Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and ShanghaiTech University have developed an innovative method for growing brain tumors of individual patients in the laboratory that mimic the original structure and the molecular property of the parental tumor as closely as possible. Drug tests in this model were found to correlate very well with actual patient responses, making it a valuable method for investigating therapies.

VDI Guideline 5708 “Bioprinting, methods and definitions”: What sounds technical and sober at first glance is an important step forward in the future field of 3D bioprinting. The guideline was developed under Dr. Hanna Hartmann from the NMI in Reutlingen and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Groll from the University Hospital of Würzburg. It creates a binding, practical basis for reproducible and quality-assured bioprinting procedures.

AI-supported image recognition accelerates identification of zebrafish mutants - 16/07/2025

EmbryoNet AI automatically identifies developmental disorders

In complex organisms, embryonic development is tightly regulated by intricate signalling pathways. When these pathways are disrupted, they can lead to characteristic developmental defects that are not easy to detect with the naked eye. Developmental biologist Prof. Dr. Patrick Müller from the University of Konstanz has developed EmbryoNet, an AI-powered software tool that uses image analysis to reliably identify such developmental disorders.

Augmented reality for visual orientation - 15/11/2023

Fall prevention with the help of balance-enhancing AR glasses

As we age, our eyesight deteriorates and we have increasing difficulties with orientation. This can lead to balance problems and fatal falls. A team led by Dr. Lorenz Assländer from the University of Konstanz is currently developing a prototype of augmented reality (AR) glasses that use superimposed patterns to facilitate visual orientation in space, thereby helping to improve balance control and prevent falls.

Proof-of-concept study of organoid technology - 26/03/2026

Can organoids improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer?

A clinical trial called UNITEPANC is exploring whether organoid-based approaches can improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer. BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg spoke with the study’s principal investigator and pancreatic cancer specialist, Prof. Dr. Thomas Seufferlein of University Hospital Ulm, to discuss the disease more broadly along with the specific aims of the trial. The interview was conducted by Walter Pytlik on behalf of BIOPRO.

Brain metastases are among the most serious complications of breast cancer. Researchers at Heidelberg University, DKFZ, and UKHD have concluded an investigation of the immune cells in the brain tissue surrounding these breast cancer brain metastases. Their findings: spatial distribution patterns of immune cells are associated with prolonged patient survival. These findings could help to guide use of immunotherapies for breast cancer patients.

Certain medicines contain compounds known as PFAS, which are causing increasing environmental harm due to their long-lasting effects. A report by the University of Freiburg, commissioned by the German Environment Agency, shows that many PFAS-based active ingredients used in medicines can be replaced by alternatives. Based on the findings of the report, doctors will in future be able to give preference to prescribing PFAS-free medicines.

Effective July 1, the Hahn-Schickard Association for Applied Research e.V. will spin off its operational business and transfer it to the newly founded Hahn-Schickard gGmbH. This nonprofit company has assumed the universal legal succession of the association and has been entered in the commercial register of the Stuttgart District Court. It is legally represented by its managing director, Dr. Karl-Peter Fritz.

For the first time, scientists from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site in Essen/Düsseldorf have discovered stem cells of the hematopoietic system in glioblastomas, the most aggressive form of brain tumor. These hematopoietic stem cells promote division of the cancer cells and at the same time suppress the immune response against the tumor.

New findings indicate that a shingles vaccination could not only reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, but also reduce disease progression among those living with dementia.

Article - 17/03/2021

Epigenetic switches in bacteria as biosensors

The analysis of pathogen biomarkers and biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases can be crucial for health. However, the detection of pathogens and diseases depends on a sensitive and reliable method that delivers rapid results. Biosensors have such properties. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry (IBTB) at Stuttgart University have constructed an epigenetic circuit composed of plasmids that might make it…

Baden-Württemberg is the leading location for the pharmaceutical industry in Germany. In addition to international industry giants such as Roche, Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, numerous medium-sized pharmaceutical companies and innovative biotechnology companies specialising in pharmaceutical research and development are also based in this region.

Article - 14/01/2021

Newly discovered RNA as growth driver in liver cancer

Non-coding RNA (ncRNAs) molecules that do not encode proteins have many different functions, and some are associated with certain diseases. Prof. Dr. Sven Diederichs from the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research and the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg has been conducting research into these molecules at the Freiburg University Medical Centre and discovered a ncRNA that regulates cell proliferation in cancer cells.

Article - 17/02/2021

Whole blood model enables development of early warning system for sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that can be treated all the more successfully the faster therapy is initiated. It is not just the infection itself that is so dangerous, but a dysregulated response of the immune system. Physicians at Ulm University Hospital have now developed an animal-free test system that can be used to research the disease and develop innovative diagnostic tools to quickly assess a patient's sepsis risk and optimise…

Certain anchor proteins inhibit a key metabolic driver that plays an important role in cancer and developmental brain disorders. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Innsbruck, together with a Europe-wide research network, discovered this molecular mechanism, which could open up new opportunities for personalized therapies for cancer and neuronal diseases. They published their results in the journal Cell.

Women have an increased risk of breast cancer if they have a family history of this disease. However, the risk may also be higher if first-degree family members have another type of cancer, according to a study by a team of scientists and physicians from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), as well as international colleagues.

Through a complex, self-reinforcing feedback mechanism, colorectal cancer cells make room for their own expansion by driving surrounding healthy intestinal cells to death - while simultaneously fueling their own growth. This feedback loop is driven by an activator of the innate immune system. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Heidelberg discovered this mechanism in the intestinal tissue of fruit…

SolidCAR-T project - 15/03/2022

Modular ‘mini-factories’ for decentralised production of CAR T cells

Novel CAR T-cell therapies have proved to be promising therapeutic options for the treatment of acute leukaemias and lymphomas. Researchers from the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, the University Hospital Tübingen and the NMI in Reutlingen have joined forces in the SolidCAR-T project that aims to generate CAR T cells to combat solid tumours and produce these cells directly on site in the clinic using automated 'mini-factories'.

Assay to support the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases - 22/06/2022

Tracking down pathogenic immune complexes

Soluble complexes of antibodies and their target structures circulating in the blood can trigger serious systemic inflammations. Dr. Philipp Kolb and Haizhang Chen from the Institute of Virology at the Freiburg University Medical Centre have developed a sensitive, cell-based test system for detecting these immune complexes. The system can be used to diagnose systemic autoimmune diseases, and also severe cases of COVID-19.

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Heidelberg University investigated in mice how spreading tumor cells behave at the site of metastasis: Some tumor cells immediately start to form metastases. Others leave the blood vessel and may then enter a long period of dormancy. What determines which path the cancer cells take is their epigenetic status.

Gender-specific differences - 18/06/2024

Gender medicine: Why is good healthcare not a matter of course for everyone?

Gender medicine is the study of gender-specific health differences. Many diseases manifest themselves differently in men and women and therapies do not always have the same effect depending on the sex of the patient being treated. There is currently not enough data on these differences. Research teams including the one led by Professor Dr. Dr. Sonja Loges from the University Medical Centre Mannheim and the DKFZ are seeking to change this.

Cell-based solution in place of animal testing - 05/06/2025

Innovative cell-based test to detect pyrogens in drugs

Drug safety testing for microbial contaminants and fever-inducing substances (pyrogens) still frequently uses animal experiments. InnoZell, a start-up that will soon be spun off from the University of Konstanz, has developed a compelling alternative: an animal-free, human cell-based assay that is faster, more sensitive and more reliable than traditional methods – and can be customised to meet user-specific needs.

Since their discovery in 2004, the grid cells in the brain, which are important for our orientation, have been regarded as a kind of “GPS in the head.” However, scientists at the DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital have now shown that grid cells work much more flexibly than previously assumed. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that the cells adapt their activity to different reference points depending on the situation.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) belong to a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping symptoms. Many patients have a common hallmark: A protein called TDP-43 clumps together in the neurons of the brain to form tiny lumps. Researchers at DZNE and Ulm University Hospital, together with international experts, have now discovered that these pathological changes primarily affect certain cells.

The Volkswagen Foundation is supporting the Ulm scientist Professor Walter Karlen with more than 940,000 euros from the funding initiative "Momentum - funding for first-time researchers". The engineer has headed the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Ulm University since 2021. Karlen conducts research in the field of mobile health on so-called Medicine Wearables, i.e. portable technology for recording health data.