Bioeconomy

Biotechnology companies have always had international ties: they employ cutting-edge technologies and market the discoveries and developments of researchers around the world. Rapid innovation cycles and rapid technological developments force companies to undertake costly R&D as well as market their products and/or services across national borders.

Press release - 04/10/2011

European joint conference on chemical engineering and biotechnology in Berlin end on an upbeat note

The 8th European Congress of Chemical Engineering and 1st European Congress of Applied Biotechnology closed on Thursday in Berlin on an upbeat note. For four days, about 3,000 scientists from industry and academia discussed topics from research and practical application. Especially the lectures on downstream processing of biotechnological products were strongly frequented; sessions on energy storage, future thinking in innovation and process…

Press release - 03/10/2011

BioIndustry 2021: Meet German leading-edge clusters at BIOTECHNICA 2011

Four of the five clusters that have won the BMBF “BioIndustry 2021” competition will be present at a joint booth at BIOTECHNICA, Europe’s leading trade fair for biotechnology and the life sciences to be held in Hanover, Germany from 11th to 13th October. They will be presenting insights into visions they have been working on and talking about their place in the industrial biotechnology sector of the future.

Article - 19/09/2011

k-labor GmbH – a specialist in material analysis and characterisation

k-labor GmbH focuses on the initial inspection of samples for the automotive industry and the testing of a broad range of different materials. k-labor also specialises in environmental simulations and durability testing and offers consulting and the transfer of technologies in the plastics sector.

Dossier - 19/09/2011

Social media are gaining in importance in the life sciences

Social network services are springing up like mushrooms; everybody seems to be talking about ‘Web 2.0’ or ‘Podcast’. The life sciences are also starting to use the new communication media for their purposes. Social network services are online platforms with a representation of each individual user who links up with a number of different social networks composed of other users. Terms like Web 2.0 and Podcast are commonly used and the World Wide…

Article - 19/09/2011

Uwe Ludewig and the future of agricultural crops

Prof. Dr. Uwe Ludewig has been head of the Department of Nutritional Crop Physiology at the University of Hohenheim for around a year now. Physicist by training and specialist in electrophysiology, Prof. Ludewig now works mainly on transport processes in plants. He plans to use molecular relationships to enhance the potential of agricultural crops, reduce the use of fertilisers and make agricultural plants fit for climate change.

Article - 12/09/2011

What happens inside molecular light receptors?

A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Tilman Lamparter from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT is investigating how the absorption of light alters the three-dimensional structure of phytochrome molecules and how this effects the behaviour of plantcells. The researchers use bacteria with phytochromes that have largely unknown functions.

Article - 05/09/2011

How microalgae bind carbon dioxide and how they are used as sources for material and energy production

In comparison to other plants, algae grow quickly and produce large quantities of biomass. They generate a much greater mass per square metre than other energy plants. In addition, almost all algal biomass can be used as raw material for the pharmaceutical industry, amongst others. Therefore, a technology that is able to effectively produce microalgae on an industrial scale could make a considerable contribution to the energy and material…

Article - 05/09/2011

1001 Genome-Project – On the way to a complete catalog of the Arabidopsis genome

People can develop new technologies and animals may migrate to other regions. However, plants are tied to their location. Nevertheless, they have found ways to ensure their survival. This is the case for the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is found throughout the entire northern hemisphere. But how does this small, inconspicuous plant deal with all these different extremes? In order to discover the whole-genome sequence variation, the 1001…

Press release - 02/09/2011

Environment Action Programme evaluated

Major accomplishments in the field of environment during the past ten years have been the extension of the Natura 2000 network to cover almost 18 of the EUs land area the introduction of a comprehensive chemicals policy and policy action on climate change.

Press release - 31/08/2011

»Lean Production« in the world of bacteria

Insilico Biotechnology will use its models and simulations to improve bioproduction via bacteria by throwing unnecessary ballast overboard. Bacteria for industrial purposes can do without the survival and adaptation strategies needed in natural environments so these metabolic pathways and products are to be eliminated for production processes. The pioneer research project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and…

Article - 22/08/2011

IHB – Textile research that leads to new applications

Innovative medical textiles can offer clear advantages when it comes to improvements in delivering modern health care systems. The Institute for Hygiene and Biotechnology (IHB) at the Hohenstein Institute is currently involved in the development of new fibre-based materials for successful applications in the private and public health sectors. Both natural biopolymers and stem cells have the potential of becoming part of such medical products of…

Article - 22/08/2011

Can the stress tolerance of moss be transferred to maize and other plants?

The moss Physcomitrella patens has long since been one of several popular model organisms used in research. The Physcomitrella patens genome was sequenced in 2007. Comparative analyses with other plant species show why the relatives of the moss were able to colonise land approximately 500 million years ago the moss relatives developed a large number of mechanisms to protect them against drought and other stress factors which made them real…

Article - 22/08/2011

Cellular chaperones

Cells possess a large number of chaperones which make sure that proteins behave correctly and do not cause damage. Scientists at the Centre for Molecular Biology in Heidelberg are investigating the mechanisms used by the complex network of chaperones to control the proper folding of cellular proteins.

Article - 15/08/2011

Artificial seed germination and premature ageing

Farmers expect sugar-beet seeds to be of the highest quality. Seed producers such as Einbeck-based KWS SAAT AG use complex technologies to ensure that seeds start germinating immediately after sowing even under unfavourable environmental conditions. One of the techniques used by KWS SAAT AG involves a special method of seed preparation to ensure immediate germination. However the disadvantage of this special type of pretreatment is that the seeds…

Press release - 04/08/2011

Testing water quality - Test kit makes in situ testing easy

Moisture and warmth create the ideal living conditions for a wide range of micro-organisms which can pose a risk to human health. Now, a new quick testing kit for bacteria means that the microbiological contamination of water or other surfaces can be measured directly in situ, with no need for expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests.

Press release - 01/08/2011

Water purification unit generates its own energy

A new biological water purification facility developed by Siemens generates enough methane gas to power its own operations. It also produces much less sludge than conventional systems.

Press release - 26/07/2011

In vitro modeling of the nuclear pore complex of a thermophilic fungus

Scientists from Heidelberg have sequenced the genome of a thermophilic eukaryote, the fungus Chaetomium thermophilus, and identified the genes of its nuclear pore complex. From this they have constructed an in-vitro model of the pore complex which is responsible for the exchange of macromolecules between the cell nucleus and the cytosol.

Press release - 25/07/2011

Lufthansa using biofuels on scheduled flights

An Airbus A321 will be flying between Hamburg and Frankfurt to test biofuel on scheduled flights over the course of six months. On this service, one engine will be using a fuel blend containing 50 percent biosynthetic kerosene. The key objective of this project is to conduct a long-term test during which the impact of biofuels on the maintenance and efficiency of jet engines can be investigated.

Article - 18/07/2011

JRS – creating sustainability with fibres

Fibres can be used to disintegrate tablets, bind together the ingredients in a formulation and coat substrates. The company J. RETTENMAIER & SÖHNE GmbH+Co.KG has been offering plant fibres, pulp and cellulose for a broad range of applications since 1878. The company now also uses the natural fibres for the fabrication of bioplastics in an effort to contribute to sustainability.

Press release - 15/07/2011

Optical Analyses: More Efficient Biogas Facilities

Siemens is developing optical measuring techniques that will enable more precise control of biogas facilities in order to increase their efficiency. When biomass is fermented to produce methane, acids are created, and if the acid concentration gets too high, the process collapses and the facility has to be cleaned and started up again.

Article - 04/07/2011

Stefan Rensing investigates the evolutionary transition from algae to land plants

The biologist Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing from the University of Freiburg has been involved in introducing the use of computers to the life sciences from the very beginning. His analyses of the moss genomes now help to close an important gap in evolutionary research how did algae become land plants?

Article - 29/06/2011

Bernhard Eikmanns makes a soil bacterium fit for industrial application

Bernhard Eikmanns prefers not to get involved in research that will end up on bookshelves. So it was an easy decision for the biologist to drop the research he was doing into bacteria that are difficult to cultivate during his doctoral studies and concentrate instead on Corynebacterium glutamicum, a bacterial species that is much easier to cultivate. Corynebacterium glutamicum is an excellent object for scientific research and industrial…

Article - 20/06/2011

Molecular biologists to celebrate 50th anniversary of Jacob and Monod’s operon model

Leading molecular biologists from around the world came together at a conference jointly organized by the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and the Institut Pasteur in Paris between 17th and 20th May to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operon concept published by François Jacob and Jacques Monod in 1961. The scientists discussed concepts and research results influenced by the operon model, which have led to our present…

Press release - 17/06/2011

Lehner GmbH: Text message from houseplant: "Please water me!"

Lehner GmbH Sensor-Systeme has developed a completely new system for monitoring plants. Electrodes attached directly to a plant can detect and report water shortages or pest infestation early on, thus optimizing pesticide use and avoiding unnecessary watering. Lehner GmbH Sensor-Systeme, a medium-sized company from Kirchheim unter Teck, scored a victory with this innovation in the 2011 CyberOne business plan competition.