Technology Offers Medicine/Pharma



Early Therapy of Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

At present, only the symptoms of the hereditary disease CF, which results in death at a young age, are being treated, not the actual cause. The novel preventive therapeutic strategy consists of an early treatment of CF before any disease-specific symptoms can be detected. In animal trials, the early therapy with sodium channel blocker amiloride commencing immediately after birth prevents the development of CF. Clinical trials of amiloride as an early intervention preventive therapy against CF are already in the planning phase.

 

 

Malaria-Vaccine Candidate

Promising candidate for the development of a malaria vaccine with long term protective effect, which is currently not available. The invention describes the immunization using the malaria target molecule MSP-1, which has been integrated in a stable form into recombinant vaccinia viruses of the strain MVA (modified vaccinia virus Ankara). The present invention induces humoral and cellular immune response to vaccination against malaria tropica.

 

 

Ferrocene-based Prodrug

Researchers at the University of Heidelberg have synthesized several ferrocene derivatives that are expected to treat cancer.  They act as prodrugs with improved characteristics and have been successfully tested in living cancer cell lines.  Their mode of action namely the increase of the ROS levels and the simultaneous suppression of the antioxidative system of the cancer cell offers broad therapeutic application.

 

 

Fresh Wind Blowing for novel Radiopharmaceuticals

The technology concerns complexing agents for production of innovative radiopharmaceuticals that are based on metallic radionuclides. Radiopharmaceuticals are essential components in modern nuclear medicine. In the field of medical imaging radiodiagnostics are widely used in oncology and neurology especially as contrasting agents in positron emission tomography or during scintigraphy of the myocardium, spleen, skeleton, or the thyroid gland. Radiotherapeutics are primarily used in radioimmunology for tumor therapy and/or pain therapy. The chelate complexes of the present invention have been specifically designed for optimal complexing of 99mTc and 188/186Re (Tetrathiol derivates), or 67Cu and 64Cu (Bispidine derivates), or can be specifically adapted to these and additional radionuclides like 68Ga, 111In, 177Lu, 89Sr, 225Ac, 82Rb or 90Y (Bispidone derivates). Furthermore, the basic structure of the ligands can be conjugated with biomolecules (e.g. antibodies) for specific binding of tumors receptors or the like.