Healthcare industry

Prof. Johannes Schropp and Gilbert Koch from the University of Constance are developing mathematical models for the pharmaceutical company Nycomed. These models examine the relationship between the concentration and the effect of administered drugs.

Dossier - 02/05/2011

Molecular bionics – inspirations from the microworld for the macroworld

Knowledge about the molecular organisation of structural and functional biological properties has led to the establishment of a new field of research molecular bionics. Everything that can be learnt from the macromolecular observation of interesting natural phenomena is complemented in this field by observations on the smallest i.e. molecular level. Processes and materials that have been optimised in the course of evolution are thus able to…

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.

One year after its seed financing, SpinDiag GmbH closes a second financing round of EUR 3 million (USD 3.4 million) as planned. The financing will enable SpinDiag to complete the product development of its first product for screening for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and to start clinical trials. This will pave the way for regulatory approval in the EU.

Article - 10/07/2010

Membrane proteins and the import business of mitochondria

The powerhouses of cells are surprisingly dependent on external help. More than ninety per cent of all proteins required by the mitochondria are produced outside the outer mitochondrial membrane. How are these proteins transported across the membrane and how do they find their way into the mitochondria? A group of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Chris Meisinger at the University of Freiburg has been investigating the role of large protein complexes…

In some types of spinocerebellar ataxia and spastic paraplegia the number of people affected is so small that the search for the causes of the disease seems to be an almost hopeless endeavour. Human geneticist Prof. Dr. Olaf Rieß and neurologist Prof. Dr. Ludger Schöls from the University Hospital Tübingen are now hoping to promote research and improve the medical treatment of such patients with the aid of two new European networks.

Article - 15/12/2009

AppliedSensor GmbH – Chemical gas sensors to detect contaminants

Sensors and sensor systems are the speciality of Reutlingen-based AppliedSensor GmbH. The company develops gas detectors for the detection of harmful inorganic and volatile organic compounds. The application of the detectors is as broad as the presence of such gases, and they can be used anywhere from small family houses to offices, from cattle sheds to cars.

Article - 15/04/2010

Bone-hard basic research for an ageing society

Osteoporotic bones not only break very easily, they also heal badly when a fracture occurs. A fractured femur neck might mean that elderly patients have to remain bedridden for a long period and maybe even need nursing care. Fractures that heal badly, in combination with other diseases, frequently lead to a fatal outcome. A panregional team of researchers, including researchers from Ulm, has been working together since 2007 on basic research into…

Article - 22/02/2010

Treasure trove of data from Ulm helps in the understanding of community-acquired pneumonia

CAP community-acquired pneumonia is a common type of pneumonia that mainly affects young and old people. In Germany around 800000 people contract CAP every year and almost one third has to be admitted to hospital exceeding the number of admissions due to cardiac infarction or stroke. The CAPNETZ competence network which up until recently was funded by the German government is gradually shedding light on a hitherto little known disease.

Article - 14/11/2009

"A little naivety always helps"

The biotech company CureVac based in Tuebingen is working on the development of a new tumour therapy based on RNA molecules. Dr. Ingmar Hoerr one of the scientists who founded CureVac tells Christoph Bächtle about the obstacles the young company had to overcome and the tough decisions that led to success. At the very start he tells us the company owes its origins to a huge dollop of luck.

Article - 05/03/2009

Christian Wirtz prefers a navigation system when operating on the brain

One job but two workplaces Christian Rainer Wirtz has for some time now been commuting regularly along the Danube river between the Bavarian city of Günzburg and the Baden-Württemberg city of Ulm. The new medical director and professor for neurosurgery at the Ulm University Hospital runs a hospital on two sites i.e. the Günzburg District Hospital and the Safranberg Hospital in Ulm.

Article - 13/02/2012

Suzanne Kadereit: assessing nanotoxicity using stem cells

Nanotoxicity has become the subject of concern because of increasing toxic effects of nanomaterials on living organisms. However such effects are difficult to detect in people. In an interview with BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg Dr. Susanne Kadereit biologist at the University of Konstanz reports about her work involving the development of a human in-vitro system that enables the more effective assessment of the toxicity of nanoparticles.

Article - 27/08/2012

Why don't dogs talk?

Humans have developed a unique ability to communicate through speech and language. Research focusing on the development of human language and its genetic basis focuses specifically on the developmental gene FOXP2. Evo-devo research has shown that a human-specific FOXP2 variant is key for the human ability to talk. It is likely that the human variant of the rather common FOXP2 protein was already present in Neanderthals.

Article - 09/06/2009

We would gladly finance more biotechs

For four years, the High-Tech Gründerfonds (high-tech company establishment fund) has been supporting technology-oriented company founders. The project, which is backed by the Federal German government and major businesses, has 272 million euros of largely federal funds at its disposal, and its objective is the accelerated marketability of ideas. We spoke with Marco Winzer, representative and Investment Director at High-Tech Gründerfonds,…

Dossier - 12/03/2012

Regenerative medicine makes use of patients’ own resources

Regenerative medicine offers new therapeutic options for many diseases in which organ function or structure are damaged or lost. The majority of regenerative therapies involve cell-based methods that are often combined with innovative biomaterials. Regenerative therapies combine know-how from the biosciences with state-of-the-art medical technology and also benefit from progress in the engineering and material sciences.

Press release - 01/11/2008

Boris Mizaikoff and Christine Kranz – on the way to systems analytics

The two chemists Boris Mizaikoff and Christine Kranz have a great deal in common they are married to each other they have children together and they work at the same university on projects that combine technologies and methods to create multifunctional analytical platforms at the Department of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry at Ulm University.

Article - 12/11/2012

Autoimmune diseases – when the body sheds its skin

Most people believe that snakes and insects are the only animals able to shed their skin. However autoimmune diseases of the largest human organ i.e. the skin can have a similar effect by creating blisters scars peeling and wet wounds. Dr. Cassian Sitaru from the University of Freiburg Medical Centre specifically focuses on blistering autoimmune dermatoses. Using disease models in Petri dishes and laboratory mice Sitaru and his team hope to find…

Press release - 05/09/2011

Sequenom announces European licensing agreement with GATC daughter LifeCodexx

Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative genetic analysis solutions, today announced it has partnered with LifeCodexx AG, a company focused on the development of clinically validated Next Generation Molecular Diagnostics, for the commercialization of prenatal laboratory testing services in Europe. The companies have agreed to collaborate in the development and launch of a trisomy 21 laboratory developed test…

Most people are well aware that sunbathing can have dangerous consequences. In Switzerland the debate concerning the undesirable side effects of sunscreens has been temporarily put on hold but will most likely start up again with the onset of the winter season. Daniel R. Dietrich chair of the Department of Toxicology at the University of Constance gives us more details in the following interview.

Article - 03/10/2010

LimCo International - innovative methods to assess water pollution

LimCo International has developed the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor a unique continuous early warning system that enables the fully automated detection of water contamination. The companys GamTox toxicity test can be used to assess the ecological situation of flowing waters.

Dossier - 05/08/2013

Progress expands bioethical boundaries

Bioethics is a rich and continually evolving field. In the broadest sense, bioethics relates to the way human individuals treat any form of life. The issue of whether human beings have the right to do whatever they want goes way back. However, rapid progress in genetic engineering and cell biology means that it is now necessary to look at certain issues in a new way and recognise that not everything that is technically feasible should actually be…

Professor Dr. Günther Schützs work on the cell- and development-specific gene regulation using nuclear receptors has led amongst other things to new insights into the steroid hormone-dependent early development and differentiation of the nervous system the molecular mechanisms of learning and the development and regulation of drug addiction. Schütz has now been appointed Helmholtz professor which will enable him to continue his work beyond…

Article - 18/10/2010

Abigail Morrison – How does the brain learn?

The physicist and neuroscientist Prof. Dr. Abigail Morrison from the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience BCCN in Freiburg has always been interested in theoretical questions relating to thinking and remembering. She now works on the development of computer models of different brain areas. Is it possible to untangle the complexities of neural networks in the brain using mathematics and informatics?

Article - 29/05/2012

Isabelle Seemann: DNA as building block for nanostructures

Since the emergence of nanotechnology in the 1980s DNA has been used as a construction material in many areas. Wires grids and nanorobots can all be produced from this versatile material. Isabelle Seemann scientist at the University of Konstanz works with a particular DNA constellation known as three-way DNA junction. Seemanns findings are of great importance for different areas of knowledge including the material sciences analytics and…

Prof. Dr. Harald Krug a toxicologist who runs the Materials-Biology Interaction division at Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research in St. Gallen Switzerland and his team are investigating the interactions of synthetic materials with biological systems. The team of 25 researchers is focusing in particular on the effect of particles and nanomaterials such as CNT on human and animal cells. The division has been an…