Mini-factories for producing bioplastics - 05/05/2022 Bacteria produce bioplastics: resource-saving and very environmentally friendly Using living cells as mini-factories to produce plastic from nothing more than water, sunlight and carbon dioxide; plastic that is also 100 percent degradable – it sounds far-fetched but it actually works: researchers at the University of Tübingen have genetically engineered cyanobacteria so that they fill their cells to the brim with polyhydroxybutyrate. The researchers are now turning the idea into reality with the development of pilot plants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bacteria-produce-bioplastics-resource-saving-and-very-environmentally-friendly
CRISPR/Cas9 and genetic engineering laws - 27/11/2019 Transgene-free plant breeding using genome editing Plant geneticists from Tübingen have used genome deletion to breed a variety of tomato that is resistant to powdery mildew. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology that they used enabled them to achieve this in a relatively short period of time. They also demonstrated beyond any doubt that the new tomato variety contains no foreign DNA and is indistinguishable from naturally occurring deletion mutants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/transgene-free-plant-breeding-using-genome-editing
Two-part interview part 2 | Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn on the green genetic engineering debate - 26/08/2019 "Green genetic engineering is a scapegoat, but no longer an innocent one" Many scientists are expecting revolutionary advances in research to come from new molecular biology tools such as the CRISPR/Cas gene scissors. These methods are very important for agriculture, especially plant breeding and nutrition. However, the debate on green genetic engineering 2.0 looks like it may once again be heading for ideological battles. We talked with Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn and asked him about opportunities for better communication.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/renn-green-genetic-engineering
Two-part interview part 1 | Prof. Dr. Regina Birner on the green genetic engineering debate - 12/08/2019 Agricultural economist Birner calls for other forms of dialogue besides organized interest groups Green genetic engineering continues to divide opinion in Germany in the same way as CRISPR/Cas and other genome editing (GE) techniques. What are the consequences for the bioeconomy, which involves key areas of biotechnology? We talked with Prof. Dr. Regina Birner, agricultural economist and head of Hohenheim University’s Department of Social and Institutional Change in Agricultural Development at the Institute of Agricultural and Social…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/agricultural-economist-birner-calls-for-other-forms-of-dialogue-besides-organized-interest-groups
Article - 10/01/2019 Stocktaking and recommendations for action: the BBAW’s fourth gene technology report In the new gene technology report, the interdisciplinary working group of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) takes stock of gene technology developments in Germany during the past few decades, and discusses the societal, legal and ethical challenges associated with these technologies in the future. The report is highly topical due to the controversy surrounding the ruling of the European Court of Justice on CRISPR/Cas9 genome…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/stocktaking-and-recommendations-for-action-the-bbaws-fourth-gene-technology-report
Article - 26/11/2018 Innovations to facilitate a greener world The Second Global Bioeconomy Summit, held in Berlin in April 2018, confirmed the essential role of modern genetic engineering methods such as genome editing in producing heat- and drought-tolerant crops adapted to the changing climate. Such methods are clearly required to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/innovations-to-facilitate-a-greener-world
Plant breeding - 19/11/2018 Tobacco for health Plants can be used as biofactories to produce valuable active ingredients such as proteins, antibodies, dyes or vaccines. A project called Newcotiana aims to re-position the existent tobacco industry infrastructure. The project partners, including Prof. Dr. Holger Puchta from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, use modern breeding methods to develop tobacco varieties with new capabilities.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/tobacco-for-health
Article - 29/05/2018 ITAS – Assessing the impact of life science technologies The Karlsruhe Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) is one of the largest and most renowned institutions in Germany involved in evaluating scientific and technological developments. The institute assesses the impacts and possible effects of new methods from a wide range of scientific fields - including the life sciences.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/assessing-the-impact-of-life-science-technologies
Dossier - 20/03/2017 Lignin – a natural resource with huge potential Petroleum is the lifeblood of the chemical industry. It is the raw material for basic chemicals and is used to produce a tremendous wealth of products. Growing demand and dwindling resources mean that the chemical industry is increasingly focusing on renewable resources. Lignin is a wood component that is proving to be a particularly promising resource. It is currently almost exclusively used for generating energy, although it could also be used…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/lignin-a-natural-resource-with-huge-potential
Article - 16/08/2016 Learning from wild grapevines Grapevines are treated with pesticides more frequently than any other crop. Peter Nick from the Botanical Institute at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is pursuing an ambitious goal: sustainable viticulture rather than toxins. Sustainable viticulture takes into account plants’ natural capacities of resistance. Nick uses the European Wild Grape, the ancestor of cultivated grapevine varieties, for his research as the plant is able to…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/learning-from-wild-grapevines
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.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/crisprcas-genome-editing-is-becoming-increasingly-popular
Article - 06/06/2016 Natural genetic engineering New plant breeding technologies, and the CRISPR/Cas technique in particular, are making headlines. For the first time in the history of agriculture, these technologies enable the quick and, in particular, precise modification of DNA at a predetermined locus. However, these methods provide authorities with an unexpected headache: are genome-edited plants genetically modified organisms or not?https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/natural-genetic-engineering
Article - 04/08/2014 Top-class plant research in Tübingen The German Max Planck Institutes are world leaders in the area of plant research. Prof. Dr. Detlef Weigel Director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen makes a major contribution to this success. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as model system Weigel studies the molecular mechanisms that enable plants to adapt to environmental conditions and those that underlie plant immunity. He has…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/top-class-plant-research-in-tuebingen
Article - 26/08/2013 International procedures for the detection and identification of GM seeds In Europe the GM contamination threshold must not exceed 0.1. The Agricultural Technology Centre Augustenberg LTZ in Karlsruhe is accredited by the International Seed Testing Association ISTA to carry out international cooperative studies on GM seed analyses in cooperation with ISTA.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/international-procedures-for-the-detection-and-identification-of-gm-seeds
Article - 31/05/2013 Research in Biberach – does the bioeconomy have a purple future? Rhodospirillum rubrum bacteria have long attracted the interest of biotechnologists due to their ability to produce large quantities of pigments. Microbiologist Hartmut Grammel from Biberach University of Applied Sciences and scientists from the Magdeburg-based Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems are studying the bacterias suitability for the fixation of CO2 with the distant objective of producing organic materials with…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/research-in-biberach-does-the-bioeconomy-have-a-purple-future
Press release - 05/06/2012 Engineered moss produces human hormone Erythropoietin (EPO) is a human protein hormone that is predominantly produced in kidneys. Scientists from the Chair of Plant Biotechnology of the University of Freiburg, Germany, around Dr. Eva Decker and Professor Ralf Reski and from the Freiburg-based biotech company greenovation have genetically engineered the moss Physcomitrella patens in such a way that it now produces recombinant human asialo-EPO in the moss bioreactor. The researchers…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/engineered-moss-produces-human-hormone
Article - 30/04/2012 How is phytochrome B translocated into the cell nucleus? Plants cannot see but they can perceive the quantity and quality of light. As they have evolved plants have developed numerous molecular photodetectors such as phytochromes. Phytochromes can detect changes in the light situation. The undergrowth of forests thus manages to grow towards the few patches of sunlight that the phytochromes can detect. Researchers have long puzzled over how phytochromes transmit information about the light level into…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/how-is-phytochrome-b-translocated-into-the-cell-nucleus
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/can-the-stress-tolerance-of-moss-be-transferred-to-maize-and-other-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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bernhard-eikmanns-makes-a-soil-bacterium-fit-for-industrial-application
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/molecular-biologists-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary-of-jacob-and-monod-s-operon-model
Article - 18/04/2011 Diatoms – small cells with huge potential A group of researchers at the University of Konstanz led by Prof. Dr. Peter Kroth is working on an organism that is an extraordinarily successful survivor. Its chemical, biological and biochemical properties can be put to many different uses and it has the potential to be used in the healthcare market and industry to an even greater and more effective extent in the future. We are referring to diatoms.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/diatoms-small-cells-with-huge-potential
Press release - 08/01/2011 Optimal Use of Resources from Nature Tomatoes that resist pests and extreme weather while still tasting like tomatoes are among Professor Holger Puchtas long-term research goals. The molecular biologist develops techniques that will allow him to control inheritance in plants to selectively improve the properties of different species through nature’s existing gene pool. For his fundamental research, Puchta now is awarded an Advanced Researcher Grant by the European Research Council…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/optimal-use-of-resources-from-nature
Press release - 14/12/2010 EU-funded research on genetically modified crops In order to help inform debate on genetically modified organisms, the European Commission is publishing a compendium entitled "A decade of EU-funded GMO research". The book summarizes the results of 50 research projects addressing primarily the safety of GMOs for the environment and for animal and human health. Launched between 2001 and 2010, these projects received funding of €200 million from the EU and form part of a 25-year long…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/eu-funded-research-on-genetically-modified-crops
Article - 13/12/2010 The chemical industry cannot be ignored Urbanisation, changing climate and population explosion along with increasing energy requirements – the chemical industry needs to come up with effective contributions to finding solutions to issues of future relevance. During a guest lecture at the University of Konstanz, Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Executive Research Officer of the world’s largest chemical company, BASF SE, spoke about future research issues and the solutions that he believes can…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/the-chemical-industry-cannot-be-ignored
Press release - 08/08/2010 Human protein produced in a moss bioreactor The research group led by Prof. Ralf Reski is a moss specialist and has now, for the first time, succeeded in producing a human protein in a moss bioreactor – the complement factor H. The lack of this protein leads to age-related macular degeneration in about 50 million people worldwide. The complement factor H has been assigned ‘orphan drug’ status by the respective EU authorities.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/human-protein-produced-in-a-moss-bioreactor