The Kompetenznetze Deutschland initiative of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology brings together the best-performing innovation clusters in Germany. These are differentiated in 9 thematical groups and again spread in 8 defined regions within Germany
Latest News
Gen variant decides whether humans have Hypercholesterolemia
Why do some people have an elevated cholesterol level and suffer from cardiac infarction whereas others appear to be safe? Scientists from Denmark and Germany have found the answer: it’s due to a gene. It emerges in different variants: one is protective while the other isn’t. The scientists from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin were able to demonstrate that the gene in question decides how much cholesterol is released from the liver into the blood (Cell Metabolism, doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2010.08.006)*.
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Mushroom heads in vacuum
Kiel Scientists are exploring biologically inspired adhesive structures
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New insights into cell division
German researchers decode function and structure of centrosomes
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Graffinity enters into Drug Discovery Research Collaboration with Genentech
HEIDELBERG, Germany — October 15, 2009 — Graffinity Pharmaceuticals GmbH announced today that it has entered into a drug discovery research collaboration with Genentech, Inc, a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY). With this collaboration Genentech will gain access to Graffinity’s proprietary, fragment-based drug discovery technology.read more
High-precision machining for highly accurate micro objectives from Leica Microsystems
Successful cooperative networking enables the production of mounted lenses with an extremely high diameter and spacing accuracies.read more
LUMOS – Air-based Monitoring System
A consortium of the Berlin KMU IQ Wireless, BLIC, Scandat and Teltec as well as the German Aerospace Centre and the Fhg institute FIRST responsible for research, has developed a new system for optical data entry of transportation and its processing in real-time including the supply of users with information.read more
Announcement of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of regulations for the funding of research and development projects
in the area of "International Partnerships for Sustainable Technologies and Services for Climate Protection and the Environment" (CLIENT) under the "Research for Sustainable Development" framework programmeread more
Method for isolation
A large part of gene regulation in eukaryotes takes place at the level of RNA-molecules. A group of endogenous regulatory RNA-molecules, the so-called microRNAs (miRNAs) appear to be involved in the regulation of about 30% of all human genes. These small RNA molecules (sRNA) also play a role in the development of diseases such as cancer, diabetes or neurological disorders. Disease-associated changes of miRNA expression patterns provide new prognostic and diagnostic opportunities and are qualified for the development of respective clinical markers.read more
Device for Registering the Occupancy of Tracks in Railway Traffic
A very common method for determining the occupancy of a rail track are the so-called track circuits. This method involves applying a low voltage to a pair of rail tracks which are isolated from the rest of the network and monitoring whether the voltage is short-circuited by the wheels and axles of a passing train. Rust and dirt that may cover the rail surface over time can create significant problems. The present invention consists of a device that allows to break through the insulating surface and thus ensures reliable signalling. This is achieved by creating sparks between the carriage wheels and the rails. Advantages: no modifications required to the track network, can be implemented in cross border traffic, low costs, independent of the electricity network, etc. read more
