technology transfer blog

Invention from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg for Pharmaceutics & Medicine:

Dendritic cells (DC) are considered to be the organizers of the immune system. In principle they can induce two reactions. On the one hand, they organize the immune defense for the control and elimination of microbes and foreign structures/cells, such as cancer cells. On the other hand, DCs prevent this very immune-defence from attacking endogenous cells and structures. The latter is also referred to as induction or maintenance of tolerance or briefly tolerization. When tolerance is broken, the results are graft rejections, allergies or autoimmune diseases with progressive tissue destruction as seen for example in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, hardly any therapies or therapy regimens have been developed to date to induce tolerance. In the presented new invention it is demonstrated that the i.v. application of Ontak results in a profound tolerization of dendritic cells (DC).

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For the treatment of bone fractures and bone defects BMP-2 (Recombinant bone morphogenetic protein 2 ) is a known bone graft substitute which is currently available on the market. BMP-2 must be applied in high concentrations to induce bone formation in clinical settings. However, there ist a limited therapeutic impact due to the presence of BMP antagonists that neutralize exogenous BMP-2. Inventors at the University of Würzburg (Germany) have identified L51P, a novel inactive BMP-2 mutein, which acts as an inhibitor of BMP antagonists (noggin, chordin and gremlin). In vitro and in vivo validation studies with a combination of BMP-2 and L51P led to a significant increase in BMP activity and thus to improved bone growth.

Sientists from the University of Regensburg discovered novel peptide inhibitors for the treatment of malignant melanoma. These Peptides or antibodies are binding to the melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) protein and inhibit melanoma growth this way.

Hydrogen sulphide is a highly toxic and corrosive environmental pollutant with an obnoxious smell, the removal of which is necessary for pollution control and processing requirements within industry. A new invention in the field of chemistry & biotechnology from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg demonstrates that specially modified iron, manganese, cobalt and nickel porphyrins can be used for the efficient catalytic removal of hydrogen sulphide species (H2S, HS-, S2-), here labelled H2S.

An invention by scientists of the University of Bayreuth, which is based on the active ingredient Combretastatin-A (CA), shows promising effects in the treatment of drug-resistant tumors. CA, a plant-based vascular-disrupting (antivascular) active substance, specifically attacks the blood vessels that supply tumors. New Combretastatin derivates, which were developed jointly by the universities of Bayreuth and Halle-Wittenberg, now display increased antivascular effect.