Press releases

Led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig, as well as the Department of Urology of the University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, a team of researchers has succeeded, for the first time, in identifying prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer which are based on transcriptome-wide gene sequencing. The description of the developed gene signature for the assessment of prostate cancer after surgery has now been published in the renowned “European Urology” journal.

On 20th May 2020, the Astacin Proteases junior working group started its work at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI). This group, which is headed by Dr Daniel Ramsbeck, primarily focuses on the design and development of meprin inhibitors and the development of ovastacin inhibitors. The research group will be funded by the Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt (using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)) for a period of roughly two years.

A new technology developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) facilitates a specific, sensitive diagnosis of the Dengue virus. The patented procedure has been licensed to two companies and corresponding antibody tests are now available on the market. As a result, both the four different Dengue virus serotypes can be differentiated and also the Dengue virus itself can be distinguished from other closely related flaviviruses, which include the yellow fever virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus, in addition to the Zika virus and the West Nile virus. Moreover, work is already underway to adapt the procedure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the West Nile virus.

On 23 April 2020, Professor Ulrich Demuth was elected to the German Ethics Council by the Bundestag. He was then formally appointed by President of the Bundestag, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, on 30 April 2020. At present, Professor Demuth works for the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in an advisory capacity. Until January 2020, he headed the Fraunhofer IZI Branch of Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses at the Potsdam-Golm site and ran the Fraunhofer IZI Drug Design and Target Validation Department in Halle (Saale), which he set up in 2013.

They want to make better use of the body's self-healing powers and make "living drugs" available to many patients: Scientists from the TU Dresden, the University of Leipzig, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI have started the conception phase in their joint cluster SaxoCell in the innovation competition "Clusters4Future" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The SaxoCell project has started on May 1st 2020 and was selected as one of 16 out of 137 proposals for funding of the first concept phase in 2020.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI were able to prove that ticks transmit the Q fever pathogen. Tick feces, which contain high concentrations of the bacteria, play a particularly important role in this process.

A meprin protease inhibitor and assay platform developed at Fraunhofer IZI are the basis for the research collaboration with Vivoryon Therapeutics AG. Headed by PD Dr. Stephan Schilling, the Department of Drug Design and Target Validation will work with the company to develop first-class small molecule meprin inhibitors. The aim is to develop therapeutic applications for fibrosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

On 1st March 2020, a new research project was launched at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI). Imaging of living cells is to be improved by means of viral and bacterial targeting sequences. The project is supported by the VolkswagenStiftung.

PIONEER is a European Network of Excellence for Big Data in Prostate Cancer, consisting of 32 partners across 9 countries, among them Fraunhofer IZI. In an important step forward the first datasets have been transferred into the PIONEER Big Data platform by PIONEER partner Erasmus University Medical Centre (MC). Through the application of Big Data and the analyses of real-world evidence PIONEER aims to change the prostate cancer landscape to improve the health and social care received by all prostate cancer patients and their families. Fraunhofer IZI works in the framework of the PIONEER project on the topics data harmonisation of transcriptome-wide expression studies as well as statistical data analyses to identify and confirm biomarkers.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) and, more specifically, their envelope proteins are suspected of transporting diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatism and tumor diseases. However, the actual function of these specific factors remains to be seen. Cellular damage and the misdirected stimulation of the immune system caused by HERV are assumed to be disease mechanisms. A joint research project between the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI and Halle University Hospital is expected to deliver new insights based on the characterization of HERV envelope proteins. The aim is to develop therapeutic antibodies for HERV-associated autoimmune and tumor diseases.