Press release - 05/10/2020 Solar-battery effect enables a new light-driven organic microswimmer to operate in the dark An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Max Planck Institutes for Intelligent Systems and Solid State Research has developed a biocompatible microswimmer made of carbon nitride, which they can propel forward through light. The particle can also store solar energy similar to miniature solar cells equipped with batteries, and can thus also swim in the dark using the stored energy. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/solar-battery-effect-enables-new-light-driven-organic-microswimmer-operate-dark
Biochip systems - 02/09/2020 Miniature organs with great potential Dr. Peter Loskill and his team at the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart and the University Hospital of Tübingen are developing what is known as an "organ-on-a-chip" (OoC). An OoC is a microfluidic system that simulates small functional units of organ tissue. OoCs can be used in different ways: in basic and pharmaceutical research as well as in clinical research and application, where they might render many animal experiments…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/miniature-organs-great-potential
Article - 17/07/2020 An electronic nose for many applications Sensory organs are sophisticated masterpieces of nature. That is why humans have often tried to copy them. Be it cameras or microphones - there are technical objects that have always been based on natural models such as the eye or the ear. For a long time, however, no artificial sense of smell has featured in the technical repertoire. Now researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed an electronic nose. It can…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/electronic-nose-many-applications
Company profile - 16/12/2019 Velabs Therapeutics GmbH: each droplet is a test system Using microfluidics to detect new therapeutic antibodies is, in simple terms, the concept developed by Velabs Therapeutics GmbH. The Heidelberg-based start-up was spun out from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in 2017 with the support of EMBLEM Technology Transfer GmbH. More recently, investors have provided the young company with additional funding to expand its technologies and applications.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/velabs-therapeutics-gmbh-each-droplet-test-system
Article - 26/07/2019 New test assay leads to discovery of new influenza virus infection route Researchers from the University of Freiburg have recently discovered a completely new mechanism that influenza viruses use to infect cells. This discovery was partly made possible by a so-called emulsion coupling assay - an extremely sensitive, digital detection method developed by Actome GmbH in collaboration with scientists from the Freiburg University of Applied Sciences and Hahn-Schickard. The assay is used to count individual molecules and…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/alternativer-infektionsweg-fuer-grippeviren-durch-neues-testverfahren-entdeckt
Press release - 26/03/2019 EUR 3 million in series A for the growth and development of Cytena GmbH The High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and two private investors are convinced of the importance of single-cell isolation for the production of biopharmaceuticals and for genetic analysis in research and diagnostics. EUR 3 million will be invested in the further development of the technology, the expansion of the sales organization and in opening up further applications for Cytena’s single-cell printers.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/eur-3-million-in-series-a-for-the-growth-and-development-of-cytena-gmbh
Article - 14/02/2018 Animal-free diabetes research with the pancreas chip Quite a number of promising drug candidates for the treatment of diabetes are currently in the pharmaceutical pipeline, including innovative drugs that can stimulate the regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic cells. However, they will have to be safety tested in animals. Scientists from Ulm University Hospital have now begun to develop a pancreatic chip from stem cells.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/animal-free-diabetes-research-with-the-pancreas-chip
Prenatal diagnosis - 23/03/2017 Microdroplets for safe and rapid prenatal diagnoses Although the methods used to carry out amniocentesis are quite sophisticated, there is still a 0.5 percent risk of miscarriage following the intervention. Therefore, an EU-funded project called AngeLab is developing a rapid test that only requires a blood sample of the mother rather than amniotic fluid. The test yields information on the genetic health of the foetus within only a few hours. As part of the project, researchers from the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microdroplets-for-safe-and-rapid-prenatal-diagnoses
Article - 02/03/2017 Personalised antibiotics therapy: fewer antibiotic-resistant bacteria Antibiotics have long been used as all-purpose weapons against infectious diseases – too often and too early, as we now know. This tendency has caused many bacteria to become resistant to standard antibiotics. The search for new substance classes has proved quite difficult. Care must therefore be taken to use existing antibiotics prudently in order to reduce the number of bacteria becoming resistant to them in the long term. Researchers from…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalised-antibiotics-therapy-fewer-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria
Article - 12/01/2017 Test system for skin damage caused by solar radiation Based on an accredited test method, the Fraunhofer IGB has developed an in vitro phototoxicity assay to measure the phototoxic potential of substances in medications and lotions used to protect the skin against environmental influences, which can become toxic when exposed to UV light. The assay uses human skin cells that have been grown into three-dimensional tissue as a human skin model. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/test-system-for-skin-damage-caused-by-solar-radiation
Company profile - 25/07/2016 300MICRONS: 3D cell culture solutions tailored to customer needs What happens in tissues and organs and how do they react to pharmaceutical substances? Three-dimensional cell cultures can reproduce reality far better than a single-cell layer can. With good reason. Reality is far from two-dimensional. A company called 300MICRONS GmbH develops films with tiny indentations that provide optimal conditions for cells to grow into 3D cell aggregates.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/300microns-3d-cell-culture-solutions-tailored-to-customer-needs
Company profile - 14/07/2016 neuroloop GmbH: how the manipulation of neuronal information can lower blood pressure Millions of people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. However, taking medicines to control high blood pressure does not work for everyone. Dr. Dennis Plachta and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz from IMTEK have now developed a neurostimulator to control blood pressure. Together with Dr. Michael Lauk, an experienced company founder, the two researchers set up a company called neuroloop, which is funded by Aesculap AG and aims to turn the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/neuroloop-gmbh-how-the-manipulation-of-neuronal-information-can-lower-blood-pressure
Article - 16/06/2016 Microfluidic biofermenter mimics plant tissue It is estimated that as many as one million secondary plant metabolites can be used as medical agents. Plants produce these compounds to aid their growth and development as well as to discourage herbivores from eating them. However, it is still very difficult, or even impossible, to produce secondary plant metabolites industrially. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are now developing a microfluidic bioreactor to make…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microfluidic-biofermenter-mimics-plant-tissue
Article - 14/04/2016 Rapid and unambiguous detection of infection in a miniature laboratory In cooperation with industrial partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have spent many years developing innovative diagnostic tools for use in infection biology. Among these are microsystems that combine complete test procedures on a “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) and enable simultaneous analysis of several thousand parameters relatively quickly and with little effort. The scientists…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/rapid-and-unambiguous-detection-of-infection-in-a-miniature-laboratory
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…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/an-intelligent-system-for-the-storage-and-controlled-release-of-pharmaceutical-substances
Article - 23/03/2015 cytena GmbH facilitates the separation of single cells cytena GmbH, a start-up company which was spun out from the Department of Microscystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg in 2014, has developed a device that enables single cells to be deposited safely and gently using a single-cell printer called cy-Clone. Once processed, the cells can be used to study tumour heterogeneity and to create clonal cell lines for producing antibodies. https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/cytena-gmbh-facilitates-the-separation-of-single-cells
Article - 13/10/2014 Personalised cancer therapy based on microRNA analysis microRNAs are not just required for the regulation of gene expression, their expression signatures also allow conclusions to be drawn on the type and progression of cancer. Sensovation AG is therefore working with partners from industry and clinical research to develop an automated microRNA analysis platform that can detect and evaluate microRNA signatures faster than has previously been possible. The system is designed to make it easier to…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/personalised-cancer-therapy-based-on-microrna-analysis
Article - 11/08/2014 PRONTO develops microsystems for and with companies Since 2010, PRONTO, a project run by the MicroTEC Südwest cluster, has been focusing on the production of innovative microsystems for application in the medical and other sectors. PRONTO provides microsystems development support up to small-scale production. Customers who are seeking to implement their ideas into concrete microsystems solutions can count on the expertise and infrastructure of four institutes.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/pronto-develops-microsystems-for-and-with-companies
Article - 25/02/2013 How can light be used to control the behaviour of neurons? The control of the behaviour of individual neurons simply by switching light stimuli on and off sends neuroscientists into raptures as it reveals insights into as yet hidden and complicated processes in the brain. Thanks to optogenetics this particular science fiction became reality a few years ago. Working with researchers from the Bernstein Center at the University of Freiburg and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/how-can-light-be-used-to-control-the-behaviour-of-neurons
Article - 29/10/2012 Friederike J. Gruhl – biology is not always enough Researchers are usually only able to explore the development and growth of tumours with animal models. This is because many human cells lose their typical characteristics once outside the body. Friederike J. Gruhl from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT is working to create a biomimetic environment in Petri dishes in which prostate cells thrive and can be manipulated to become tumours for example - if required. The three-dimensional…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/friederike-j-gruhl-biology-is-not-always-enough
Article - 10/09/2012 Osamu Tabata – DNA origami for assembling nanomachines Cells, receptor proteins, enzymes and DNA have outstanding properties. The question is, can they also be used as building blocks in computer processors, sensor systems and other micromachines in next generation microelectronics? In cooperation with his research group at the University of Kyoto and his partners in Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Osamu Tabata, microengineer and External Senior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/osamu-tabata-dna-origami-for-assembling-nanomachines
Article - 10/09/2012 "BrainLinks-BrainTools" – how an intention becomes reality An accident victim is no longer able to pick up a tea cup because the nerves between the brain and the arm are severed. Researchers from the faculties of biology medicine and technology at the University of Freiburg are able to translate pure thought into the movement of a cursor on a computer screen. The researchers are part of the BrainLinks-BrainTools consortium.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/brainlinks-braintools-how-an-intention-becomes-reality
Press release - 01/08/2012 Micro-Copier for genome analysis The scientists Jochen Hoffmann, Dr. Guenther Roth, and Prof. Dr. Roland Zengerle from the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg can copy simultaneously 100.000 different DNA sequences in a so called picowell array that has the size of a one cent coin. The new method holds promise to advance the personalised medicine.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/micro-copier-for-genome-analysis
Dossier - 24/05/2012 Biochips: microsystems technology for the life sciences Nanoscale robots and intelligent measurement systems in arteries, fingernail-sized DNA chips that can be used to analyze thousands of genes in tiny samples, intelligent DNA microsensors – the trend in the life sciences is moving towards miniaturization in all areas including electronics, sensor systems and the handling of liquids. Over the last few years, a research area with growing potential has developed at the interface of physics, the…https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/dossier/biochips-microsystems-technology-for-the-life-sciences
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.https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/news/microchip-facilitates-bowel-movements