Elastin as artificial muscle material - 02/03/2022 Artificial muscle from proteins for diverse future applications As far as diversity and complexity are concerned, proteins are nature's smallest marvels. Biotechnologists have already used natural proteins as a basis for the development, bespoke design and production of artificial systems. This is what the livMatS cluster of excellence at the University of Freiburg has been doing. Researchers in the cluster have successfully produced an artificial muscle from elastin that functions autonomously.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/artificial-muscle-proteins-diverse-future-applications
Press release - 20/06/2022 Protein changes in the liquor indicate inflammatory processes in the brain Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases are associated with inflammatory processes in the brain. German researchers have succeeded in identifying a group of proteins in the liquor that could provide information about such inflammatory processes. As so-called biomarkers, the proteins could help to better understand disease processes in the future and to test the effect of potential drugs against brain inflammation.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/protein-changes-liquor-indicate-inflammatory-processes-brain
Press release - 06/02/2023 Fewer side effects thanks to personalised medicine Patients have 30 percent fewer serious side effects when medication doses are tailored to their genetic profile. This is what an international research consortium has found out, including the Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at the Bosch Health Campus. With an individual DNA medication pass, as used in the study, treatments can be made more effective and safer in the future.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/weniger-nebenwirkungen-dank-personalisierter-medizin
Press release - 02/04/2024 Precise localization of miniature robots and surgical instruments inside the body In the medicine of the future, tiny robots will navigate independently through tissue and medical instruments will indicate their position inside the body during surgery. Both require doctors to be able to localize and control the devices precisely and in real time. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now described a signaling method based on an oscillating magnet that can significantly improve such medical applications.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/precise-localization-miniature-robots-and-surgical-instruments-inside-body
Press release - 28/01/2022 Artificial Muscles Made of Proteins Dr. Stefan Schiller and Dr. Matthias Huber from the University of Freiburg’s livMatS Cluster of Excellence have succeeded in developing a muscle solely on the basis of natural proteins. The autonomous contractions of the material, which the researchers presented in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems, can be controlled with the help of pH and temperature changes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/artificial-muscles-made-proteins
Press release - 17/01/2023 Endogenous molecule protects from life-threatening complications after stem-cell transplantation Acute Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a life-threatening complication after leukemia treatment with allogeneic stem cell transplantation i.e. the transplantation of cells from another person. GvHD occurs when the transplanted immune cells are overly active and damage the receiving patient's healthy tissue. Researchers found that an endogenous molecule can mitigate this misdirected immune response.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/koerpereigenes-molekuel-schuetzt-vor-lebensbedrohlichen-komplikationen-nach-stammzelltransplantation
Press release - 04/10/2023 Therapeutic option for tumor patients with the rare DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion A phase I clinical trial is now starting at Tuebingen University Hospital in the Clinical Collaboration Unit (CCU) Translational Immunology, in collaboration with the Department of Internal Medicine I, which is investigating the therapeutic cancer peptide vaccine Fusion-VAC-XS15 in combination with immune checkpoint blockade by atezolizumab (Tecentriq®). https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/therapeutic-option-tumor-patients-rare-dnajb1-prkaca-gene-fusion
Press release - 25/10/2021 How the "thermostat" in the brain measures impending overheating The mechanisms by which the body measures temperature and regulates its own body heat are vital, but still poorly understood. The discovery of the first heat sensor on nerve cells in the skin, for which the U.S. molecular biologist David Julius received this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine, was therefore pioneering.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/how-thermostat-brain-measures-impending-overheating
Press release - 31/01/2023 ERC Consolidator Grants for Two Researchers from KIT In the 2022 allocation round for the award of the prestigious Consolidator Grants of the European Research Council, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have been successful. For their projects in the fields of photovoltaics and medical sensor technology, physicist Ulrich W. Paetzold and chemist Frank Biedermann will receive approximately two million euros over the next five years.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/erc-consolidator-grants-fuer-zwei-forscher-des-kit
Press release - 23/11/2021 Multi-peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows strong T-cell immune response At the University Hospital Tübingen, clinical evaluation of an in-house developed vaccine (CoVac-1) against SARS-CoV-2 was started in November 2020 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Juliane Walz in the CCU Translational Immunology of the Medical Clinic (Medical Director Prof. Dr. Helmut Salih). Now the results of the Phase I study are available and demonstrate a potent activation of the T-cell response against the coronavirus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/multi-peptide-vaccine-against-sars-cov-2-shows-strong-t-cell-immune-response
Press release - 25/10/2023 Epigenetically acting drugs could support cancer immunotherapy Epigenetically active drugs enable the cell to read parts of the genome that were previously blocked and inaccessible. This leads to the formation of new mRNA transcripts and also new proteins, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the University Hospital Tübingen have now published. These "therapy-induced epitopes" could help the immune system recognize cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetisch-wirkende-medikamente-koennten-krebs-immuntherapie-unterstuetzen
Press release - 25/10/2023 Epigenetically acting drugs could support cancer immunotherapy Epigenetically active drugs enable the cell to read parts of the genome that were previously blocked and inaccessible. This leads to the formation of new mRNA transcripts and also new proteins, as scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the University Hospital Tübingen have now published. These "therapy-induced epitopes" could help the immune system recognize cancer cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/epigenetically-acting-drugs-could-support-cancer-immunotherapy
Press release - 23/05/2024 "They heal wounds, allow bones to grow and calm inflammation" MWK funds cell therapy research into mesenchymal stromal cells with 600,000 euros The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Arts (MWK) is supporting medical researchers at Ulm University with start-up funding totalling 600,000 euros. The aim is to establish an EU consortium for the broad therapeutic use of mesenchymal stromal cells. The funding is being awarded as part of the "BEGIN - Participation in major European projects and initiatives" programme.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/they-heal-wounds-allow-bones-grow-and-calm-inflammation-mwk-funds-cell-therapy-research-mesenchymal-stromal-cells-600000-euros
Article - 22/03/2019 Personalised therapies for treating metastasing breast cancer Breast cancer is characterised by broad genetic diversity. Successful treatment is made even more difficult by the fact that, in advanced breast cancer, the properties of metastases often differ significantly from the primary tumour. The Heidelberg CATCH study is now collecting genetic profiles from patients' metastasis tissue samples, which can be used to tailor therapy to individual requirements.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalisierte-therapieansaetze-bei-metastasiertem-brustkrebs
Press release - 25/05/2021 From harmless skin bacteria to dreaded pathogens The bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidisis primarily a harmless microbe found on the skin and in the noses of humans. Yet some strains of this species can cause infections – in catheters, artificial joints, heart valves, and in the bloodstream – which are difficult to treat. These bacteria are often resistant to a particularly effective antibiotic, methicillin, and are among the most feared germs in hospitals.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/harmless-skin-bacteria-dreaded-pathogens
Press release - 18/10/2023 SARS-CoV-2: Alert immune system in the respiratory tract protects children from severe courses of the disease Why are severe courses of SARS-CoV-2 infection less common in children and adolescents than in adults? Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now discovered that the immune system in the upper respiratory tract is much more alert and active in children before infection than in adults and is therefore better equipped to fight the virus.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/sars-cov-2-aktiveres-immunsystem-den-atemwegen-schuetzt-kinder-vor-schweren-verlaeufen
Press release - 04/03/2024 First Step Toward Early Diagnosis of Metastasis Team involving the University of Freiburg has developed a new analytical method for the basement membrane in human lungs.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/first-step-toward-early-diagnosis-metastasis
Dossier - 19/08/2013 Telemedicine advances in high-tech healthcare Increasing average longevity, the growing number of chronic diseases and health economy issues are all generating an ever-increasing demand for inexpensive therapy options that are not time - or location dependent. Telemedicine has been offering advanced solutions for a broad range of medical and health issues. Despite this progress, the use of telecommunication and information technologies in the provision of remote healthcare services appears…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/telemedicine-advances-in-high-tech-healthcare
Press release - 24/01/2023 What keeps the immune defense in brain tumors functional Cancer immunotherapies often fail because the immune cells are paralysed by immunosuppressive conditions in the tumor. Scientists from Heidelberg, Mannheim and Tel Aviv have now shown on tissue samples from patients as well as on tumor models in mice that the functionality of the immune defence depends decisively on certain helper cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/was-die-abwehrzellen-hirntumoren-funktionsfaehig-haelt
Press release - 22/05/2023 Prevention of pandemics Volkswagen Foundation to fund international research project with around 1.5 million euros. Interdisciplinary team led by the Institute for Global Health at Heidelberg University Hospital to research the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans in Thailand and Laos. Long-term goal is to develop sustainable preventive measures against future pandemics.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/prevention-pandemics
Press release - 23/05/2024 Predicting cancer risks on the basis of national health data Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, UK, are using the Danish health registers to predict individual risks for 20 different types of cancer with a high degree of accuracy. The prediction model can also be transferred to other healthcare systems. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/predicting-cancer-risks-basis-national-health-data
Dossier - 13/05/2013 The human proteome the next major goal The “Human Proteome Project”, a ten-year global initiative that is making a systematic effort to map all human proteins, has moved from the planning to the experimental stage. How significant and how effective the project will be depends on how much the resources offered are used by proteome researchers and on the data that the researchers bring into the project.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/the-human-proteome-the-next-major-goal
Press release - 14/04/2021 Engineering T cells for cancer therapy efficiently and safely Genetically enhancing a patient's immune cells by adding therapeutic genes to them outside the body is regarded as a promising new treatment approach in oncology. However, the production of these therapeutic cells using viruses is not only expensive but time-consuming. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed an innovative non-viral vector that can efficiently introduce therapeutic genes into immune cells. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/engineering-t-cells-cancer-therapy-efficiently-and-safely
Press release - 28/09/2022 First successful trial for early detection of HPV-related cancer of the pharynx Screening trials for the early detection of rare diseases often fail due to insufficient predictive power of the results. For the rare HPV-related cancer of the pharynx, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) now relied on the combined detection of antibodies against two different viral proteins in a proof-of concept trial.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/erste-erfolgreiche-studie-zur-frueherkennung-von-hpv-bedingtem-krebs-im-rachenraum
Press release - 25/04/2024 Diamond dust shines bright in Magnetic Resonance Imaging An unexpected discovery surprised a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart: nanometer-sized diamond particles, which were intended for a completely different purpose, shone brightly in a magnetic resonance imaging experiment – much brighter than the actual contrast agent, the heavy metal gadolinium. Could diamond dust one day become a novel contrast agent used for MRI? https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/diamond-dust-shines-bright-magnetic-resonance-imaging