Healthcare industry

The Research consortium is composed of 12 partners from 5 European countries and counts with a EU funding of €5.9M. TRIANKLE will provide fabrication of personalized implants for injured tendons or cartilages. Fraunhofer IGB will formulate and develop collagen- and gelatine-based bio-inks needed for 3D printing the personalised implants.

Article - 02/05/2016

Biopolymers – raw materials for innovative medical products

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable biopolymers that are becoming increasingly important. Bioplastics are now used not only in everyday objects such as plastic bags and yogurt pots but also increasingly in the field of medicine, which is why intensive research into medical devices made from biodegradable polymers such as PHA has been going on for quite some time.

Article - 08/08/2013

Innovative measurement of cellular stress allows development of new cancer drugs

The chemical attachment of PolyADP-ribose a biopolymer with chemical similarities to nucleic acids to cellular proteins is part of the cellular DNA repair machinery. To investigate this process in more detail Dr. Aswin Mangerich and colleagues from the University of Konstanz and the MIT have developed a bioanalytical platform based on isotope dilution mass spectrometry to quantify PAR levels with high specificity and sensitivity. The results…

Article - 15/04/2013

Molecule-specific diagnosis of metabolic diseases

In cooperation with the company Centogene AG Prof. Dr. Michael Przybylski from the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Biopolymer Analysis and Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry at the University of Konstanz has developed a method that involves a novel substance class and enables the parallel measurement of enzyme activity based on fluorometry and mass spectroscopy. The method for which the inventors have recently filed a patent application forms the basis…

Article - 09/07/2012

Crayfish chitin is an important raw material

In his Konstanz-based Vegafood project office Dr. Peter May is focused on sustainable breeding of crayfish with the aim of advancing industrial scale chitin research. European crayfish shed their skin several times a year providing research institutions and chitin product manufacturers with access to crustacean carapaces.

Press release - 04/10/2011

European joint conference on chemical engineering and biotechnology in Berlin end on an upbeat note

The 8th European Congress of Chemical Engineering and 1st European Congress of Applied Biotechnology closed on Thursday in Berlin on an upbeat note. For four days, about 3,000 scientists from industry and academia discussed topics from research and practical application. Especially the lectures on downstream processing of biotechnological products were strongly frequented; sessions on energy storage, future thinking in innovation and process…

Article - 19/09/2011

k-labor GmbH – a specialist in material analysis and characterisation

k-labor GmbH focuses on the initial inspection of samples for the automotive industry and the testing of a broad range of different materials. k-labor also specialises in environmental simulations and durability testing and offers consulting and the transfer of technologies in the plastics sector.

Article - 22/08/2011

IHB – Textile research that leads to new applications

Innovative medical textiles can offer clear advantages when it comes to improvements in delivering modern health care systems. The Institute for Hygiene and Biotechnology (IHB) at the Hohenstein Institute is currently involved in the development of new fibre-based materials for successful applications in the private and public health sectors. Both natural biopolymers and stem cells have the potential of becoming part of such medical products of…

Article - 04/04/2011

Polymaterials AG – Turning ideas into materials

Many companies lack the resources and the infrastructure required to turn basic research ideas into marketable products. However, there is a great need for innovative materials for technical as well as economic reasons. Polymaterials AG’s structured service portfolio is designed to support its clients in finding solutions for material problems and implementing innovative ideas.

Article - 14/02/2011

Marilena Manea: targeted chemotherapy to treat cancer

After cardiovascular diseases cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany. At the University of Konstanz Dr. Marilena Manea and her research group are working on the development of bioconjugates for targeted cancer chemotherapy. The researchers goal is to improve the efficiency and tolerability of the chemotherapeutic drugs that are already being used in hospitals.

Article - 31/01/2011

Technische Universität Braunschweig – made-to-measure synthetic microorganisms

The Institute of Biochemical Engineering at Technische Universität Braunschweig (Technical University (TU) Braunschweig) is a member of the Biopolymers/Biomaterials cluster and, as such, is involved in two projects to produce diaminopentane and succinic acid using optimised microorganisms with the aim of establishing a basis from which to provide industry with new materials made from renewable resources.

Article - 06/12/2010

Bioplastics – materials that have the potential to be used in medical technology

At the recent International Symposium on Biopolymers ISBP in Stuttgart scientists discussed the use of biobased plastics for applications in the field of medical technology. The majority of strategies presented at the symposium will only be ready for market in a few years time. However they give an idea as to why bioplastics are likely to be applied to a greater extent in the field of medical technology.

Article - 11/10/2010

University of Konstanz – crystallinity is key

Renewable resources not only provide the field of biotechnology with interesting possibilities for the development of new materials. Scientists from the Department of Chemical Material Science at the University of Konstanz have now succeeded in chemically synthesising a new type of plastic from plant oils.

Article - 27/09/2010

Fraunhofer ICT – from biomass to technical materials

The Pfinztal-based Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology investigates and develops innovative technical materials on the basis of biobased thermoplasts and furanic resin. Innovative companies in the consumer goods, packaging and transport industries are extremely interested in such products.

Article - 20/09/2010

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH – technically sophisticated production

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH is a specialist in high-quality plastics injection moulding. The company’s flexible organisation of production enables it to react quickly to customer requirements. Based on the idea of using biomaterials for injection moulding, the company’s managing directors, Dirk Elger and Günter Lachnit, are currently planning to become involved in production using sustainable plastics.

Article - 07/09/2010

think-blue - optimal tools for biopolymers

Jürgen Spitzmüller’s goal is to create perfect profiles with perfect extrusion systems. The experienced entrepreneur has left his family business to set up the company “think-blue” aimed at commercialising innovations for extrusion systems.

Article - 09/08/2010

Quick and early detection of rare diseases

Lysosomal storage diseases LSD are a group of around 50 rare inherited metabolic disorders. Only 12 LSDs have been described biochemically and microbiologically. Prof. Dr. Michael Przybylski from the Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Biopolymer Analysis and Proteomics at the University of Constance now hopes to change this situation. In a project carried out in cooperation with the biotech company Genzyme CEE Konstanz and the University of Timisoara…

Article - 10/07/2010

WEE-Solve GmbH – removing troublemakers

The purification and fractionation of polymers using innovative methods is of huge importance in many areas, including pharmacy and cosmetics. This is due to the fact that some polymers can only exert their full effect after fractionation. WEE-Solve GmbH offers innovative methods and scientific experience in polymer fractionation and rheology.

Article - 05/07/2010

ASA Spezialenzyme GmbH – more biogas thanks to optimised enzymes

ASA Spezialenzyme GmbH offers solutions for a broad range of applications – enzymes for quicker biogas production, enzymes for rust removal or enzymes for the production of new biopolymers in cars. The company has been coming up with innovative ideas for the biotechnology market ever since it was established in 1991.

Press release - 02/06/2010

Hohenstein researchers make progress on biotolerance of textile implants

The capacity of a textile implant to be tolerated by the body – known as biotolerance – plays an important role in regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, the body does not always tolerate textile implants. Even modern implants made of resorbable biopolymers, such as polylactic acid, break down in the body after a certain period of time and decompose into individual acidic components.

Press release - 24/05/2010

University of Stuttgart – biopolymers as construction material of the future?

The Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart is investigating whether it is possible to replace traditional plastics in the building industry with natural fibre-reinforced biopolymers. As part of the project, which is being funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, the ITKE researchers are working with the Nimbus Group to develop transparent lightweight building boards from biopolymers with…

Press release - 07/05/2010

TECNARO wins European Inventor Award

TECNARO GmbH located in Ilsfeld near Heilbronn is very happy about winning one of the most prestigious international awards the European Inventor Award. TECNARO was proposed by international patent examiners and nominated from among more than 1000 inventors and patent applicants.

Article - 03/05/2010

In order to innovate, we must come down from the ivory tower

At talks given at the recent Biotechnology Days in Berlin representatives of a number of different BMBF-funded clusters showed that numerous strategies to enable the industrial production of biopolymers and biomaterials from resources other than oil are now available.

Article - 19/04/2010

Natural antibodies to treat Alzheimer’s

Alzheimers disease is characterised by changes in the substance and structure of the brain that are caused by the depositing of protein plaques in the brain. Prof. Michael Przybylski and his team of researchers at the University of Constance have deciphered the structure of the site where mouse antibodies attach to the plaques subsequently causing them to dissolve. These findings will now be used to identify the binding structure of a component…

Press release - 29/03/2010

TECNARO GmbH – Thermoplastics made of lignin

TECNARO GmbH who was awarded the Industry Prize 2009 produces sustainable materials for the automotive and packaging industries and also for the manufacturers of furniture toys musical instruments and shoes.