Article - 12/09/2016 New target for the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma discovered Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. If the tumour is at an advanced stage, doctors have few treatment options. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Lars Zender from the University of Tübingen have now identified one of the cancer's Achilles' heels, namely, the interaction between C-MYC and AURKA proteins, which can be destabilised with a drug, thus killing cancer cells. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-target-for-the-therapy-of-hepatocellular-carcinoma-discovered
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
Article - 22/08/2016 Ad-O-Lytics – a new biotech start-up from Ulm A few years ago, Florian Kreppel developed a therapeutic approach that combined genetic vaccines with molecular address labels. It worked quite well, but the resulting product did not have the anticipated immunising properties and was put on the backburner. Now Kreppel's group of researchers is nearing completion of another project. The researchers plan to use a patented virotherapeutic platform technology for cancer treatment to establish a…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/ad-o-lytics-a-new-biotech-start-up-from-ulm
Article - 08/08/2016 First achromatopsia gene therapy clinical trial in Germany is going well Around 3000 people suffer from achromatopsia in Germany. Achromatopsia is an inherited visual disorder characterised by the absence of full colour vision. The disease is caused by a genetic defect that makes the retina's cone photoreceptors, needed for daylight and colour vision, non-functional. There is currently no cure for achromatopsia. Scientists from Tübingen University Hospital and their colleagues from Munich and New York have now…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/first-achromatopsia-gene-therapy-clinical-trial-in-germany-is-going-well
Article - 02/08/2016 Can the ticking Huntington clock be stopped? An early phase clinical study involving thirty-six Huntington’s disease (HD) patients is currently underway to investigate whether a method called gene silencing can cure the disease. If the gene that causes the disease can be turned off, it would be the first step towards a treatment that not only fights symptoms but actually treats the causes of HD, hence providing a cure. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/can-the-ticking-huntington-clock-be-stopped
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
Company profile - 14/07/2016 neuroloop GmbH: how the manipulation of neuronal information can lower blood pressure Millions of people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. However, taking medicines to control high blood pressure does not work for everyone. Dr. Dennis Plachta and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz from IMTEK have now developed a neurostimulator to control blood pressure. Together with Dr. Michael Lauk, an experienced company founder, the two researchers set up a company called neuroloop, which is funded by Aesculap AG and aims to turn the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/neuroloop-gmbh-how-the-manipulation-of-neuronal-information-can-lower-blood-pressure
Event - 06/12/2016 Meet & Match: Challenges in Early Drug Development and Innovation in Drug Delivery Karlsruhe, Meet & Match https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/event/meet-match-challenges-in-early-development-and-innovation-in-drug-delivery
Article - 11/07/2016 The toxin of natural killer cells Natural killer cells kill tumour cells by injecting the protein HMGB1, which blocks the production of cellular energy by aerobic respiration. Researchers from Heidelberg have elucidated this previously unknown cancer defence mechanism and are now in the process of developing a new immunotherapy for treating cancer patients.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-toxin-of-natural-killer-cells
BioLAGO and BIOPRO to start new diagnostics project - 07/07/2016 DiagNeeds: translating clinical requirements into new products (Lake Constance/Stuttgart) – BioLAGO e.V. and BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH are working together on the “DiagNeeds” project to bring hospitals and medical professionals closer to diagnostics providers in order to facilitate the development of new diagnostic procedures. There will be special focus on topics that are currently of major interest in the field of diagnostics, including liquid biopsies, companion diagnostics, point-of-care diagnostics…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/diagneeds-klinik-bedarfe-in-neue-produkte-uebersetzen
Article - 04/07/2016 Epigenetic modifications for the treatment of oesophageal cancer Oesophageal cancer is a rare but highly aggressive type of cancer with a rather poor prognosis. Dr. Theresa Ahrens, a researcher in a group led by Prof. Dr. Silke Laßmann and Prof. Dr. Martin Werner at the Institute of Clinical Pathology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre, has tested a variety of epigenetic drugs that can interfere with the development of oesophageal cancer. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/modifikation-epigenetic-modifications-for-the-treatment-of-oesophageal-cancer-als-therapie-bei-speiseroehrenkrebs
Company profile - 27/06/2016 Atriva Therapeutics GmbH: new ways to treat influenza Influenza viruses constantly change and mutate. This makes treatment difficult and vaccination rather touch and go. But what about targeting virus-manipulated cell events rather than using the virus itself as drug target? Atriva Therapeutics GmbH, a start-up company from Tübingen, shows how this works.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/atriva-therapeutics-gmbh-new-ways-to-treat-influenza
Article - 27/06/2016 A nasal spray for treating neurodegenerative diseases Neuroscientists from Heidelberg have created the scientific foundations for a nasal spray that can stabilise the dendrites of nerve cells, thus reducing nerve damage and brain function losses following a stroke. Prof. Dr. Hilmar Bading and his team received the 2016 German BioRegions Innovation Prize for their invention and have set up a company called FundaMental Pharma to further accelerate the development of a marketable medicinal product.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/a-nasal-spray-for-treating-neurodegenerative-diseases
Press release - 23/06/2016 CorTec plans to enter clinical studies with series B financing CorTec just closed a new investment that will support bringing new personalized therapies for neurological diseases to patients. With Mangold Invest a new investor could be attracted who wants to go along that way with the young medical engineering company located in Freiburg. Equally convinced of the success of this project are the previous investors who are participating in this round of financing.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/cortec-plant-mit-dritter-finanzierungsrunde-den-eintritt-in-klinische-studien
Article - 20/06/2016 New diagnostic tool for greater health safety when dealing with multidrug-resistant pathogens Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and diseases such as breast or colon cancer are among the major causes of death worldwide. Early diagnosis is therefore key for the identification of people affected and for providing immediate therapy. The R&D service provider Hahn-Schickard and its partners are currently working on the development of a rapid and simple diagnostic system that can detect life-threatening infections and cancer at…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/new-diagnostic-tool-for-greater-health-safety-when-dealing-with-multidrug-resistant-pathogens
Article - 20/06/2016 Activation of the innate immune system against metastatic colorectal cancer Researchers from Heidelberg have shown that instead of fighting cancer cells, macrophages of the innate immune system promote the growth of metastases in people with metastatic colorectal cancer. They have also shown that a signal inhibitor used to treat HIV infections reactivates macrophages so that they gain the ability to destroy cancer cells. A clinical phase I study has confirmed the antitumoral effects of this drug.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/activation-of-the-innate-immune-system-against-metastatic-colorectal-cancer
Dossier - 14/06/2016 CRISPR/Cas – genome editing is becoming increasingly popular The number of publications and patents that involve the CRISPR/Cas system has been increasing exponentially since the technique was first described a few years ago. The increase in funding for projects involving CRISPR/Cas also demonstrates how powerful this new method is. The targeted modification of genomes (also called gene editing or genome editing) using CRISPR/Cas is extraordinarily accurate and also has the potential to cure hereditary…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/crisprcas-genome-editing-is-becoming-increasingly-popular
Article - 23/05/2016 Fungal infections of the lungs – antibody-based imaging improves diagnosis Cancer was the first area of diagnostics in which antibody-based PET/MRI imaging was used. The diagnosis of fungal infections will be the next. The innovative method is being developed by a European research consortium coordinated by researchers in Tübingen. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/fungal-infections-of-the-lungs-antibody-based-imaging-improves-diagnosis
Article - 02/05/2016 Hepatitis C: a new starting point for vaccine development With approximately 150,000 infected people in Germany, hepatitis C is a common disease for which therapies, but no vaccine, are available. Dr. Tobias Böttler from the Freiburg University Medical Center and his team are exploring the body’s immune response to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and have found valuable information that could be used for vaccine development.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/hepatitis-c-a-new-starting-point-for-vaccine-development
Article - 02/05/2016 Biopolymers – raw materials for innovative medical products Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable biopolymers that are becoming increasingly important. Bioplastics are now used not only in everyday objects such as plastic bags and yogurt pots but also increasingly in the field of medicine, which is why intensive research into medical devices made from biodegradable polymers such as PHA has been going on for quite some time. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/biopolymers-raw-materials-for-innovative-medical-products
Article - 26/04/2016 Methadone for cancer treatment? Clinical trials are needed to prove the effectiveness of this opioid Claudia Friesen, an oncologist at Ulm University Hospital, has achieved what many scientists dream of: she has made a discovery that has increased existing knowledge, and can be used to help people. People with cancers that are resistant to all conventional therapies who have been given methadone for pain relief in combination with conventional chemo- or radiation therapy, have reported that tumours have shrunk or disappeared completely. Clinical…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/methadone-for-cancer-treatment-clinical-trials-are-needed-to-prove-the-effectiveness-of-this-opioid
Article - 25/04/2016 Pancreatic cancer and its resistance to therapy Pancreatic tumours are among the cancers with the worst prognosis. In many cases they are resistant to treatment. Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp and his colleagues from the DKFZ and the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine HI-STEM have discovered that the reason why some pancreatic tumours are so resistant to treatment is down to larger quantities of the enzyme CYP3A5 in subtypes of pancreatic cancer. Molecular…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pancreatic-cancer-and-its-resistance-to-therapy
Article - 11/04/2016 Glycovirology: carbohydrate molecules against infections Many viruses enter cells by way of carbohydrate molecules known as glycans to which they bind during the initial steps of infection. However, it is still largely unknown how glycan-mediated infection proceeds. This is about to change with a working group that has been set up by the DFG at the University of Tübingen and five other universities. The group will focus on glycovirology, a new scientific area that aims to understand the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/glycovirology-carbohydrate-molecules-against-infections
Article - 04/04/2016 An intelligent system for the storage and controlled release of pharmaceutical substances A sophisticated reservoir that sits under the skin and dispenses precise quantities of drugs locally and at a particular point in time now exists. A junior research group from the University of Freiburg’s BrainLinks-BrainTools excellence cluster led by Dr. Maria Asplund and her doctoral student Christian Böhler from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) has developed a small storage system made of organic-inorganic hybrid material…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/an-intelligent-system-for-the-storage-and-controlled-release-of-pharmaceutical-substances
Article - 29/03/2016 The zebrafish can mend its own heart In adults, cells such as nerve or cardiac muscle cells have lost the ability to regenerate. This is why myocardial infarction is so dangerous – damaged cardiac muscle cells do not grow back and scar tissue forms in their place. Prof. Dr. Gilbert Weidinger and an international team of researchers have deciphered a mechanism responsible for the regeneration of the zebrafish heart.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/the-zebrafish-can-mend-its-own-heart