Press release - 18/01/2021 How a protein variant could explain resistance to sleeping sickness drug A specific variant of the surface protein VSG of African trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness, is associated with resistance to the important drug Suramin. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have now been able to find a possible explanation for the formation of resistance based on the crystal structure of this protein variant.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-protein-variant-could-explain-resistance-sleeping-sickness-drug
Press release - 08/10/2020 New class of highly effective inhibitors protects against neurodegeneration Heidelberg neurobiologists decode central mechanism of degenerative processes in the brains of mouse models and develop new principle for therapeutic agents.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-class-highly-effective-inhibitors-protects-against-neurodegeneration
Press release - 01/09/2020 Strengthening the immune system with small molecules Infections pose an increasing risk to hospitalized patients. In collaboration with a number of partners, the Fraunhofer IGB has developed a new therapeutic approach as part of the InnateFun project. Their strategy is to improve cells’ ability to defend themselves against harmful microorganisms by acting on their immune receptors. The researchers’ work on this therapeutic approach has reached the animal model stage. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/strengthening-immune-system-small-molecules
Microstructure Technology - 17/07/2020 An electronic nose for many applications Sensory organs are sophisticated masterpieces of nature. That is why humans have often tried to copy them. Be it cameras or microphones - there are technical objects that have always been based on natural models such as the eye or the ear. For a long time, however, no artificial sense of smell has featured in the technical repertoire. Now researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an electronic nose. It can…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/electronic-nose-many-applications
Trenzyme GmbH - 20/05/2020 The SARS-CoV spike protein and its receptor The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses a spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor on the cell surfaces of lung tissue. Additional cofactors are needed to allow the virus genome to penetrate human cells and multiply. Knowing these relationships can help understand the course of the infection and develop counterstrategies. To this end, the Constance-based company Trenzyme has produced a recombinant spike protein to support coronavirus research.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-sars-cov-spike-protein-and-its-receptor
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB - 24/04/2020 A rapid pyrogen test: the human immune system as model Every year, around 11 million people die of sepsis (blood poisoning) caused by microorganisms or microbial residues, known as pyrogens, entering the bloodstream. The smallest amounts can trigger fever. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have developed a pyrogen test that does not require a laboratory and is not tested on animals. It is expected to be placed on the market soon.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/A-rapid-pyrogen-test-the-human-immune-system-as-model
Press release - 28/08/2019 Immatics and Celgene Enter Strategic Collaboration to Develop Novel Adoptive Cell Therapies Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company active in the discovery and development of T-cell redirecting cancer immunotherapies, today announced that Immatics and Celgene Corporation have entered into a strategic collaboration and option agreement to develop novel adoptive cell therapies targeting multiple cancers.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/fachbeitrag/pm/immatics-and-celgene-enter-strategic-collaboration
Article - 11/06/2019 New pathogens in beef and cow's milk contributing to the risk of cancer A team of researchers led by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. Harald zur Hausen has discovered a new type of infectious agent in dairy and meat products produced from European cattle that increases the risk for colon and breast cancer. These so-called Bovine Meat and Milk Factors (BMMFs) are small DNA molecules that are similar in sequence to both bacterial plasmids and certain viruses.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-pathogens-in-beef-and-cows-milk-contributing-to-the-risk-of-cancer
Article - 18/01/2018 Medications that target metastasing tumours Tumour metastases are often resistant to the drug that is used to eliminate the primary tumour. Genome-wide analyses of mutation patterns in the primary tumour and its metastases provide information on the aggressiveness of cancer and may help to find the best available means of further treatment. This has been demonstrated by scientists from Heidelberg in a clinical trial on the molecular evolution of renal cancer.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/medications-that-target-metastasing-tumours
Article - 11/12/2017 KDM4 – an efficient target for the therapy of triple-negative breast cancer While breast cancer survival has clearly improved in recent years, women with triple-negative breast cancer have benefitted very little from progress in cancer medicine. Targeted therapies aimed at inhibiting epigenetic regulators might offer a potential new option for the treatment of breast cancer. Prof. Dr. Roland Schüle and Dr. Jochen Maurer have discovered an epigenetic enzyme called KDM4 and come up with a new cell model that significantly…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/kdm4-an-efficient-target-for-the-therapy-of-triple-negative-breast-cancer
Press release - 04/10/2017 Immatics Receives $58 Million in Financing to Develop T-Cell Receptor Based Immunotherapies Tuebingen, Germany and Houston, Texas, October 4, 2017 – Immatics, a leading company in the field of cancer immunotherapy, today announced the completion of its Series E financing, raising $58 million.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/immatics-receives-58-million-in-financing-to-develop-t-cell-receptor-based-immunotherapies
Article - 04/07/2017 Ruxolitinib – successful graft-versus-host disease treatment Graft-versus-host disease is a serious complication in leukaemia patients who have been given a blood stem cell transplant from a genetically different person. Prof. Dr. Nikolas von Bubnoff and Prof. Dr. Robert Zeiser from the Department of Haematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Freiburg University Medical Centre initiated a Germany-wide study to show that an active substance called ruxolitinib has a promising therapeutic effect.…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ruxolitinib-successful-graft-versus-host-disease-treatment
Article - 18/05/2017 ImmuStick – novel rapid test for identifying disease pathogens In some situations such as in the food and pharmaceutical industries or hospitals, a test to identify disease pathogens can be vital. At present, such tests are relatively time-consuming and can take hours or even days to produce results, depending on the pathogen. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart are currently developing a rapid test called ImmuStick which is as easy to use…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/immustick-novel-rapid-test-for-identifying-disease-pathogens
Press release - 05/01/2017 Phenex receives 100 M USD Milestone Payment from Gilead Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG (Phenex) today announced that the company has received a 100 M USD milestone payment from Gilead Sciences, Inc. of Foster City, CA, U.S.A., for its program with GS-9674 targeting nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/phenex-receives-100-m-usd-milestone-payment-from-gilead
Press release - 14/12/2016 amcure Raises €6 Million in Series B Financing and Expands Advisory Board Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen – 14 December 2016: amcure, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class cancer therapeutics, today announced the closing of a Series B financing round amounting to a total of EUR 6 million.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/amcure-raises-6-million-in-series-b-financing-and-expands-advisory-board
Expert interview - 14/11/2016 Fighting diseases with plant-derived active compounds Herbal medicines have a long tradition in Germany. In an interview with Dr. Ariane Pott from BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Professor Dr. Michael Wink, Director of the Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Heidelberg, highlighted that plants produce compounds that are effective against microorganisms and that can also be put to good use in the treatment of human diseases.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fighting-diseases-with-plant-derived-active-compounds
Article - 05/09/2016 Apogenix: immuno-oncological protein drugs for the treatment of malignant diseases Apogenix AG, a biopharmaceutical company from Heidelberg that specialises in immuno-oncology, develops protein drugs that target central signalling pathways involved in regulating the growth, migration and apoptosis of malfunctioning cells and thus offer novel treatment options for cancer and other malignant diseases.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/apogenix-immunonkologische-proteinwirkstoffe-gegen-maligne-erkrankungen
Article - 22/08/2016 Ad-O-Lytics – a new biotech start-up from Ulm A few years ago, Florian Kreppel developed a therapeutic approach that combined genetic vaccines with molecular address labels. It worked quite well, but the resulting product did not have the anticipated immunising properties and was put on the backburner. Now Kreppel's group of researchers is nearing completion of another project. The researchers plan to use a patented virotherapeutic platform technology for cancer treatment to establish a…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ad-o-lytics-a-new-biotech-start-up-from-ulm
Article - 08/08/2016 First achromatopsia gene therapy clinical trial in Germany is going well Around 3000 people suffer from achromatopsia in Germany. Achromatopsia is an inherited visual disorder characterised by the absence of full colour vision. The disease is caused by a genetic defect that makes the retina's cone photoreceptors, needed for daylight and colour vision, non-functional. There is currently no cure for achromatopsia. Scientists from Tübingen University Hospital and their colleagues from Munich and New York have now…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/first-achromatopsia-gene-therapy-clinical-trial-in-germany-is-going-well
Article - 19/07/2016 Licence to kill – the enormous potential of CAR T cells With 6 million euros of EU funding, the CARAT project aims to optimise a technology called CAR T that is used to equip T cells with antibody fragments and specifically direct them to destroy cancer cells. The CARAT consortium comprises a multinational team of experts from the Institute for Cell- and Gene Therapy at the Freiburg University Medical Center led by Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen and seven partner institutions. Cathomen’s team is developing…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/licence-to-kill-the-enormous-potential-of-car-t-cells
Article - 27/06/2016 A nasal spray for treating neurodegenerative diseases Neuroscientists from Heidelberg have created the scientific foundations for a nasal spray that can stabilise the dendrites of nerve cells, thus reducing nerve damage and brain function losses following a stroke. Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading and his team received the 2016 German BioRegions Innovation Prize for their invention and have set up a company called FundaMental Pharma to further accelerate the development of a marketable medicinal product.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-nasal-spray-for-treating-neurodegenerative-diseases
Article - 23/06/2016 The body’s immune system loosens artificial joints Hip and knee endoprostheses are not nearly as long-lasting as their natural counterparts. Dr. Ulrike Dapunt from the University Hospital Heidelberg’s Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology has now discovered that it is not the bacterial activity or secretions that lead to the degradation of bone during chronic inflammation, but rather local host defence mechanisms.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-bodys-immune-system-loosens-artificial-joints
Article - 02/06/2016 DNA origami for decoding the language of biological cells Cells have their own language that they use to communicate with each other. They need this language to be able to form intact tissues and fulfil their specific functions in the body. If these signalling pathways are disrupted, metabolic processes will suffer and result in diseases. We know many “words” of the cellular language, i.e. signalling molecules that bind to specific surface receptors and thereby trigger chemical reactions inside the…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dna-origami-for-decoding-the-language-of-biological-cells
Article - 02/05/2016 Hepatitis C: a new starting point for vaccine development With approximately 150,000 infected people in Germany, hepatitis C is a common disease for which therapies, but no vaccine, are available. Dr. Tobias Böttler from the Freiburg University Medical Center and his team are exploring the body’s immune response to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and have found valuable information that could be used for vaccine development.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hepatitis-c-a-new-starting-point-for-vaccine-development
Press release - 02/05/2016 2015 call - ERC Advanced Grants granted to Baden-Württemberg researchers The main goal of the European Research Council (ERC) is to fund Europe’s brightest minds and thus encourage the highest quality research. In April 2016, the ERC announced the awarding of its prestigious Advanced Grants, and three life sciences researchers from Baden-Württemberg were among the recipients.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/2015-call-erc-advanced-grants-granted-to-baden-wuerttemberg-researchers