Healthcare industry

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Laser-assisted preventive and curative dental treatment

In cooperation with numerous industrial partners and with the support of public funds, researchers at the ILM are focusing on the optimisation of sealer materials and remineralisation substances as well as on effective and permanent preventive caries treatment.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Anisotropic light propagation in scattering media

The intelligent use of lasers in medicine requires an in-depth knowledge of the propagation of light in biological tissue. Many biological media such as teeth, tendons, hair, skin, nervous tissue or bones are characterised by anisotropic light propagation. In a collaborative project with a research group from Milan, scientists at the ILM investigated different anisotropic media, with a particular focus on different types of wood.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Screening methods

Optical screening methods are of huge importance for a broad range of analytical issues. Fluorescence-based methods are highly significant for their high sensitivity amongst other things. Important technological developments have focused for example on reducing sample volumes increasing sample throughput high-throughput screening HTC or on information content high-content screening HCS. With regard to screening methods the ILM is currently…

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Laser-assisted diagnosis and therapy method for chronic wounds

The goal of the cooperative project of the Competence Centre for Minimally Invasive Medicine & Technology Tübingen-Tuttlingen (MITT) and the University Hospital of Tübingen was to facilitate the treatment of chronic wounds and improve their healing process using an innovative laser method. The partners developed a method that enables the recognition of necrotic tissue on wound surfaces and the contact-free ablation of the tissue using a…

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Optical analytics

In collaboration with the company Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen GmbH and the Institute of Virology at the University of Ulm, the ILM is developing an innovative detection system for the early diagnosis of influenza virus infections in pharyngeal secretions.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Thermal material testing

Photothermal measurement methods are based on the heating of a sample surface through the use of intensity-modulated or pulsed irradiation, which spreads through diffusion in the sample and the surrounding medium. The temperature distribution is influenced by the material’s properties, the composition and the geometry of the sample.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Molecular cytogenetic diagnostics

The ILM used multicolour fluorescence in-situ hybridisation for the detection of chromosomal changes in the vein tissue of patients suffering from recurrent varicosis.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Surface modification and measurement technology

As the interface between materials and their environment, surfaces are of great importance when it comes to a component’s properties and functions. The specific alteration of a surface can improve the surface properties, for example resistance to mechanical or chemical stress, microstructuring of the surface can make it fitter for complex applications.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Laser Therapy Centre

The study carried out by the ILM investigates the fractional irradiation of wrinkles and scars using an Erbium:YAG handpiece.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – Spectroscopic characterisation of substances

The optical characterisation of materials through transmission, absorption and reflection is only complete when these values can also be indicated in dependence of the wavelength. In order to investigate these wavelength dependencies, the ILM has a number of high-quality spectrometers available that cover the entire range from ultraviolet to infrared light.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM - Ray tracing

Over the last few years, the finite-element software ANSYS! has been created for the determination of temperature profiles. It is used for the optimisation of laser parameters.

Press release - 08/01/2009

ILM – IR Measurement technology

Contactless temperature measurement methods have significant advantages over contact thermometry. Quick, space-resolved measurements provide valuable information in many technical and medical areas, for example in the characterisation of thin layers or thermal side effects of a laser-assisted therapy method.

On 19th December in Stuttgart, the state secretary of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Richard Drautz, presented the Bioenergy Competition results for the second half of 2008. The best projects are being given funding of almost one million euros.

Press release - 15/12/2008

Great opportunities for the bioliq® method developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Ernst Pfister, believes that the target of ten percent biofuels that was introduced to stop emission growth can only be reached with new technologies. “In terms of the target, I envisage excellent opportunities for the bioliq® process developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,” said Pfister speaking on 15th December 2008 in Stuttgart.

Rhodopsin mediates between the visual world and our brain. Biophysicists at Freiburg have used infrared spectroscopy to gain detailed insights into the rhodopsin centre to find out how the molecular side chains of the proteins have to interact in order for the brain to understand the visual environment.

Press release - 13/12/2008

Nestlé to extend Product and Technology Centre

Only four years after opening Nestls Product Technology Centre in Singen has already become too small. The head of the PTC Thomas Hauser was surprised to receive the go-ahead for its extension only two months after having presented his idea.

Press release - 12/12/2008

The Internet portal takes a Christmas break!

Although the BiotechLife Sciences Portal Baden-Württemberg is taking a Christmas break many of the Internet editorial staff elves and pixies will continue working behind the scenes to get the revised new style website ready for launch on 12th January. We hope you will like the revamped website and would be delighted to welcome you to our new BiotechLife Sciences Portal Baden-Württemberg at www.bio-pro.de - a reliable up-to-date and comprehensive…

The evaluation committee of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs has heaped praise on the NMI in Reutlingen the institute has a top national and international profile and it exploits synergies in a highly efficient way.

The European Commission welcomes the agreement by the EU Member States to align EU legislation on classification labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures to the United Nations Globally Harmonised System. This new system will ensure that the same hazards will be described and labelled in the same way all around the world.

Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard a computer scientist from the University of Freiburg has been awarded the Leibniz Prize the most prestigious German research award. His main focus of research is navigational and adaptive robotic systems.

Protein kinases are a major focus of modern cancer research. Since it has become known that these enzymes play a role in the development of tumours, researchers around the world are concentrating on finding drugs to inhibit overactive protein kinases and prevent cancer cells from growing. One of these active substances is currently being tested at the Tumour Biology Centre in Freiburg as part of a worldwide phase III clinical trial.

The German regulatory authority has approved the Clinical Trial Application CTA to begin a Phase I clinical study with RNActive - derived mRNA vaccine CV9103. It will be tested in patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.

The Konstanz Research School of Chemical Biology has just launched the third call for students from the fields of biology chemistry or related sciences to start their doctoral thesis in April 2009.

Article - 08/12/2008

Specific control of cellular processes

It would be extremely useful to have a remote control system which would enable processes inside cells to be switched on and off at will externally. Students from the University of Freiburg have succeeded in constructing just such a system.

A fully automated process is set to improve the production of artificial tissue medical scientists can perform transplants with skin produced in the laboratory. This tissue is also suitable for testing chemicals at a low cost without requiring animal experiments.