Reduced immunosuppression possible in transplantations - 05/06/2023

Modified immune cells produce donor-specific tolerance

Traditionally, transplant recipients have had to take immunosuppressive medication for life to prevent organ rejection. However, there are considerable side effects involved. Using modified immune cells (MICs), TolerogenixX GmbH from Heidelberg has now managed to generate donor-specific tolerance in recipients of living kidney transplants without suppressing the overall immune system.

Optogenetic cell analysis - 15/05/2023

opto biolabs: how frustration and inventiveness led to the establishment of a company

When she found she had no suitable illumination devices for her doctoral thesis, Dr. Kathrin Brenker simply created her own customised adapters and founded a company called opto biolabs. Now, Brenker and company co-founder Luis Köbele sell two different types of devices. The main goal is to equip laboratories with illumination technologies that allow optogenetics methods to be used to accelerate development of optogenetic therapeutics.

Tübingen researchers describe connection between action and feeling of authorship - finding sheds light on delusions of external control in schizophrenia

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.

Proteins have characteristic amino acid sequences, the analysis of which is fundamental for research and medicine. These can be decoded; however, so-called protein sequencing is expensive and time-consuming. A large-scale research project led by Prof. Dr. Jan Behrends from the Institute of Physiology at the University of Freiburg now aims to establish a new technology for protein sequencing using nanopores, which will be rapid and cost-effective.

Inflammatory fatty liver disease (NASH, non alcoholic steatohepatitis ) and the resulting liver cancer are driven by autoaggressive T cells. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) now show what ist behind this destructive behavior. In both mice and humans with NASH, they found increased numbers of activated B cells in the gastrointestinal tract.

Researchers at the University of Konstanz publish image analysis software that automatically detects and classifies defects of animal development. Thanks to artificial intelligence, "EmbryoNet" outperforms human experts in terms of speed, accuracy and sensitivity.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and deadly form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. Tumor growth and relapse of TNBC are driven by breast cancer stem cells, and improved therapies that can eliminate those hardy cells are urgently needed. Researchers from the University of Frieburg discovered that coordinated differentiation and changes in the metabolism of breast cancer stem cells make them invisible for…

Initial Phase 1 part started with multivalent modified mRNA influenza vaccine candidates. Candidates developed in collaboration with GSK within broad infectious disease vaccine program encode for antigens covering four WHO-recommended flu strains.

Predicting the success of cancer treatment - 20/06/2023

Focusing on gut microbiome for CAR T-cell therapy

Cancer immunotherapies use the body's own defences to fight tumour cells. An international consortium of researchers from Germany and the USA led by the DKFZ in Heidelberg has demonstrated that the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapies greatly depends on the composition of the gut microbiome. The researchers have also developed a model for predicting the long-term response to the treatment.

Expert interview - 05/07/2023

Every tenth of a degree matters when it comes to mitigating the consequences of global warming: sustainability measures in the laboratory

The life sciences sector consumes huge quantities of energy and resources. This needs to change and we have to think differently. But how and where can sustainability measures be sensibly applied in the laboratory without compromising the quality of research results? Dr. Kerstin Hermuth-Kleinschmidt, owner of NIUB-Nachhaltigkeitsberatung, a company from Freiburg that focuses on sustainability in life sciences, tells BIOPRO how this can be done.

The recently established ITCC-P4 gGmbH provides academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies with a comprehensive repertoire of modern laboratory models of pediatric tumors. The aim is to systematically test new treatment options for children and adolescents with cancer and to contribute data to regulatory approval processes in order to make the development of new cancer therapies for children and adolescents more attractive.

Centromeres, the DNA sections often found at the center of the chromosomes, display enormous interspecies diversity, despite having the same vital role during cell division across almost the entire tree of life. An international team of researchers has discovered that the variation in centromere DNA regions can be strikingly large even within a single species. The findings, now published in the journal Nature, shed light on the molecular…

Impaired function of lung fibroblast is considered causative for symptoms of the incurable lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Using high-resolution epigenetic profiling, German and British scientists have now identified potential targets for COPD treatment. The team detected early epigenetic changes in the genome of COPD fibroblasts, providing new insights into the disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic avenues.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer that arises from malignant changes in blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. It mainly occurs in older individuals and represents about 20 percent of all adult leukemia cases. A research team from the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research at the University of Freiburg has now demonstrated for the first time that mast cells play a crucial role in the development of CML.

Researchers at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg have gained significant new insights into metabolic processes in the kidney. The scientists from the Institute of Genetic Epidemiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg measured tiny molecules, so-called metabolites, which occur in blood and urine and reflect our metabolism, in samples from more than 5,000 study participants.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a magnetically controlled soft medical robot with a unique, flexible structure inspired by the body of a pangolin. The robot is freely movable despite built-in hard metal components. Thus, depending on the magnetic field, it can adapt its shape to be able to move and can emit heat when needed.

NeuroQ project - 26/07/2023

Quantum sensors for exoskeletons: can quantum physics beat paralysis?

Could people suddenly be able to move again decades after being paralysed? State-of-the-art quantum sensors integrated in exoskeletons could make this possible. Technology being developed as part of the BMBF-funded NeuroQ beacon project by researchers from organisations including the Fraunhofer IAF, the Charité in Berlin and the University of Stuttgart might achieve even more: besides facilitating movement, it could also help cure paralysis.

Tumour organoids facilitate drug discovery - 20/07/2023

Drug screening for children with cancer using patient-specific miniature tumours

Standard drugs often don’t work in children and adolescents with recurrent cancer. Researchers from the Hopp Children's Tumour Centre (KITZ) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg have been looking to open up new therapy options for those affected, and have cultivated individual miniature tumours from biopsy samples to test the effectiveness of a variety of drugs within a few weeks.

Expert interview - 28/06/2023

Money isn't all that is needed – knowledge and networking can also help start-ups move forward

Dr. Rolf Neuhaus is one of the driving forces behind PALATINA Business Angels Rhein-Neckar e.V., a business angels association in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. In an interview with BIOPRO, Neuhaus describes the association’s activities and explains where there is still catching up to be done in terms of start-up support in Baden-Württemberg.

In most cancers, it is not the growth of the primary tumor that determines the prognosis for the patient, but whether it will spread and form metastases. This process is very complex. There are often years between the development of the cancer and the aggressive growth of the metastases. Scientists from the DKFZ, the HI-STEM, the Ruhr University Bochum, Helmholtz Munich and ETH Zurich have studied and identified metastasis growth in breast cancer

KIT and Research Center Borstel Present Nanoparticles with a High Antibiotic Concentration for Inhalation – Nanocarriers of Antibiotics Can Reduce Resistances and Enhance Compatibility.

Wearable medical devices, such as soft exoskeletons that provide support for stroke patients or controlled drug delivery patches, have to be made of materials that can adapt intelligently and autonomously to the wearer's movements and to changing environmental conditions. These are the type of autonomously switchable polymer materials that have recently been developed by researchers at the University of Stuttgart and the University of…

The AutoProNano German/French collaborative project involves developing a process for the automated production of nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo diagnostics. The project is being launched within the smart analytics cooperation network. This international initiative has been funded by the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) since May 2020.

Researchers from Konstanz and Zurich have deciphered a biochemical mechanism that ensures that newly formed proteins are processed correctly when they leave the cell's own protein factories. This solves a decade-old puzzle in protein sorting.

A new study published in Nature Medicine, July 2023 has identified two novel markers for screening high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), a precursor to anal cancer, from the anal microbiome of people with HIV (PWH). PWH are at a significantly higher risk of developing anal cancer. Current screening methods, such as anal cytology, have low specificity for detecting HSIL, which hinders the prevention of anal cancer.

DNA nanotechnology - 25/08/2023

Artificial cytoskeleton made of DNA for synthetic cells

The physicists Prof. Dr. Kerstin Göpfrich and Prof. Dr. Laura Na Liu want to understand life from the bottom up. They intend to do this by constructing an artificial cell. However, rather than natural protein building blocks, they are using 3D-DNA structures as construction material. The first step involved creating an artificial cell skeleton that dynamically assembles and disassembles like the biological model and can transport vesicles.

CureVac N.V. today announced that it has dosed the first patient with its investigational cancer vaccine CVGBM in a Phase 1 study. CVGBM is based on CureVac’s proprietary second-generation mRNA backbone and features a single mRNA, encoding eight epitopes derived from known tumor-associated antigens with demon­strated relevance in glioblastoma. A first data readout is expected in the second half of 2024.

Sustainability report - 31/08/2023

ReKlimaMed: how effective is the German healthcare sector when it comes to sustainability?

Hospitals, care facilities and the healthcare industry, together with laboratories, private practices and pharmacies, ensure our medical care, but in so doing they produce enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and consume many resources. The ReKlimaMed report prepared by the viamedica foundation presents an inventory of current sustainable activities, and provides stakeholders with information and recommendations for action.

Project BlindZero - 03/08/2023

Hope for patients with eye diseases: human cornea from 3D printers

Thousands of cornea transplants are performed every year. However, donors are rare and the procedure is not always without complications. Researchers at the University of Heidelberg are developing an innovative technique in the project BlindZero. It involves ‘printing’ human corneas directly onto patients’ eyes using 3D bioprinting. The reprogrammed genetically engineered cells used for this purpose are not expected to cause a rejection reaction.

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, the Tübingen AI Center held a symposium to celebrate its permanent establishment as a national AI center. Since July 1, 2022, it has received 20 million euros a year in funding from the federal government and the state.

The function of mast cells, which are part of the immune system, is still a mystery. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now shown in mice: mast cells function as a sensor that signals the animals to avoid antigens, including harmful allergens, and thereby protect themselves from health-threatening inflammatory reactions. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

Known as the power plant of the cell, mitochondria are essential to human metabolism. Human mitochondria consist of 1,300 different proteins and two fatty biomembranes. The vast majority of mitochondrial proteins are produced with a cleavable transport signal and have to be actively transported into the mitochondria.

So far, 4.2 million animal tests under the REACH chemical regulation: A study from Konstanz and Baltimore quantifies the number of animals that died for the hazard assessment of chemicals in the chemical industry.

Project SMARTGAIT - 13/09/2023

Safe and cost-effective analysis of neurological gait disorders with AI

Stroke, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis often resulting in gait disorders in those affected. Gait analyses play a crucial role in the successful evaluation and therapy of such disorders. Current measurement methods are costly and time-consuming. The SMARTGAIT project is therefore developing an innovative AI-based system aimed at performing meaningful gait analyses with the help of simple smartphone video recordings.

Help with osteoarthritis of the knee - 27/09/2023

Individualised knee-joint cartilage: artificial tissue that fits

Knee joints are subject to considerable stress throughout our lives. The natural shock absorber cartilage wears out over a lifetime, so many people develop knee osteoarthritis. Treatment is available in the form of artificial cartilage. This "off-the-shelf" tissue often does not grow well. Researchers are developing an individualised cartilage replacement made from biomaterial that is produced by 3D printing based on MRI images.