeleton acts as cells’ bouncer for bacteria Researchers of the University of Freiburg have discovered a previously unknown function of septins in defending cells against dangerous hospital pathogens.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/das-zellskelett-haelt-die-eintrittspforte-fuer-bakterien-geschlossen
Dossier - 02/12/2013 RNA interference confidence is returning The 15-year history of RNA interference is not short on dramatic effects. It begins with the unexpected discovery and publication of the process of post-transcriptional gene silencing in 1998 for which the two Americans Andrew Fire and Craig Mello were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine just eight years after their discovery. In 2001 Thomas Tuschl succeeded in switching off genes in human cells with small synthetic pieces of RNA…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/rna-interference-confidence-is-returning
Dossier - 01/07/2013 Electrophysiology from cardiac pacemakers to drug discovery https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/electrophysiology-from-cardiac-pacemakers-to-drug-discovery
Press release - 18/04/2024 Collagen: Researchers at the NMI decipher how it works in medical treatment Collagen has been used in ophthalmology since the 1990s, particularly in the treatment of corneal defects. However, why and how this technique works was only known in theory. Researchers at the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen led by Lu Fan have found the necessary evidence and can now reliably explain how this technique works.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/collagen-researchers-nmi-decipher-how-it-works-medical-treatment
Press release - 14/03/2022 Do gut bacteria influence treatment success of CAR-T cell therapies? Through the Endeavour Awards, the Mark Foundation supports research projects that bring together scientists from different disciplines to advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. One of the only four Endeavour Awards presented this year goes to a project coordinated by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/do-gut-bacteria-influence-treatment-success-car-t-cell-therapies
Dossier - 12/03/2012 Regenerative medicine makes use of patients own resources Die Regenerative Medizin bietet neue Therapieoptionen quer durch die ärztlichen Fachgebiete. Zumeist sind es zellbasierte Verfahren und sie werden häufig mit innovativen Biomaterialien kombiniert. Regenerative Therapien vereinen Know-how aus den Biowissenschaften mit moderner Medizintechnik und sie profitieren von den Fortschritten in den Ingenieur- und Materialwissenschaften.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/regenerative-medicine-makes-use-of-patients-own-resources
Article - 08/07/2021 Individual operation risk assessment by the Cognitive Medical Assistant Despite modern surgical techniques and anaesthetic procedures, serious complications can occur during surgical interventions. An interdisciplinary team at Heidelberg University Hospital has launched a project called the Cognitive Medical Assistant (German: Der Kognitive Medizinische Assistant, KoMed for short), designed to better assess the individual risk of these interventions. The project’s goal is to systematically and comprehensively analyse…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/individual-operation-risk-assessment-cognitive-medical-assistant
Press release - 01/02/2021 Targeting a rapid market breakthrough for new vaccine production method In a so-called inactivated or killed vaccine, the virus particles it contains are first rendered inactive by means of the toxic chemical formaldehyde. A better way of achieving this, however, is to irradiate the pathogens with low-energy electrons. Four Fraunhofer Institutes have now developed a new method of vaccine production based on this technique that is not only quicker but also guarantees a higher quality of product. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/targeting-rapid-market-breakthrough-new-vaccine-production-method
Press release - 12/07/2021 Hijacked immune activator promotes growth and spread of colorectal cancer Through a complex, self-reinforcing feedback mechanism, colorectal cancer cells make room for their own expansion by driving surrounding healthy intestinal cells to death - while simultaneously fueling their own growth. This feedback loop is driven by an activator of the innate immune system. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Heidelberg discovered this mechanism in the intestinal tissue of fruit…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/hijacked-immune-activator-promotes-growth-and-spread-colorectal-cancer
Press release - 09/09/2021 Machine learning improves biological image analysis Scientists use super-resolution microscopy to study previously undiscovered cellular worlds, revealing nanometer-scale details inside cells. This method revolutionized light microscopy and earned its inventors the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In an international collaboration, AI researchers from Tübingen have now developed an algorithm that significantly accelerates this technology. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/machine-learning-improves-biological-image-analysis
Press release - 18/08/2022 When smooth muscle cells lack strength University of Tübingen team discovers how malformations of the blood vessels can occur in mice – yielding information with possible ramifications for retinal disease.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/when-smooth-muscle-cells-lack-strength
Press release - 04/11/2022 How do our brain cells age? The health of nerve cells is closely linked to the auxiliary cells that surround them, the so-called glial cells. It still remains largely unknown what role glial cells play in age-related diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/wie-altern-die-zellen-unserem-gehirn
Stem cell research - 14/03/2024 Using organoids to gain a better clinical understanding of pancreatic cancer Prof. Dr. Alexander Kleger carries out translational research at Ulm University Hospital to gain a better understanding of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and develop individualised treatments. He and his team are using organoid models and stem cell-based systems and have succeeded in simultaneously cultivating all three main cell types of the pancreas from pluripotent stem cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/using-organoids-gain-better-clinical-understanding-pancreatic-cancer
Press release - 14/03/2024 Machine learning classifier accelerates the development of cellular immunotherapies Making a personalised T cell therapy for cancer patients currently takes at least six months; scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University Medical Center Mannheim have shown that the laborious first step of identifying tumor-reactive T cell receptors for patients can be replaced with a machine learning classifier that halves this time.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/machine-learning-classifier-accelerates-development-cellular-immunotherapies
Dossier - 10/11/2014 Cell and gene therapies from bench to bedside https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/cell-and-gene-therapies-from-bench-to-bedside
Press release - 20/08/2021 Innovative Drug Discovery New drugs are intended to help stop viral zoonoses – infections that jump from animals to humans. To study suitable inhibitors, Prof. Dr Christian Klein from the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB) of Heidelberg University is receiving funding in the amount of 450,000 euros from the Volkswagen Foundation. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/innovative-drug-discovery
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 - 09/12/2022 Epigenetic emergency switch improves defense against infections During infections, the hematopoietic system switches from normal to emergency mode. This improves the defense against the pathogens. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now found an epigenetic switch in blood stem cells and progenitor cells of mice that can trigger the switch from one mode to the other.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-emergency-switch-improves-defense-against-infections
Press release - 24/10/2022 How tumors suppress the development of metastases Why do metastases often only appear after the original tumor has been surgically removed? Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University have now published an explanation for this phenomenon. They were able to identify a messenger substance of the cancer cells that locally promotes the growth of the primary tumor.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/wie-tumoren-die-entstehung-von-metastasen-unterdruecken
Press release - 16/05/2023 Mast cells have an important impact on the development of chronic myeloid leukemia Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer that arises from malignant changes in blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. It mainly occurs in older individuals and represents about 20 percent of all adult leukemia cases. A research team from the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research at the University of Freiburg has now demonstrated for the first time that mast cells play a crucial role in the development of CML.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mast-cells-have-important-impact-development-chronic-myeloid-leukemia
Press release - 04/03/2021 Induced pluripotent stem cells reveal causes of disease Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are suitable for discovering the genes that underly complex and also rare genetic diseases. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), together with international partners, have studied genotype-phenotype relationships in iPSCs using data from approximately one thousand donors.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-reveal-causes-disease
Press release - 22/05/2023 Prevention of pandemics Volkswagen Foundation to fund international research project with around 1.5 million euros. Interdisciplinary team led by the Institute for Global Health at Heidelberg University Hospital to research the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans in Thailand and Laos. Long-term goal is to develop sustainable preventive measures against future pandemics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/prevention-pandemics
Press release - 24/05/2023 Epigenetic profiling identifies potential COPD treatment targets Impaired function of lung fibroblast is considered causative for symptoms of the incurable lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Using high-resolution epigenetic profiling, German and British scientists have now identified potential targets for COPD treatment. The team detected early epigenetic changes in the genome of COPD fibroblasts, providing new insights into the disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic avenues.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetic-profiling-identifies-potential-copd-treatment-targets
Press release - 12/07/2023 Mast cells as a sensor: Enigmatic immune cells help to avoid harmful allergens The function of mast cells, which are part of the immune system, is still a mystery. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now shown in mice: mast cells function as a sensor that signals the animals to avoid antigens, including harmful allergens, and thereby protect themselves from health-threatening inflammatory reactions. The findings were published in the journal Nature.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/mastzellen-als-sensor-raetselhafte-immunzellen-helfen-schaedliche-allergene-zu-vermeiden