Press

The EU wants to further improve the authorization process for plant protection products. The different national procedures for this are supposed to be further harmonized. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a software for estimating the transfer of pesticides into surface water initially in Germany.

The operative business of European ScreeningPort GmbH (Hamburg) has been integrated into the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME located in Aachen, with branches in Gießen, Frankfurt, Münster, Schmallenberg and international centers in the USA and Chile. This integration enhances the expertise and capabilities of the Fraunhofer IME in drug discovery sciences thus boosting its drug development research activities.

One of Fraunhofer IME`s projects is among the finalists of this year`s GreenTec Awards. The GreenTec Awards is Europe’s largest environmental and business prize.

Empty nets and few species – environmental hormones are believed responsible for the diminishing numbers of fish. How damaging are these substances really, though? Studies that depict a complete picture of the lives of fish provide clues.

Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s leading organization for applied research, announced today the creation of a natural product center of excellence to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapies to treat infectious diseases, the second leading cause of mortality worldwide1 accounting for 10 million deaths in 2011.

Surfaces with photo-catalytic characteristics clean the air off nitrogen oxides and other health-endangering substances. Using a new test procedure, Fraunhofer researchers can find out how the coatings behave during a long-term test. They will introduce the test at the booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance in Booth 131 / 135 in Hall C2 at the Trade Fair BAU that will take place from 14 – 19 January, 2013, in Munich, Germany.

The Institute for Agroecology, IfA, Neustadt has an excellent expertise in ecologically related agricultural research. One major field of activity is the research into special crops as viticulture, orchards and hops. The Division Applied Ecology of Fraunhofer IME, Schmallenberg, has achieved an international reputation in similar research areas with main focus on field crops as well as hazard and risk assessment for chemicals. A high synergy potential by com­plementary methodology and technology offers optimized market opportunities.

The EU-funded project Pharma-Planta has succeeded in producing an anti-HIV antibody in plants and has tested it in humans, with a positive result. This antibody could one day become an inexpensive component used to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The "Phase I" clinical trial was launched at the University of Surrey Clinical Research Centre (UK) in June and has just been completed. Further clinical testing will be required to assess the new drug's effectiveness. The Pharma-Planta project has delivered not only a clinical product tested on humans but also a production platform and facility that can be used to produce other protein-based pharmaceuticals.

Nowadays, half of all the fish we eat comes from fish farms. The problem is that these fish are increasingly being fed vegetable matter, which could lead to a build-up of residual pesticides in them. A new test shows how high the risk of contamination really is.