Health, nutrition and environment

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

© Dirk Mahler / Fraunhofer

Pharmaceuticals development

Fraunhofer scientists research pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, allergies, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, and infections. For the production of pharmaceutical agents used in preclinical and clinical trials, we have at our disposal the most state-of-the-art equipment meeting the specifications of the European Medicines Agency EMEA and the American Food and Drug Administration FDA. Pharmaceutical agents and manufacturing processes are developed in accordance with the rules of the Good Manufacturing Process (GMP).

Projects

  • Immunotherapy – Fight the cancer with your own cells

    Every person is different, and so is every type of cancer. Indeed, even among patients with “the same” cancer, there is tremendous variation. Accordingly, there isn’t just one effective therapy for everyone. At the Fraunhofer-Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig, the scientists do some research together with the biotechnological industry about a personalized immunotherapy.

  • An alternative to antibiotics

    Link: Bild zum Herunterladen

    Antibiotics are among the greatest achievements of medical science. But lately the former multi-purpose weapon fails in the battle against infectious diseases. Bacteria are increasingly developing resistance to antibiotics. Researchers have now found a therapeutic equivalent which could replace penicillin and related phamaceuticals.

  • Medicines from plants

    Medikamente aus Pflanzen

    Some people think of herbal teas, others of tobacco when they hear the buzzword ‚medicines from plants‘. One research team succeeded in producing biopharmaceuticals – such as an antibody against HIV, for example, – in tobacco plants.

  • Translational research

    Hannover Center for Translational Medicine (HCTM)

    The Clinical Research Center Hannover (CRC Hannover) will allow safety (phase-I trials) and efficacy testing (phase-IIa trials) of new medications that have not yet been approved for commercial use by the authorities. This alliance of non-university research organizations and a university clinic enables a dovetailing of research and clinical practice and will thus expedite the translation of research results into clinical applications.

  • Clinical Airway Research

    Klinische Atemwegsforschung

    Clinical studies to test the efficacy of new pharmaceuticals and to assess the potential hazards of pollutants in the air are conducted in the business area Clinical Airway Research. In this field, the Fraunhofer ITEM closely cooperates with the Hannover Medical School as well as with industry and different research institutions.

  • Plants may help to prevent the spread of HIV

    Um die Antikörper aus den gentechnisch veränderten Pflanzen zu gewinnen, werden die Inhaltsstoffe aus den Tabakblättern extrahiert.

    Antibodies that could guard against HIV infection and therefore help to prevent AIDS can now be produced in plants. As part of the EU Pharma-Planta project, Fraunhofer researchers have helped to establish the fundamental principles required to produce the HIV-neutralizing antibody 2G12 in genetically modified tobacco plants, and are now providing the materials needed for clinical testing.