Healthcare industry

Company profile - 26/07/2018

evid - therapy recommendations at a glance

There are over 700 treatment guidelines in Germany alone, and each is up to several hundred pages long. Can doctors still stay on top of things? A start-up company from Mannheim called evid is developing a software that can retrieve relevant therapy recommendations for individual patients from the huge pile of paperwork. In March 2018, the founding trio won first place of the eHealthForum Freiburg start-up competition.

Article - 03/07/2018

The digital laboratory is picking up speed

A new team at the Fraunhofer IPA is developing digital laboratory systems to support industrial partners in planning and managing laboratory processes. This benefits companies in terms of quality assurance, economic efficiency and, notably, ergonomic improvements to the work place.

Expert interview - 26/06/2018

Genome analyses: "Germany lags behind dramatically"

Around 6,000 genetic diseases can be diagnosed using genetic tests. Genetic testing enables the accurate identification of diseases especially when symptoms are unclear, and also allows statements to be made about disease progression. However, restrictive regulations considerably hinder the use of genetic diagnostics. BIOPRO spoke with Dr. Dr. Saskia Biskup, a human genetics specialist and co-founder of the Tübingen-based company CeGaT.

Article - 13/06/2018

TeleDerm: Rapid help from a dermatologist via teleconsultation

Some geographical locations have relatively few specialist medical practices. Getting an appointment with a specialist if you live in such areas might mean a long wait or a long journey. A study being carried out at the University of Tübingen is looking to improve this situation: the TeleDerm project involves dermatologists using telemedicine to assess skin disorders from images taken by GPs.

Article - 06/06/2018

Robots for assisting with care and treatment in nursing homes and hospitals

Robotic systems have great potential in the healthcare sector. For example, intelligent care aids, such as robotic technologies, extended care trolleys and lifters make life easier for nursing home and hospital staff. Mobile robots that assist with transport tasks or guiding people can help patients become more independent.

Article - 16/05/2018

Telemedical neurology council helps speed up stroke treatment

Stroke units save lives because specialist treatment is absolutely crucial for stroke patients. However, not all clinics have neurological specialists available 24/7, so telemedicine provides a good solution to the problem. Studies show that telemedical consultations can considerably improve the treatment of stroke patients.

Article - 28/03/2018

New method for analysing epigenetic modifications - in the service of medical progress

It is not just genetic factors that influence developmental processes and diseases; it is becoming increasingly evident that epigenetic changes play a major role too. Thanks to a new method developed at the University of Stuttgart, epigenetic processes can now be investigated in living cells.

Article - 21/02/2018

HepaRegeniX – a start-up is taking it up a step!

HepaRegeniX, a biotech company founded in 2016, specialises in developing drugs that restore the regenerative capacity of diseased livers. The three founders of the biotech start-up, Prof. Dr. Lars Zender, Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer and Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht, anticipate starting clinical testing of the first drug candidate in 2019.

Press release - 21/02/2018

German Cancer Award for Michael Baumann

Michael Baumann, Chairman and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, receives the 2017 German Cancer Award in the category "Translational Research". The science award, which is sponsored by the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Foundation, is one of the most prestigious distinctions in cancer medicine in Germany.

Article - 15/01/2018

Blockchain technology as an opportunity for more transparency and self-determination

In the healthcare sector, blockchain technology is still in the early stages of development, although it has huge potential in this field. It is expected that patients will particularly benefit from the introduction of a decentralised database for managing and sharing health-related information with treating physicians. Statutory health insurance companies become less important as intermediaries. But how exactly does this technology work?

Article - 07/12/2017

GoSilico: a formula for the industrial purification of biomolecules

“Stop experimenting – GoSilico” is the motto of a young start-up company from Karlsruhe. The founding team of GoSilico GmbH is causing a furore with a simulation software that would make many laboratory experiments obsolete. The chromatographic separation of biomolecules from organisms, samples and cell cultures can be reliably simulated after just a few starter experiments. This saves time, work, material and costs in pharmaceutical development.

Press release - 01/12/2017

Berlin-Brandenburg Academy Prize for Lena Maier-Hein

Lena Maier-Hein from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) helps physicians get better vision during minimally-invasive surgery. Using novel methods of image analysis, she wants to provide additional image information for surgeons. Thus, they can better differentiate tumors from healthy tissue and execute safer surgical tumor therapies. Maier-Hein now receives the Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, which is…

The next generation of Antiviral Therapies: Co-Led by Stichting Participatie Atriva and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Atriva Therapeutics GmbH has received a second tranche of its running seed financing in total of € 3 Mn from Dutch, German and Canadian investors, after lead compound ATR-002 (Atriva’s antiviral MEK-Inhibitor against Influenza) has passed an important preclinical milestone paving the way to clinical development stage.

Expert interview - 02/08/2017

Innovative diagnosis and treatment methods – regulation of their reimbursement in the German healthcare sector

The German healthcare cost reimbursement system differentiates between in- and outpatient medical products. In an interview with Caroline Ref and Jasmin Dabrowski from BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, Michael Weißer, Chief Operating Officer of AiM GmbH in Lörrach, gives interesting insights into the reimbursement of medical care products, in particular with regard to the introduction of new and innovative diagnosis and treatment methods.

Article - 12/06/2017

IHO: global consulting for the molecular diagnosis of leukaemia

IHO GmbH from Mannheim offers a professional solution for the international exchange of information and services concerning the molecular diagnosis of leukaemia. This drives forward the harmonisation of these methods and brings therapy monitoring to a new global level.

GATC, one of the leading sequencing provider will be a part of the Eurofins Group as of July 2017 to create the leading company in the worldwide sequencing market.

High-Tech Gründerfonds is investing EUR 600,000 in Reutlingen-based SIGNATOPE GmbH. SIGNATOPE will use the funds to advance the development of its unique biomarker assay system, that has been established to support pharmaceutical research. The technology is based on special antibodies and allows the early detection of possible side effects during the drug development process. Thereby, the need for animal testing will be reduced while the drug…

Article - 25/04/2017

Andreas Marx: myPOLS is developing enzymes for special applications

Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx, chemist and polymerase specialist, is Professor of Organic Chemistry/Cellular Chemistry at the University of Konstanz. Three years ago, he also founded a company called myPOLS Biotec GmbH together with his then doctoral student Ramon Kranaster. myPOLS Biotec GmbH produces DNA polymerases that are tailored to the requirements of the company’s clients. In addition, the company also carries out contract research. The dual…

Article - 23/03/2017

CeMIT – professional innovation management for the medical device sector

With the establishment of the Centrum für Medizintechnische Innovationen Tübingen, or CeMIT, the University Hospital of Tübingen is building a bridge between hospitals and medical device companies, which share the aim to develop new and better medical technology products and methods. Partners from small and medium-sized companies are expected to particularly benefit from the services that CeMIT provides and the guidance it can offer in finding…

Article - 20/03/2017

Expansion of the de.NBI, the German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure

The German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure, de.NBI for short, is a successful model for infrastructures in the life sciences and biomedicine that is currently being expanded. The network, which was established in 2015, will benefit from more hardware, more staff, more projects and its own cloud. It has also joined the European ELIXIR network.

Article - 07/03/2017

KiTZ: Hopp Children’s Tumour Center at NCT Heidelberg

The Heidelberg University Hospital and the DKFZ have established the "Hopp Children's Tumor Center at NCT Heidelberg" (KiTZ) where doctors, scientists, nursing staff and other specialists work side by side on new diagnostic and therapeutic options to help children with cancer.

Article - 23/02/2017

Rentschler places formulation on biopharmaceuticals production agenda with LEUKOCARE alliance

On February 2, 2017, Rentschler Biotechnologie and LEUKOCARE announced a strategic alliance in which LEUKOCARE will become the exclusive formulation developer for the Laupheim-based contract manufacturer. Rentschler will acquire a 10% stake in LEUKOCARE, a biotech company established in 2003 and headquartered in Martinsried. On behalf of BIOPRO, Walter Pytlik spoke with the two CEOs, Rentschler’s Dr. Frank Mathias and LEUKOCARE’s Michael Scholl…

Press release - 30/01/2017

ChemCon celebrates 20th anniversary

ChemCon GmbH, service provider for custom development and custom manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and fine chemicals, based in the Innovationspark (innovations park) Freiburg, Germany, celebrates its 20th anniversary. On January 29 in 1997, Dr. Raphael Vogler (CEO) and Dr. Peter Gockel (CSO), both graduates from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, signed the partnering contract to found ChemCon. Today they count 90…

Article - 26/01/2017

Clinical cancer registration to improve patient treatment and care

Germany records around 500,000 new cases of cancer every year. The number is steadily growing, mainly due to an ageing population that leads to an increased risk of cancer. The German government is planning to establish clinical cancer registries in all German states so that all cancer patients receive the best possible treatment. In Baden-Württemberg, all new cancer cases are already recorded. However, the data are still not as comprehensive as…

The European Research Council awards Wilfried Weber an ERC Proof of Concept Grant. Wilfried Weber, Professor of Synthetic Biology at the University of Freiburg, has received a grant of roughly €150,000 for his project “Hide and Seek with Cancer Drugs” in which he is working to improve the drugs used in cancer treatment.