Press Release 10.11.2004

Communicating the key technologies of the 21st Century

First International Congress on Regenerative Biology hailed a massive success for the STERN BioRegion.

(Stuttgart) – Professor Arnold I. Caplan, Professor of Biology at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, an expert in developmental biology, tissue engineering and cell-based therapies, summed up the subject of the BioStar 2004 congress with a single sentence and provided a plausible explanation as to why regenerative biology, as one of the key technologies of the 21st Century, carries major scientific and economic importance: "We live because our cells continually renew themselves. Understanding this permanent renewal is the basis of regenerative biology."

Dr. Klaus Eichenberg opened the BioSTAR Congress.

Such statements were music to the ears of BioStar organisers Dr. Klaus Eichenberg, Managing Director of BioRegio STERN Management GmbH, Dr. Ralf Kindervater, Managing Director of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH and Professor Claus Claussen, Dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Tübingen and Director of the Verein zur Förderung der Biotechnologie e.V. (Society for the Promotion of Biotechnology). "We see this as massive confirmation that focusing our work on regenerative biology was the right step to take. By 2007, Euro 18 million could be spent in this region on concrete projects focusing on patients," said Dr. Eichenberg. However, he stressed that support from the public purse was still vital for the region's work for the time being, "There is still a great reluctance to invest in this promising sector, with its innovative methods and techniques. This means that we still have a lot of work to do in this field."

That said, the organisers have some extremely powerful allies in this mission - Dr. Harald Stallforth, a representative from the Gesundheitsforum Baden-Württemberg health forum and member of the research & development management team at B. Braun-Aesculap, and Professor Thomas Skutella, Head of the Tissue Engineering section at the University of Tübingen's Anatomical Institute. They addressed the more than 250 scientists from Germany and abroad who had travelled to Stuttgart to discuss recent developments in the fields of neuroregeneration, regeneration of supporting tissue such as bones and cartilage and regeneration in the cardiovascular system, skin vessels and internal organs, and convinced them that they were playing an active part in shaping the future of medicine. Guests at the "Regenerative Biomaterials" satellite symposium, which kicked off the congress, were also called upon to do everything in their power to make this joint scientific mission a real success in the interest of patients.

Through thick and thin - Drosophila helps understanding of obesity

One noteworthy aspect of the congress was that the majority of speakers focused on scientific theory and clinical practice in equal amounts. "In this respect too, our concept worked 100%," said Dr. Eichenberg.

Professor Herbert Jäckle

To illustrate the potential importance and the necessity of networking the disciplines represented in Stuttgart, Professor Herbert Jäckle, Director of the Göttingen-based Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, described the transition from developmental biology to regenerative biology. „The human body consists of 10 to the power of 13 cells which can be divided into between 200 and 300 cell types. According to their type, every single cell has to learn how to develop properly, so that it can serve the human body as part of the whole system and fulfill its specific role.“ Taking the example of the Drosophila fruit fly, Jäckle showed how genes can be mutated to make flies increase or decrease in size. If a certain gene is switched off, the fly gains weight, but if the same gene is induced into overactivity, the opposite effect is achieved and the fly loses weight. He said that, as humans and flies are not very far removed in genetic terms, the results from his research on the Drosophila make an important contribution to understanding obesity in humans.

Dr. Franz Jakob, Professor of Clinical and Experimental Osteology at the University of Würzburg, picked up on the ideas put forward by Professor Jäckle by explaining that tissue regeneration mirrors developmental biology. He also gave an overview of the current state of research into mechanisms for bone regeneration and the basic principles of treatment strategies.

"We want to encourage dialogue between the various specialist areas"

Lively discussions developed between the participants not only during the heavily attended presentations, but also in the accompanying workshops - on nutritional physiology and REMEDY, an EU support programme that aims to promote networks for start-up companies in the field of tissue engineering in particular - and in the breaks too. The organisers saw this as a tremendous vote of confidence in their choice of speakers. "In the run-up to the congress, people asked why neurologists, biologists and orthopaedic specialists were being invited," said Dr. Eichenberg. "The answer is that we're looking to bring the various specialist areas together so they can enter into a dialogue. We don't have to keep on reinventing the wheel because the fundamental ideas in many areas of application overlap."

Regeneration for the treatment of paralysis, Parkinson's and hereditary diseases?

One of the most popular events was Professor Caplan's lecture on cell replacement therapy. "Tissue engineering is not only important for reconstructive medicine after accidents, but it can also be a suitable form of therapy for genetic diseases“, he said, outlining the main crux of his argument. As part of his research work, mice with congenital muscle weaknesses were treated with bone marrow stem cells and completely cured as a result. The audience also listened attentively to his remarks on "cell painting" which involves modifying cells in vitro and marking or "painting" them with molecules with the aim of activating them faster. These then guide the cells to the desired location and remain in situ.

Dr. Martin E. Schwab, Professor of Neurosciences from the Department of Biology at the ETH Zürich and founder of the Centre of Neurosciences, spoke about the significance of neuroregeneration in the quest to find methods of treating spinal column defects. The focus of his team's work is on optimising nerve growth with the aim of promoting the spontaneous growth of new "circuits" providing a basis for functional rehabilitation. "For a long time we could not understand why the direct capability of the spinal cord and the brain to regenerate is so extremely low“, said Professor Schwab. "With the possibilities of modern biology we can start to answer these questions. In order to do this we sometimes need to forget the knowledge we have acquired from textbooks." In field trials involving rats, he observed the "regenerative sprouting of new circuits, so-called tissue bridges." Histologists previously believed these "growths" to be useful, but Professor Schwab has ascertained that they form growth cones after a short time. The next step, he said, is to generate antibodies that inhibit Nogo-A which prohibits growth in the central nervous system of adults.

Professor Thomas Gasser, Head of the Department for Neurodegenerative Disorders at the University of Tübingen, deals mainly with Parkinson's disease, an illness that still puzzles experts. He said, "One of the present hypotheses of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease is that 'proteins accumulate as a neuro-toxic substance." He explained that his current approach involves identifying a strategy for protecting neurones so as to slow down the course of the disease, "If we are able to diagnose the symptoms earlier, we can slow down the point where Parkinson's disease breaks out."

Discussion recommences in 2006

Dr. Eichenberg's concluding remarks were particularly well received by the audience. He proclaimed, "The congress has confirmed our excellent reputation as a key biotech site. With our interdisciplinary approach, we're on exactly the right course." Finally, the organisers declared themselves delighted with the quality of the conference and the positive feedback they'd received and announced that the next BioStar in 2006 would also involve experts across the various disciplines.