Dossier - 20/12/2010 Environmental toxins: effect and origin Environmental toxins, also referred to as xenobiotics, are chemicals that do not occur in biological substance cycles; they are difficult to degrade and often have a toxic effect. Xenobiotic substances are becoming an increasing problem because we are constantly exposed to them and because they slowly but surely poison us. The World Health Organisation (WHO) sees xenobiotic substances as factors that contribute, along with other factors, to the…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/environmental-toxins-effect-and-origin
New edition - 24/05/2019 Tumour metastasis Cancer is usually not curable when metastases have formed in the body. Metastases are often resistant to drugs that have successfully eliminated the primary tumour. The basic features of the complex process of metastasis are now known, but many details still remain elusive. Intensive research activities are focusing on new therapeutic concepts aimed at developing effective anti-metastatic therapies.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/tumour-metastasis
Atriva Therapeutics - 21/10/2020 COVID-19 pioneer drug in Phase II clinical trial – with double the power The effective treatment of people with severe COVID-19 is a major goal during the corona pandemic. ATR-002, an oral small molecule that targets RNA viruses such as influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, has a dual effect: it impairs viral propagation and also has an immunomodulatory effect. And what’s more, due to its unique cellular mechanism of action, the efficacy of Atrivia Therapeutics’ drug candidate is not reduced by virus mutations and…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/covid-19-pioneer-drug-phase-ii-clinical-trial-double-power
Article - 04/08/2009 Wilfried Weber recombines new cell constituents Prof. Dr. Wilfried Weber who was appointed professor of synthetic biology at the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies bioss at the University of Freiburg in May 2009 has always had a great interest in the practical application of biology. Weber and his team have a thorough understanding of how different parts of signalling networks can be reassembled for specific purposes for example switching off the antibiotic resistance of bacteria. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/wilfried-weber-recombines-new-cell-constituents
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. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/kay-diederichs-important-insights-in-the-fight-against-bacterial-antibiotics-resistance
Article - 18/02/2009 Dormant stem cells can be awakened with interferon alpha With a number of new papers published in renowned scientific journals Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp has been able to further cement his outstanding reputation as one of the world leaders in stem cell research. Trumpp who has been professor and head of the Department of Cell Biology at the German Cancer Research Centre DKFZ since summer 2008 also became head of the newly founded Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dormant-stem-cells-can-be-awakened-with-interferon-alpha
Article - 04/07/2011 The adhesion of cells to the endothelium and to artificial surfaces Professor Stefan W. Schneider from the Mannheim Medical Faculty is investigating the function of the vascular endothelium and its interaction with blood and tumour cells using microfluidics methods that enable him to measure the adhesion of cells to the walls of blood vessels under physiological flow conditions. As part of an interdisciplinary project, he is investigating the characteristics of wafer-thin surfaces covered with living cells, which…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-adhesion-of-cells-to-the-endothelium-and-to-artificial-surfaces
Press release - 24/10/2011 Curetis AG Opens Unyvero™ Cartridge Production Facility Curetis AG, an innovative molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases, announced the opening of its state-of-the-art production facility for disposable Unyvero™ cartridges in Bodelshausen (near Tuebingen, Germany).https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/curetis-ag-opens-unyvero-cartridge-production-facility
Press release - 18/09/2009 Why don’t brain tumours respond to drugs? Malignant brain tumours do not often respond to promising new drugs. Researchers from Heidelberg have now uncovered a mechanism and a tumour marker that are linked to the development of this resistance. A “death receptor” might possibly indicate the chances of success of chemotherapy at the same time as providing new approaches for developing a new therapy for the successful treatment of brain tumours.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/why-don-t-brain-tumours-respond-to-drugs
Article - 23/01/2012 Karen Lienkamp: intelligent surface materials fight off microbes Resistant germs are tough and will settle anywhere. They grow on all types of surface which is a major cause for concern for medical doctors and industrial researchers alike. The chemist Dr. Karen Lienkamp Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies FRIAS and head of a group of junior researchers at the University of Freiburg develops surface materials for biomedical applications and industrial production facilities. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/karen-lienkamp-intelligent-surface-materials-fight-off-microbes
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 - 20/01/2020 Brain tumour patients could benefit from heavy ion therapy Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumour. It does not respond anywhere near as well to conventional forms of therapy than other tumours because it contains particularly resistant cancer cells. Scientists at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT) at Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center have shown that heavy ion therapy is effective against these cells.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Brain-tumour-patients-could-benefit-from-heavy-ion-therapy
Dossier - 22/08/2011 Stress and molecular defence mechanisms Organisms can experience stress from exposure to bacteria and pathogenic fungi; in fact, stress can arise from exposure to any type of environmental influence. As they have evolved, biological cells have developed numerous molecular mechanisms that enable them to survive even in inhospitable conditions. What kind of effects do abiotic stress factors have on plants and human beings? How do cells protect themselves? Are researchers able to increase…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/stress-and-molecular-defence-mechanisms
Article - 27/11/2017 Antimicrobial layer expected to fight hospital acquired infections Infections caused by bacteria that contaminate the surface of medical devices such as catheters and wound dressings are not that rare and can even be life-threatening. However, at present there is no really effective way to keep these products germ-free until they are used. Scientists at the University of Freiburg have now developed a surface coating that reliably kills bacteria, but is harmless to human cells.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/antimicrobial-layer-expected-to-fight-hospital-acquired-infections
Dossier - 23/07/2012 Extremophilic bacteria What causes stress for some, actually speeds others like extremophilic bacteria up. They love it hot, sour or salty, toxic substances like heavy metals also do them good and even give them energy. As molecular and systems biology techniques get better and better, industry is also becoming increasingly interested in these exotic organisms. What potential does knowing the biochemistry of extremophilic bacteria have for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/extremophilic-bacteria
Article - 03/10/2010 ColepCCL: A creative hub to prepare for the company’s move into the life sciences ColepCCL Rapid-Spray a ColepCLL subsidiary based in Laupheim Germany has made a name for itself as the largest European contract filler of aerosols. However ColepCLL which employs around 3500 people in five countries is now planning to open up new fields of activity in the life sciences area.https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/colepccl-a-creative-hub-to-prepare-for-the-company-s-move-into-the-life-sciences
Press release - 14/01/2009 Hunters of lost treasures On 1st December 2008 Prof. Dr. Karl Schmid the first person to hold the F.W. Schnell Foundations endowed professorship for crop biodiversity and breeding informatics started the ball rolling on a unique European-wide project. Schmid and his colleagues are searching gigantic databases in which genetic analyses and plant descriptions are stored for hidden treasures. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/hunters-of-lost-treasures
Article - 03/11/2014 Dementia and the prion principle Prions are misfolded proteins that are associated with diseases such as BSE, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie. What makes prions particularly dangerous is their ability to induce properly folded proteins to convert into misfolded prion forms. This principle seems to be more widespread than previously thought. Dr. Mathias Jucker from the University of Tübingen and his American colleague Lary Walker from Emory University have put forward a…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/dementia-and-the-prion-principle
Article - 09/08/2010 Elara Pharmaceuticals The Heidelberg-based biotech company ELARA Pharmaceuticals is focused on the development of treatments of tumours through the inhibition of the hypoxia signalling pathway (HIF) and through the induction of apoptosis. The company’s lead candidate targets multiple myeloma, a cancer that arises in the plasma cells of the immune system. https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/elara-pharmaceuticals
Funding Future Insight Prize Funding programme, Funded by: Merck KGaA, Submission deadline: 31/12/2021 https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/database/funding/future-insight-prize
Article - 05/11/2009 The abatement of phytopathological fungi In the past, fungal infestation of agricultural crops has been known to affect the fate of entire nations, and nowadays it still continues to pose a threat to the world’s food supply. There is huge need for the development of new environmentally friendly agricultural fungicides, as fungi are fast becoming resistant to standard fungicides. Scientists are concentrating on the use of fungus-derived natural substances as the specific targets of…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-abatement-of-phytopathological-fungi
Article - 30/01/2012 Silicone application in medical technology Silicone is flexible, biocompatible and heat-resistant, characteristics that make organosilicone compounds ideal for a wide range of applications in medical technology. Up until now, the broad application of such compounds has been hampered chiefly by the high surface friction of silicone. The Reutlingen-based company Silcos GmbH has developed special methods for the treatment of surfaces that considerably improve the compound's range of…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/silicone-application-in-medical-technology
Press release - 30/03/2011 Bacteria poison themselves from within The research group led by Anton Meinhart at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has shown that proteins from the zeta toxin group trigger a self-destructive mechanism in bacteria. The triggers for this bacterial suicide are toxin/antitoxin systems that play an important role in the hereditary transmission of resistance and virulence genes. The scientists have thus found a valuable new tool for the development of new…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/bacteria-poison-themselves-from-within
Article - 12/07/2010 TET Systems: Controlled gene expression in eukaryotes The most common and most successful system used for the experimental regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes is based on a gene switch that regulates the resistance of bacteria to tetracycline. The Tet technology also provides researchers with a tool that enables them to specifically, quantitatively and reversibly control the activity of individual genes in vivo and in vitro. The Heidelberg-based company TET Systems sells licences for the Tet…https:////www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/tet-systems-controlled-gene-expression-in-eukaryotes
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