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:443/en/article/press-release/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-reveal-causes-disease
Press release - 12/08/2020 New technology provides insight into the development of immune cells The entire range of our blood and immune cells are derived from hematopoietic stem cells. Yet which genes influence how they develop into the different cell types? Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now developed a new technology to answer this question.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/new-technology-provides-insight-development-immune-cells
Stem cell therapy for regenerating intervertebral discs - 16/07/2020 Ulm’s simulator has Europe’s back Back pain is often caused by intervertebral disc disorders. Much has already been tried and is available to help patients. Despite extensive progress, there is still no surefire recipe for success. iPSpine, an EU-funded project to which researchers from Ulm are contributing interdisciplinary engineering and biomedical expertise, aims to design a novel therapy for back pain based on intervertebral disc regeneration.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Ulms-simulator-has-europes-back
Article - 18/11/2019 Researchers successfully rejuvenate the immune system in animal models It is well known that stem cells age. Even the human immune system loses its power with age. Since all immune cells are derived from blood-forming stem cells, it is quite natural to associate the weakening of the immune system (immune senescence) with the ageing of blood-forming stem cells. Stem cell researchers and immunologists from the University of Ulm have now demonstrated the important role that blood-forming cells play in the ageing of the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/Researchers-successfully-rejuvenate-the-immune-system-in-animal-models
Article - 10/01/2019 Stocktaking and recommendations for action: the BBAW’s fourth gene technology report In the new gene technology report, the interdisciplinary working group of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) takes stock of gene technology developments in Germany during the past few decades, and discusses the societal, legal and ethical challenges associated with these technologies in the future. The report is highly topical due to the controversy surrounding the ruling of the European Court of Justice on CRISPR/Cas9 genome…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stocktaking-and-recommendations-for-action-the-bbaws-fourth-gene-technology-report
Press release - 10/12/2018 High distinction for stem cell researcher Andreas Trumpp This year's State Research Prize of Baden-Württemberg awarded for outstanding achievements in applied research goes to Andreas Trumpp from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM). Theresia Bauer, State Minister of Science, Research and the Arts, presented the award, which carries a monetary prize of €100.000, at a festive ceremony on December 10, 2018.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/high-distinction-for-stem-cell-researcher-andreas-trumpp
Stem cell research - 12/07/2018 The role of stem cell dormancy in regeneration and cancer Scientists at the HI-STEM stem cell institute in Heidelberg have shown that the stem cells responsible for replenishing blood cells have the greatest potential of self-renewal of any other stem cells. However, they are normally in a dormant state, and only become active upon exposure to certain stress factors. An oncogene called MYC controls the stem cells' transition from dormancy to active self-renewal.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-role-of-stem-cell-dormancy-in-regeneration-and-cancer
Press release - 04/07/2018 Phase-I-trial approved for novel stem cell therapy for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy Viscofan BioEngineering, the biomedical business unit of the world market leader for collagenous sausage casings Viscofan announced today that the Spanish Agency for Medicines (AEMPS) has given green light to carry out a clinical phase-I-trial with Viscofan BioEngineering’s first product for regenerative medicine. The novel therapy consisting of stem cells on a collagenous carrier membrane can now be tested on ten patients suffering from severe…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/phase-i-trial-approved-for-novel-stem-cell-therapy-for-patients-with-ischemic-cardiomyopathy
Press release - 03/04/2018 Double success for Heidelberg stem cell researchers Two awards at once, both carrying high monetary prizes, go to young researchers from the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Research and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ): Simon Raffel will receive the 2018 Walter Schulz Prize. Simon Haas will share the 2018 Otto Schmeil Prize with his colleague Lars Velten from EMBL. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/double-success-for-heidelberg-stem-cell-researchers
Alternative to animal experiments - 21/03/2018 Drug tests using miniature organs At present, potential new drugs have to be tested on animals before they can be used on humans. However, results obtained from animals are not always transferrable to the situation in humans, which is why researchers around the world have long been seeking alternatives. Miniature human organs that can be used to test the efficacy of potential human drugs might provide a solution.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/drug-tests-using-miniature-organs
Article - 19/03/2018 Regenerative medicine: curing rather than simply treating diseases Some scientists refer to the latest developments in the field of regenerative medicine as the "next revolution in medicine". With the help of gene therapies or stem cells, regenerative medicine aims not only to treat disease symptoms, but to cure them at source. Some approaches are already being used to treat patients and several others are close to application.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/regenerative-medicine-curing-rather-than-simply-treating-diseases
Article - 14/02/2018 Animal-free diabetes research with the pancreas chip Quite a number of promising drug candidates for the treatment of diabetes are currently in the pharmaceutical pipeline, including innovative drugs that can stimulate the regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic cells. However, they will have to be safety tested in animals. Scientists from Ulm University Hospital have now begun to develop a pancreatic chip from stem cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/animal-free-diabetes-research-with-the-pancreas-chip
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
Article - 29/08/2016 Cellendes and EU partners develop cell therapy for treating type 1 diabetes Cells derived from suitable donor stem cells that can do the work defective insulin-producing cells can no longer do are the central focus of a European cell therapy project involving Reutlingen-based Cellendes GmbH as one of the partners. Cellendes develops a biomaterial that facilitates the mass production of cells and could potentially be approved for therapeutic use in humans. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cellendes-und-eu-partner-entwickeln-zelltherapie-fuer-diabetes-typ-1
Company profile - 25/07/2016 300MICRONS: 3D cell culture solutions tailored to customer needs What happens in tissues and organs and how do they react to pharmaceutical substances? Three-dimensional cell cultures can reproduce reality far better than a single-cell layer can. With good reason. Reality is far from two-dimensional. A company called 300MICRONS GmbH develops films with tiny indentations that provide optimal conditions for cells to grow into 3D cell aggregates.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/300microns-3d-cell-culture-solutions-tailored-to-customer-needs
Article - 17/12/2015 Inhibition of bromodomain affects stem cell differentiation DNA methylation and histone modification are epigenetic mechanisms that affect gene transcription. Moreover, protein complexes can regulate gene expression by modifying chromatin structure and function. Dr. Thomas Günther and his team from the Center for Clinical Research at the Freiburg University Medical Center are studying the effect of the inhibitor PFI-3 on the BAF complex. This protein complex modifies chromatin structure and controls the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/nhibition-of-bromodomain-affects-stem-cell-differentiation
Article - 22/06/2015 3D bioprinting: replicating the shape of bone parts Prof. Dr. Günter Finkenzeller, head of the Research and Tissue Engineering Laboratory in the Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, and Dr. Peter Koltay from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg, are being given German Research Foundation (DFG) funds for a period of three years to develop a 3D printing technique for functional bone tissue containing blood…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/3d-bioprinting-replicating-the-shape-of-bone-parts
Article - 23/02/2015 Miriam Erlacher: apoptosis research – balancing clinical work and research Programmed cell death plays an important role in embryonic development and has also been identified as the cause of a range of diseases. It also plays a key role in the development and survival of higher organisms. Its regulation is based on a sophisticated system of interacting antagonistic signals in a network that is still largely unknown. Disturbances in this delicate balance promote the development of diseases such as cancer. Dr. Miriam…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/miriam-erlacher-apoptosis-research-balancing-clinical-work-and-research
Article - 23/02/2015 Systems biology: Ulm scientists' search for molecules that delay ageing As stem cells get older, they gradually lose their ability to grow and reproduce. They accumulate damage and lose their ability to regenerate, thus knocking tissue homeostasis off balance. If stem cell ageing could be delayed or, even better, reversed, organs would work longer more effectively. The SyStaR research consortium is using systems biology methods and tools to investigate the mechanisms of age-dependent reduction of stem cell function…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/systems-biology-ulm-scientists-search-for-molecules-that-delay-ageing
Article - 22/12/2014 Large-scale urology project: cell therapy for the treatment of stress incontinence The first and so far only clinical DFG research group on urology is being coordinated by a team from Tübingen. The team is developing a cell-based therapy for the regeneration of the urethral sphincter. Clinicians, life scientists and engineers are working together to try and find a causal therapy of stress incontinence. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/large-scale-urology-project-cell-therapy-for-the-treatment-of-stress-incontinence
Article - 01/12/2014 Stem cell research for preventing radiation-induced developmental damage Although ionizing radiation is known to cause cell damage and genetic modifications, its effects on embryonic development are still poorly understood. This is why Prof. Dr. Suzanne Kadereit from the Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences is involved in a cooperative project that uses human embryonic stem cells for studying the effects of ionizing radiation on prenatal brain development. She heads up the only university of applied…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stem-cell-research-for-preventing-radiation-induced-developmental-damage
Dossier - 10/11/2014 Cell and gene therapies: from bench to bedside While cell therapy has become standard treatment for a number of blood cancers, most cell and gene therapy approaches for the treatment of hereditary and metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer are still in the experimental phases or early clinical trials. However, recent successes give rise to the hope that cell and gene therapies will in future make important contributions to previously incurable diseases.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/cell-and-gene-therapies-from-bench-to-bedside
Article - 15/09/2014 Mesenchymal stromal cells: promising cell therapy candidates Mesenchymal stromal cells MSC are increasingly moving into the spotlight as the beacon of hope for somatic cell therapies. The biomedical research community is currently carrying out more than 300 clinical trials to investigate their suitability for a broad range of indications. Prof. Schrezenmeier professor of transfusion medicine and medical director at the Institute for Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics IKT in Ulm is involved in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/mesenchymal-stromal-cells-promising-cell-therapy-candidates
Article - 16/06/2014 In vitro models for Parkinson’s research The death of dopamine-producing neurons leads to Parkinson’s disease, but the cause of this selective cell degeneration is unknown. Dr. Stefan Schildknecht from the University of Konstanz is therefore developing human cell culture models to investigate the early molecular processes in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The models can also be used to develop new approaches for the treatment of Parkinson’s.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/in-vitro-models-for-parkinson-s-research
Article - 13/01/2014 Stefan Liebau: using iPS cells for studying neural development With the appointment of Stefan Liebau as professor of neuroanatomy, iPS cell research has found its way into the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Tübingen. The physician and neuroscientist explores the development of human nerve cells and specialises in working with stem cells. Liebau and his team are currently dealing with the question as to how neural stem cells develop into retinal precursor cells. The researchers are also studying…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/stefan-liebau-using-ips-cells-for-studying-neural-development