Coronavirus: Central Hessen innovations helping to fight the pandemic

Innovation made in Central Hessen – the strength of German’s healthcare hotspot is featured in the corona crisis. Whether researching a vaccine against Covid-19, searching for effective drugs or developing rapid corona tests and respirators, many strands of national and global health efforts are converging in Central Hessen. Here is an overview of the most promising projects.

The heartbeat of Germany’s medical and health care industry is Central Hessen: Top research, innovation-driven industry and excellent educational opportunities are combined in one close-knit region.

This infrastructure makes the region around the three hubs of Marburg, Gießen and Wetzlar an agile center of excellence when it comes to combating the corona crisis. Numerous partnerships, research projects and inventions to contain the global pandemic represent the innovative power of the closely networked region.

Thus, Central Hessen participates in the global fight against corona:

17. June 2020

A research team from Central Hessen is testing a new strategy in the fight against corona: a substance that inhibits a cell's own enzyme and thus reduces the reproduction of different viruses.

New strategy against coronavirus: active ingredient attacks human enzyme

3. June 2020

Medical experts already agree that coronavirus can also affect other organs such as the heart and kidneys - as well as the central nervous system. However, there is no reliable evidence for the exact pathomechanism. To clarify this, a nationwide register is currently being set up at the University of Giessen.

Does coronavirus also affect the nervous system? New biobank to provide data that COVID-19 is more than a lung disease

27. May 2020

A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is the saving anchor for millions of people. Healthcare experts from Central Hessen have again come a step closer to this goal. Clinical trials on humans can begin.

Corona vaccine ready for clinical trials

20. May 2020

Scientists at Marburg University are testing photodynamic therapy - PDT for short - for its effectiveness in COVID-19 patients. PDT is already being successfully used for other diseases.

With laser light against COVID-19

15. May 2020

The Data Science working group of Uni Marburg is developing a new biomedical database: CORDITE for future research and drug production.

New Marburg corona database supports worldwide research

8. May 2020

For more than three decades Werner Seeger has been researching sudden lung failure caused by viruses. In this interview, Seeger talks about the coronavirus situation at the UKGM, as well as promising studies and what he thinks about political decisions made during this pandemic.

UKGM chief discusses Corona: “What is surprising is that the lung failure drags on for so long.”

5. May 2020

A vaccine against the respiratory disease MERS could provide a breakthrough against SARS-CoV-2: Scientists at the University of Marburg are playing a major role in the development of an effective vaccine against the coronavirus.

MERS vaccine developed into a candidate against SARS-CoV-2

28. April 2020

Corona laboratory tests are scarce – but they are urgently needed to further reduce the number of new infections with COVID-19. One test method is a nasal and throat swab, a testing method which can reliably determine carriers of SARS-CoV-2. BAG Diagnostics has developed a new rapid test for this method.

New corona laboratory test: Fast and safe

17. April 2020

The Gießen-based company Munditia Technologies GmbH has developed an antiviral and antibacterial surface coating with long-term effect that kills SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This development could be a worldwide breakthrough for hygiene measures against the corona pandemic.

Plant-based coating against corona viruses

9. April 2020

Respirators are now a scarce commodity. Scientists from the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM) and the University Hospital Giessen/Marburg (UKGM) want to change this with a simple and cost-effective solution.

Low-cost ventilator

8. April 2020

International companies have now joined the alliance to develop a potential plasma therapy. Researchers from CSL Behring are also playing a key role.

Plasma Alliance against COVID-19

6. April 2020

The German Federal Ministry of Agriculture has declared all employees in the veterinary medicine sector as systemically relevant in the corona crisis. Even so, this order is not enough for Giessen veterinarians - they are working on a wide range of support for the human sector.

Veterinary Medicine: Helping in the Fight Against Corona

2. April 2020

Medical professionals around the world are fighting the threat of corona with all means at their disposal: Researchers and developers are working on solutions to contain the Covid 19 pandemic - and treat patients. Innovations in medical technology from Central Hessen are contributing to this.

Innovation Against Corona

1. April 2020

A vaccine against corona would be the breakthrough - and probably the rescue - for millions of people. Scientists around the world are feverishly searching for a serum against the virus. Researchers from Central Hessen are also working tirelessly to find the substance that will save lives globally.

A Vaccine Against Corona – Research at Full Speed

31. March 2020

Rapid diagnosis of infected persons is extremely important for containing the Covid 19 pandemic. Once an infection is detected, isolation measures can begin immediately. Marburg’s NanoRepro AG is making its contribution to the fight against corona, now with a rapid test for home use.

Corona Testing at Home

What is the coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are ring-shaped, enveloped RNA viruses from the family Coronaviridae. At the turn of the year 2019/2020, the latest coronavirus (Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2 and, at the beginning of 2019, called nCoV) was discovered in several patients in Wuhan, China. Since then the number of patients has been increasing in China, Italy, Germany and worldwide. The current case numbers are available on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO).

How is the coronavirus transmitted?

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is transmissible from person to person. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the information available to date on the epidemiology of Covid-19 shows that transmission is possible in close (e.g. domestic or nursing) contact between people. According to current knowledge, infection can occur via droplets and contact, e.g. with bodily secretions and excretions. It can be assumed that – as with other corona viruses – transmission occurs primarily via excretions or secretions of the respiratory tract (droplet infection). These arise, for example, when speaking, coughing or sneezing, but also during medical interventions (endotracheal intubation, suction from the respiratory tract, etc.). Cases have also been reported in which people have been infected in patients who had only shown non-specific symptoms.

How does the disease manifest itself?

Like other respiratory pathogens, infection with Covid-19 can lead to symptoms such as coughing, rhinitis, neck scratching and fever, and some sufferers also suffer from diarrhoea. However, in patients with a weakened immune system, the virus appears to be associated with a more severe course, leading to breathing problems and pneumonia. Deaths have so far occurred mainly in patients who were older and/or previously suffered from underlying chronic diseases.

The incubation period of Covid-19 is not known with certainty, but is estimated to be up to 14 days. Many properties of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 are currently not known. These include, for example, the period of highest infectiousness, how severe the disease is, over which period of time diseased viruses are excreted or are still infectious.