Healthcare industry

Article - 19/09/2019

Magnetised algae as microrobots for medical and environmental purposes

Algae, for most of us, is something that lives in water courses that we occasionally find unpleasant. However, that is to do them a wrong. These extremely versatile and frugal organisms might in future prove to be extremely important. Scientists at the University of Stuttgart are investigating how algae can be used as microrobots in biomedicine and environmental remediation.

Press release - 28/01/2019

5,5 millions for project on smart matrices for knee cartilage repair

A research project in cartilage regeneration, in which the Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics at Ulm University participates together with partners from eight european countries, was recently financed by the European Commission with 5.5 million Euro. Named RESTORE, the project aims to create 3D matrices incorporating smart nanomaterials to repair knee cartilage lesions thereby reducing or delaying the onset of osteoarthritis,…

Two Clusters of Excellence for the University of Freiburg: Biological Signalling Studies and Bioinspired Materials Research. It is a major boost to cutting-edge research in Freiburg: in the current Excellence Strategy competition, scientists at the University of Freiburg have been granted two Clusters of Excellence, CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, and livMatS – Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials…

Article - 27/11/2017

Antimicrobial layer expected to fight hospital acquired infections

Infections caused by bacteria that contaminate the surface of medical devices such as catheters and wound dressings are not that rare and can even be life-threatening. However, at present there is no really effective way to keep these products germ-free until they are used. Scientists at the University of Freiburg have now developed a surface coating that reliably kills bacteria, but is harmless to human cells.

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…

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”…

Article - 02/06/2017

SÜDPACK: a great example of biotech as a cross-sectoral technology

SÜDPACK Verpackungen is a qualified supplier of plastic films to the biopharmaceutical industry. The company is the leading European manufacturer of packaging products for the food industry and also offers its expertise to the biopharmaceutical industry. In 2011, SÜDPACK created an exclusive cooperation partnership with Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a global technology provider for the pharmaceutical biotech industry, which has now been extended…

Article - 01/09/2016

Tailor-made biotech fibres for improved wound dressings

Scientists have developed a biotechnological process to produce bacterial alginate. The alginate quality is highly reproducible, making it suitable for the production of fibre-based medicinal products such as wound dressings.

Article - 04/04/2016

An intelligent system for the storage and controlled release of pharmaceutical substances

A sophisticated reservoir that sits under the skin and dispenses precise quantities of drugs locally and at a particular point in time now exists. A junior research group from the University of Freiburg’s BrainLinks-BrainTools excellence cluster led by Dr. Maria Asplund and her doctoral student Christian Böhler from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) has developed a small storage system made of organic-inorganic hybrid material…

Article - 17/11/2015

Novel hydrogels as functional materials

In the ”NanoBioMater”project house, researchers from the University of Stuttgart are working to develop novel hydrogels with integrated biocompatible scaffold structures. Their aim is to make the materials suitable for producing innovative components for environmental and food analytics as well as medical applications. The hydrogels could potentially be used in diagnostic biosensors and the controlled release of medical compounds.

Dossier - 31/03/2014

Peptides – diverse molecules of life

Peptides exist in all organisms, wherever there are cells. The range of their physiological functions is huge. Biologically active peptides can act as hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors as well as toxins and antibiotics. This is what makes them highly interesting drug leads. They are used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, cancer and other diseases. Despite some drawbacks, peptides are gaining in importance as candidates for drugs…

Article - 29/11/2013

QIAGEN Lake Constance: a “disk player” for rapid diagnoses

The diagnosis of infectious diseases frequently not only depends on the reliable identification of the pathogenic species that has caused them, but also on obtaining rapid results in order to immediately initiate appropriate therapy or further diagnostic measures. Tests are normally carried out in central laboratories, samples need to be sent to the laboratories and the results are rarely immediate. As part of the BMBF-funded project “ResCheck”,…

Article - 01/10/2012

MCAT GmbH: Highly efficient intermediates for new drugs

Konstanz-based MCAT GmbH is focused on the development and production of azido-PEG glycosides, carbohydrate structures that can be used for a broad range of different applications, including the functionalisation of surfaces, the derivatisation of drugs and other compounds as well as the production of multivalent lectin ligands.

Article - 17/09/2012

Thomas Paulöhrl: spatially and temporally controlled light-induced reactions

Thomas Paulöhrl, polymer chemist from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), was awarded the 2012 Lanxess Talent Award for his achievements in further developing light-induced click strategies that can now be used for generating various surface structures and three-dimensional frameworks. His Ph.D. thesis not only provides the basis for new ways to efficiently modify material, it also opens up new research opportunities in medical drug…

Article - 29/05/2012

Isabelle Seemann: DNA as building block for nanostructures

Since the emergence of nanotechnology in the 1980s DNA has been used as a construction material in many areas. Wires grids and nanorobots can all be produced from this versatile material. Isabelle Seemann scientist at the University of Konstanz works with a particular DNA constellation known as three-way DNA junction. Seemanns findings are of great importance for different areas of knowledge including the material sciences analytics and…

Press release - 22/05/2012

Risk assessment of nano-materials

Nano-particles (Greek: nanos = dwarf) are now being used to create fascinating products with totally new functionalities. These include textiles from which dirt simply runs off or which have an anti-bacterial effect. But as is the case with every new technology, this one must also be safe to use. It is therefore of interest to both manufacturers and users of such high-tech products that nano-particles are harmless for both human beings and the…

Article - 04/07/2011

Gingiva grown in Petri dishes

We use teeth to break down food and gum disease is the major cause of tooth loss. Our teeth are firmly anchored in the jaw bone and surrounded and supported by the gum (gingiva), one of the five types of tissue that make up the human periodontium. A complex interplay of biomolecules maintains homoeostasis, i.e. the natural balance, in the gum tissue. A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Pascal Tomakidi from the Freiburg University Medical…

Article - 04/07/2011

Orthobion GmbH: biomaterials for spinal implants

If one takes a closer look at the mechanisms involved in bone growth, it turns out that the supposedly simple issue as to how bones grow cannot be fully answered. Konstanz-based Orthobion GmbH investigates and produces targeted biomaterials for use in implants designed for the treatment of spinal column defects. The surface structures of materials and how they affect the adhesion of bones to implant surfaces are key issues in the production of…

Article - 30/05/2011

CorTec GmbH – a bridge between ideas and action

Brain machine interfaces that are able to read a paralysed patients desired movement from his or her brain and convert it into actual movement might be available in a few years time if everything goes to plan. CorTec GmbH a spin-off company of the University of Freiburg has a technology platform that is able to measure and interpret a persons brain activity and drive muscles or artificial prostheses.

Article - 02/05/2011

Intelligent adhesives inspired by nature

Boston ivy ivy and other woody vines have unusually strong adhesive forces. The question researchers are asking is can they transfer the surface adhesion principle of ivy to technical applications? The Plant Biomechanics Group led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck in Freiburg is working on one project that focuses on using nature as a model for intelligent adhesive bonds.

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.

Press release - 28/02/2011

Mechanical engineering meets medical engineering: implant research ‘made in Stuttgart’

Engineers from the University of Stuttgart have initiated a project on the Development and optimisation of bioactive and bioresorbable ceramic layers on implants designed to investigate implants that are more durable better tolerated by users and cheaper than those that are currently on the market. The winners of the Idea Competition in Biotechnology and Medical Technology have now been announced and an expert jury has selected the Stuttgart…

Article - 08/11/2010

The masters of cellular circuits

What can nowadays be constructed with molecular building sets? Prof. Dr. Wilfried Weber from the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS in Freiburg is the first scientist at the University of Freiburg to receive the prestigious Starting Grant from the European Research Council ERC with a purse of 1.5 million euros. Webers team recombines cellular components and works on a broad range of different issues.

Press release - 11/07/2010

New Centre for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT)

It’s official: Today, the Science Council approved the University of Freiburg’s proposal for the Freiburg Centre for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT). The 23-million-euro project can now get underway. The planned interdisciplinary, interinstitutional and transnational centre will become an innovative research institution with a special focus on basic research into interactive materials and intelligent systems.

Press release - 18/06/2010

20th anniversary of Freiburg Materials Research Centre

The Freiburg Materials Research Centre FMF which is part of the University of Freiburg recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in the Freiburg Concert Hall. As a central institution of the University of Freiburg the FMF has been focusing on interdisciplinary basic research and contract research in the field of new materials and materials-related technologies since 1990.