Healthcare industry

In contrast to the USA human granulocytic anaplasmosis infection rarely occurs in Germany. Dr. Friederike von Loewenich at the Freiburg Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene are investigating the reason for this discrepancy.

Despite having thousands of applicable ideas and having set up his own company, Prof. Alfred Nordheim sees himself as a true basic scientist. At this year’s International Genetics Congress in Berlin, the director of the Interfaculty Institute of Cell Biology at the University of Tübingen was elected president of the International Genetics Federation (IGF).

Tübingen-based Hölle & Hüttner AG is taking over the entire share capital of Cologne-based INTAVIS Bioanalytical Instruments AG retroactively as of 1 January 2008. Both companies specialise in the development and marketing of systems for the automation of biochemical and molecular biological processes.

Under the agreement Nycomed will receive the exclusive worldwide rights to develop manufacture and commercialise the subcutaneous formulation of veltuzumab for the treatment of all non-cancer indications.

The first Web log was initiated in 1991. Since then an ever increasing number of scientists have been using these Internet diaries to communicate knowledge report about science comment on it and classify it. Web logs are an enrichment for science communication.

Dr. Vladimir Katanaev a biologist at Constance University is investigating an intracellular signalling pathway that is of decisive importance for the embryonic development of multicellular organisms. The Wnt-Frizzled signalling pathway also plays an important part in the development of cancer.

Cochlear implants can restore hearing to many of those afflicted with deafness. Prof. Robert Illing from the University of Freiburg explores the plastic properties of the nervous system that facilitate the application of these implants.

It began as a service laboratory for DNA sequencing and within a few years became a worldwide network of highly specialised biotech companies for molecular biology products. Investments in platform technologies play a key role in this development. Since then the team at Stuttgart-based BioLux GmbH has found that the production of antibodies is its highest revenue business activity.

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and their colleagues from the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines succeeded in accelerating rice plant breeding by using artificial small RNA molecules.

GATC Biotech announced that it has added to its facilities with a wholly owned subsidiary in Stockholm Sweden building on the Companys existing presence in Europe with offices in Germany France and England.

The paper by Lohmueller et al. 2008 shows that there is proportionally more deleterious genetic variation in European than in African populations. This revelation enables conclusions to be made on the group that emigrated from Africa several thousand years ago.

Of twelve applications which qualified for the decisive final round of the top cluster competion two are from the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area the Forum Organic Electronics cluster and the Cell-Based Molecular Medicine biotechnology cluster.

The leaders of the two countries research policy groups met in the French capital to discuss strategies on how to cope with challenges that are faced by both countries in the field of research. Several Agreements signed at the end of the Forum are the basis of strategic partnerships.

Dr. Gilbert Gorr has been fascinated by the moss Physcomitrella patens for many years in fact it occupies a great deal of his waking moments. The enthusiasm with which the CSO of greenovation Biotech GmbH talks about the key object of his work is both intoxicating and contagious. The latest discovery The moss produces a therapeutic antibody that is far more effective than its predecessors created in animal cell cultures.

The basic classification of bilateral animals is based on the comparison of their embryonic development and was confirmed in modern molecular phylogeny by the analysis of the relationship of the genes involved. Conserved groups of genes are responsible for the formation of the body axes.

Article - 10/02/2008

4th Biomarker Workshop at the NMI in Reutlingen: another success

The Biomarker Workshop held at the NMI in late January has become a fixed date for a growing number of proteomics researchers. With an attendance of 130 this years workshop exceeded all previous ones. Those who were keen to find out more about the latest trends and findings were presented with a successful mix of basic and applied research information.

Article - 30/01/2008

How cells communicate

Prof. Valentin Wittmann professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Constance is investigating carbohydrates. At present his major area of interest is carbohydrate-RNA and carbohydrate-protein interactions where he is trying to understand the biological functions of complex sugar molecules glycans.

Article - 29/01/2008

Breakthrough for glycomics

New databases and bioinformatic tools provide the field of glycomics with a solid basis for dynamic development in molecular biology and medicine. Willi von der Lieth a researcher from Heidelberg was an important pioneer of glyco-bioinformatics. His sudden death is a great loss for this new scientific field.

Partnering with Prognosys Biosciences febit offers a new Genome-to-Array Service. This Service gives scientists access to the latest technology and know-how in sequencing and microarrays even for DNA where no standard microarrays are available.

Scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre DKFZ have now succeeded in generating peptides on a microchip - faster and thus cheaper than with previous methods.