Healthcare industry

Article - 03/10/2010

Measuring body forces with sensors contained in the implant

In collaboration with WITTENSTEIN intens GmbH and Prof. Rainer Baumgart ZEM Munich researchers from the University of Konstanz have further developed the fully implantable telemetrically-controlled distraction nail FITBONE. They have equipped the nail with sensors and energy- and data transmission modules to carry out biomechanical movement and load-bearing analyses of the locomotor system in vivo. The researchers goal is to develop a system to…

Article - 28/09/2017

Textile implant as herniated disc repair kit

Repairing herniated discs is a clinical need that has still not been met. When the discomfort becomes unbearable, surgery can be performed and the intervertebral disc is generally removed. However, this can further reduce the patients’ quality of life. Scientists at DITF, in cooperation with the Spanish company NEOS Surgery S.L., have developed a textile-based device for treating herniated discs. The device is a minimally invasive “repair kit”…

The Centre for Regenerative Biology and Medicine ZRM in Tübingen has joined forces with Naturin GmbH based in Weinheim. The partners plan to develop new carrier materials on the basis of collagen which improve cell cultures and medical implants.

Dossier - 20/12/2012

Medical technology – serving healthcare

Modern healthcare would be impossible without medical technology. The achievements in medical technology are indispensable for our health and quality of life. The range of medical technology available covers surgical instruments and implants to diagnostic methods and medical devices.

Article - 04/07/2011

The use of regenerative biomaterials is likely to grow

Tuttlingen-based Aesculap AG is committed to using different materials including ceramics, titanium and high-performance polymers for the development and production of implants. The medical technology company has come up with a solution to prevent people from developing allergies against substances used in prostheses. Dr. Harald Stallforth, CEO Research & Development and Vice Chairman of the Aesculap AG management board talks with a BioLAGO…

Is there a slight chance that patients suffering from Retinitis pigmentosa or even from age-related macular degeneration might be able to regain their vision? A microchip implanted beneath the retina might at least give such patients the ability to make out the outlines of objects.

The NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen is a role model for how research findings can be turned into financially sustainable products and services. Prof. Hugo Hämmerle has been a key figure in this success story for over 20 years. In February 2008 he took over as Managing Director of the institute.

Article - 07/04/2014

Christina Wege: from plant viruses to biomaterials

Plant viruses can be engineered in many ways for use by and in humans. Amongst other things, they can be used as scaffold structures for bioactive molecules, which might help improve implants. Prof. Dr. Christina Wege from the University of Stuttgart is studying these and many more options for the use of harmless viruses for human application.

Press release - 02/08/2010

NMI – 25 years of success

The NMI in Reutlingen is one of the most prestigious research institutes in Germany, “a beacon of applied research” as the Minister of Economic Affairs recently called the institute. This success is no accident: for 25 years now, the institute with its interdisciplinary team has been working efficiently and actively towards this achievement. Moreover, it greatly succeeded in bridging science and industry.

Article - 29/10/2015

Personalised Parkinson’s therapy using intelligent brain stimulation

For many decades, deep brain stimulation has been used for treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. However, the mechanisms of the procedure, which involves implanting stimulation probes into low lying brain areas, are still not clear. Prof. Alireza Gharabaghi, Dr. Daniel Weiss and their teams of researchers at the University of Tübingen have now been able to demonstrate a direct relationship between deep brain…

Article - 23/01/2012

Karen Lienkamp: intelligent surface materials fight off microbes

Resistant germs are tough and will settle anywhere. They grow on all types of surface which is a major cause for concern for medical doctors and industrial researchers alike. The chemist Dr. Karen Lienkamp Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies FRIAS and head of a group of junior researchers at the University of Freiburg develops surface materials for biomedical applications and industrial production facilities.

CorTec just closed a new investment that will support bringing new personalized therapies for neurological diseases to patients. With Mangold Invest a new investor could be attracted who wants to go along that way with the young medical engineering company located in Freiburg. Equally convinced of the success of this project are the previous investors who are participating in this round of financing.

Article - 17/05/2016

Medical devices legislation: laborious compromises in Brussels

The revision of the European legislation on medical devices is aimed at making medical devices safer and rebuilding the trust of patients. Rather than implementing the system change that was being planned after the silicone breast implant scandal in 2010, the EU called for open public consultation to prevent such incidents from occurring. As a result, revision of the legislation has been ongoing since autumn 2012.

Press release - 25/06/2010

Von-Langenbeck Prize awarded for the first time to regenerative medicine methods

In 2010 the Von-Langenbeck Prize was awarded to Dr. Thorsten Walles from the Schillerhöhe Hospital in Stuttgart. In cooperation with his partners Walles has developed an innovative method for regenerative medicine applications which involves the generation of tissue from the patients own cells to replace defective air pipes and oesophagus. The prize was awarded for the first time ever to a medical doctor in recognition of the development and…

Article - 13/11/2017

An artificial heart valve with the potential to grow

About 30,000 artificial heart valves are implanted in Germany every year. The durability of these heart valves presents a major challenge, requiring them to be exchanged time and again, especially in young patients. Researchers from the Stuttgart Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have developed a new artificial heart valve material on which cells that are naturally present in a patient’s blood can form new…

Press release - 28/09/2012

Safer, more effective and innovative medical devices

Ranging from simple sticking plasters to the most sophisticated life-supporting machines medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices are central to our health and quality of life. To ensure that these devices serve the needs and ensure the safety of European citizens the European Commission proposed two Regulations which are fit for purpose more transparent and better adapted to scientific and technological progress.

Article - 16/12/2013

Cellendes puts paradigm change in cell research to good use

Cells grown on the flat furfaces of tissue culture plates do not behave as they would in their natural environment. This is why scientists are now using three-dimensional substrates to replicate the natural environmental of cells in tissue cellular matrix. Dr. Brigitte Angres and Dr. Helmut Wurst founders and managing directors of Cellendes GmbH in Reutlingen have taken advantage of this new knowledge and developed two novel hydrogels for cell…

Article - 21/05/2012

Microchip facilitates bowel movements

Faecal incontinence is a common problem, but is still a strong taboo. A small microchip, implanted above the sacral bone, promises to make sufferers’ lives a lot easier. Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) not only restores patients’ ability to control defaecation, but also provides new insights into the innervation and physiology of the bowel and the pelvic floor.

Article - 02/05/2011

A combination with high-tech potential: peptides and inorganic materials

At the University of Stuttgart molecular bionics researchers are working on opening up strategies for the development of new materials. Researchers at the Institute of Technical Biochemistry are investigating compound materials consisting of peptides and inorganic components. A project focusing on the development of layer structures is receiving funding from the Baden-Württemberg government.

Article - 19/05/2014

Amedrix establishes new collagen and implant production technology

Amedrix GmbH, which is based in the Life Science Center in Esslingen and currently has a staff of eight people, develops innovative acellular medical products on the basis of animal collagen. The company's ChondroFiller products have the advantage over existing cartilage treatment options such as microfracture surgery, OCT (osteochondral transplant) surgery or ACT (autologous chondrocyte transplantation) in that they can be produced without…

Article - 01/02/2010

Innovative and award-winning: vascular implants “Made in Hechingen”

On the 26th November 2009, the Hechingen-based medical technology company JOTEC GMBH was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Innovation Prize. JOTEC specialises in solutions for the therapy of vascular diseases. The company’s “E-vita open” is an innovative hybrid stentgraft system for use in cardiac surgery. The stentgraft is ideal for treating the thoracic aorta as it significantly simplifies therapeutic procedures at the same time as putting less…

All movements - each grip and step - have their origin in the brain. Carsten Mehring and his group at the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience and the Institute for Biology I at the University of Freiburg plan to use brain signals for the control of prostheses or for the operation of computers.

Article - 19/08/2013

Brain mapping – ‘eavesdropping’ on the brain

Although numerous scientists have spent decades exploring the brain and many things are already known the brain is still considered one of the greatest mysteries of science. While structural elements such as cell and axon distribution can only be mapped post mortem motor and sensory functions can only be studied in vivo i.e. using living organisms. Dr. Tonio Ball and his colleagues at the BrainLinks-BrainTools cluster of excellence at the…

The new iNNOVATION fORUM of the Baden-Württemberg MicroMountains Network offered researchers and the medical device industry an intensive moderated dialogue and the chance to make new contacts and to improve their chances for future innovations.

Dossier - 12/04/2010

Biomechanics – a broad field

Biomechanics is a combination of the life sciences and the engineering sciences. Based on their knowledge and understanding of mechanics and the development of complex mathematical models and computer simulations engineers mathematicians and computer specialists help scientists gain new insights and give medical specialists access to new therapeutic options. In many cases such as in the development of implants or in sports medicine engineers…