Further notifications from the archive

Inverse Impfstoffe sollen Immunreaktionen löschen, statt induzieren. Einen solchen Toleranz-erzeugenden Impfstoff gegen eine Autoimmunreaktion bei rheumatoider Arthritis hat eine internationale Forschungsgruppe vorgestellt – inklusive erster Erfolge bei Mäusen.

Drugs that are to be marketed in Europe must always be approved by the competent authority. For over 15 years, the environmental risk assessment (ERA) has been a mandatory part of the application for approval. The ERA systematically identifies risks of environmental damage. The aim of an ERA is to ensure that the drug manufacturer understands the possible environmental risks — such as impacts on drinking water and aquatic ecosystems, antibiotic resistance, adverse effects on microorganisms and other environmental interactions — and takes appropriate steps to minimize these risks.

In an engaging lecture by the cardio expert and professor Gerhard Hindricks on August 30th, approximately 70 attendees simultaneously gained insights into pioneering approaches in cardiac medicine and into the possible routes toward securing healthcare in remote or underserved regions. Because those who deal with cardiovascular diseases cannot avoid taking a global epidemiological perspective: Diseases of the heart and vessels are the leading cause of death globally and affect various geographical locations, age groups, and socioeconomic structures.

Am 05.09.2023 fand die vom Asklepios Campus Hamburg der Semmelweis Universität (ACH) veranstaltete Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema "Wie viel Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) im Medizin-Lehrplan? Positionen und Perspektiven zu KI im Medizinstudium" hoch über Hamburgs Dächern in der Sturmfreien Bude statt. Auf Einladung von Gastgeber Dr. Thorsten Thiel, Geschäftsführer der Asklepios Medical School GmbH, diskutierten führende Expert:innen relevanter Fachgebiete vor einem interessierten Publikum ihre Erkenntnisse und Thesen zum Einfluss von KI auf die medizinische Bildung.

Project »PrivacyUmbrella«. Thanks to the constant development of communication technology, such as portable mobile devices and wearables, the concept of “smart health” - and with it the continuous improvement of personal health - has become an essential element of modern life for many people. Through the constant collection of data, smart health can promote a healthier lifestyle and also be used to identify possible issues. 

The Digital Patient Model supports decision-making and reduces costs. How the data model with its interactive dashboard and the individual modules works in detail will be presented by the project participants on July 17 at the Westend Campus of Frankfurt's Goethe University.

Die Digitalisierung hält für die Verbesserung des Gesundheitssystems noch Trümpfe im Ärmel, die sogar den Fachkräftemangel und die bedenkliche Versorgung in ländlichen Gebieten etwas abmildern könnten. Das Fraunhofer-Zentrum für Digitale Diagnostik – eine von Bund und dem Land Brandenburg geförderte Initiative – hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, dafür nachhaltige Lösungen zu entwickeln, die heutige und zukünftige digitale Möglichkeiten ausschöpfen. Das Flächenland Brandenburg dient dafür als Modellregion.

Studentische Teams der Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften der htwsaar stellen sich mit ihren innovativen Geschäftsideen für Start-ups in sechs Pitches einer hochkarätigen Jury. Die beste Geschäftsidee bestand in der Entwicklung eines Exoskeletts, das sich beim Sturz versteift und so Motorradfahrer vor Verletzungen im Bereich der Wirbelsäule schützen soll. Die beiden anderen Geschäftsideen bezogen sich auf den Aufbau eines Dienstleistungsunternehmen im Bereich zerstörungsfreier Messverfahren sowie auf die Entwicklung und Produktion innovativer Bürsten für technische Reinigungsaufgaben ohne Wasserzusatz.

In the EU project »AI4HealthSec«, an international team of researchers aims to provide operators of health information infrastructures with innovative software tools to improve the detection and analysis of cyberattacks and threats and thus, to increase the security of health information infrastructures. For this purpose, the project will develop and validate the so-called AI4HealthSec platform. The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT is contributing its many years of expertise in the development of innovative health information systems and their validation to the project. It provides three of its systems as examples to test the AI4HealthSec platform.

In close cooperation with the Rostock University Medical Center and various academic and industrial partners, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI is conducting intensive research on extracorporeal therapy systems.

Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin (DGP) hat im Rahmen ihres Kongresses in Düsseldorf jetzt die besten wissenschaftlichen Poster ausgezeichnet. Den mit 2.000 Euro dotierten ersten Platz belegt Nataliia Artysh (29 Jahre) vom Fraunhofer Institut für Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin in Hannover. 

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have been working with international partners to develop a technology platform to help relieve the symptoms of muscle tremors. Tiny biocompatible electrodes in the muscles, combined with external electrodes and controllers, form an intelligent network of sensors and actuators to detect muscle signals and provide electrical stimuli as needed. Together with exoskeletons, the technology could also help people with spinal cord injuries.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI conducts research on neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases at its Halle (Saale) site. With their approach of using endogenous retroviruses as target structures for new therapies against neurological diseases, the scientists qualified for the finals of this year's HUGO JUNKERS AWARD in the category "Most Innovative Basic Research Projects".

Improved patient care, speedier diagnoses and savings in care costs – the digital transformation of the healthcare industry promises solutions to the urgent problems of our time. Increasingly, systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) are being employed. But how can these be used effectively while maintaining compliance with data protection laws?

How strongly do SARS-CoV-2 viruses bind to the hACE2 receptor?

The interdisciplinary joint project CuliFo combines field and laboratory research on mosquitoes, Latin Culicidae, in Germany. Climatic changes increase the risk that exotic mosquitoes occur in our latitudes.

The GLP test facility of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology has been certified for testing category 9 "Safety testing of ATMPs - immunotoxicity / immunogenicity, biodistribution and tumorigenicity in vitro / in vivo" since 2009. Since January 2023, the testing category 2 "Toxicity studies" is now also part of the portfolio.

The European Bank for induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) is happy to announce a new iPSC derived neuronal cell product - EBiSC-NEUR1 which can be used directly from thaw for downstream applications.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a disease resulting in swelling of one or more parts of the body in the absence of a specific trigger. If the condition occurs in the upper respiratory tract, a so-called HAE attack ensues which can be life threatening. To date, the therapies to treat HAE are in form of injections and infusions. In a Phase 2 study involving the Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Fraunhofer ITMP, it has now been shown for the first time that an orally administered drug can also treat HAE.

Fraunhofer researchers have succeeded in using the bioresorbable silica gel Renacer® to produce an electrospun membrane that is neither cytotoxic to cells nor genotoxic. This model mimics fibrous structures found in connective tissue and is therefore particularly suitable for regenerative applications, such as for improved wound healing.

They are barely the size of a thumbnail, able to communicate with each other and respond to each other, and designed to make life easier for people with functional limitations. We are talking about a new generation of interactive microimplants developed by the innovation cluster INTAKT, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT. These miniature assistants can act as a stimulus in cases of tinnitus or digestive tract disorders or help a person’s hand to regain the ability to grip.

The »PROSurvival« research project started in November 2022 with the aim of making routine clinical data available for research in a data-protection-compliant manner, thus enabling improved therapy decisions for prostate cancer patients. 

Audit confirms RIBOLUTION Biomarker Center at Fraunhofer IZI the successful implementation of software development processes for medical devices software (according to IEC 62304 and ISO 14971).

In a recently published study, researchers from the Hessian LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) show the importance of the previously little-studied toxins of wild bee species, whose milder melittin variants appear to be more useful for pharmacology.

License agreement and joint development: Fraunhofer MEVIS commences cooperation with Israeli partner for worldwide use of innovative software technology in ultrasound-aided tumor ablation. mage-guided thermal ablation therapy is a patient-friendly, minimally invasive, and cost-effective tumor treatment method. This involves advancing a special needle directly into a tumor using CT and ultrasound to apply heat and destroy it. 

To prevent testing on animals and create even more precise ways of testing therapeutics, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly turning to human immune cells. However, the availability of cells like these has been limited to date. Now, Fraunhofer researchers have succeeded in scaling the production of customized immune cells from laboratory up to industrial level.

Despite successful vaccine development, there are still no effective drugs for most viral diseases. This should change as soon as possible. With the project iGUARD (integrated Guided Ultrafast Antiviral RNAi Drug development) a research team of Prof. Armin Braun, Fraunhofer ITEM, and Prof. Axel Schambach, Hannover Medical School (MHH), is developing RNA-based drugs to combat viral diseases using a natural mechanism of our body. 

Within the project »BIOSYNTH – modular high-throughput microplatform for future synthetic biology mass data storage«, funded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in an internal program, an innovative microchip platform for efficient cell-free and digitally controllable biosynthesis will be developed. 

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have developed the “BioSensoLab“, a mobile biological laboratory with which they can demonstrate new developments to customers and test them together – on site at their companies. These new technologies rely in particular on intelligent sensors combined with artificial intelligence to perform analyses. 

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes IBMT, ISC, IST and the Fraunhofer TLZ-RT, together with internationally renowned specialists from the Eye Clinic Sulzbach/Saar, have succeeded in developing novel methods for the clinical translation of stem cell-based retinal implants for the treatment of e.g. age-related macular degeneration. 

Aspirin, with its active pharmaceutical ingredient acetylsalicylic acid, displays antiviral activity against rhino- and influenza viruses when administered at high concentrations. Together with researchers from Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, Katherina Sewald and her team have investigated whether acetylsalicylic acid and its metabolite salicylic acid inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, as the pathways this virus uses may be similar to those used by influenza viruses. 

What happens when we breathe in nanoparticles emitted by a laser printer, for example? Could these nanoparticles damage the respiratory tract or perhaps even other organs? To answer these questions, Fraunhofer researchers are developing the »NanoCube« exposure device. The Nanocube’s integrated multi-organ chip set up in the laboratory of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) and by its spin-off organization “TissUse” detects interaction between nanoparticles and lung cells, the uptake of nanoparticles into the bloodstream and possible effects on the liver.

Prof. Antje Prasse, Dr. Benedikt Jäger and their team provide important insights into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) – a fatal disease with limited treatment options – with their paper »Airway basal cells show a dedifferentiated KRT17highPhenotype and promote fibrosis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis« published in Nature Communications.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP opened an Early Clinical Trial Unit (ECTU) at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) on September 15, 2022. The focus is on first clinical testing of compounds for the treatment of largely intractable (autoimmune) diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease. The goal is a rapid and targeted implementation of scientific findings to diagnostics, therapies and prevention.

Together with its partners Roche Diagnostics GmbH and Ludwig-Maximilians-University, the Fraunhofer ITMP has set itself the goal of identifying and characterizing pandemic pathogens, developing new diagnostics and therapies, and better understanding the role of the immune system in infectious diseases. Last but not least, this will help to find ways to better protect against possible new pandemics in the future.

On September 21, 2022, the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP was officially opened. The institute, which was already transferred to an independent Fraunhofer Institute at the beginning of last year, has since developed into an important component and leading institute of Fraunhofer health research. During the opening ceremony at the University Hospital Frankfurt, Volker Bouffier was also honored with the Fraunhofer Medal.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT is contributing its expertise in the field of medical biotechnology and ultrasound to an EC project to work on the next generation of theranostics for brain pathologies using autonomous externally controllable nanonetworks.

REMEDi4ALL is expected to make a major leap forward in drug repurposing, or finding new therapeutic option for existing drugs, in areas where there are high unmet medical needs. It will receive 23M euros from Horizon Europe over the next 5 years.

Cells have an efficient waste disposal system. Proxidrugs utilize this system as part of new treatments for cancer, infections and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP are working with partners to develop this new drug class.

In the new EU project »SafePolyMed« an international research team sets out to provide physicians and pharmacists with innovative tools to increase drug treatment safety and educate patients on how to actively manage their own healthcare. The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT is contributing its many years of expertise in the field of health information systems to the new project.

Building on the initial successes of T cell-based cancer immunotherapies and expanding both their scope and variety of applications, another type of immune cell is receiving increasing attention in biomedical research: natural killer (NK) cells.

More than 100 million individuals worldwide suffer from organ fibrosis, a pathological proliferation of connective tissue in an organ, such as the lung, heart and liver. Hardly any causal treatments are available to date. The unmet medical need is partly due to the fact that the existing disease models for fibrosis research are insufficient and little predictive. Coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, four Fraunhofer institutes have joined forces in the FibroPaths® project aimed at enabling rapid and safe development of antifibrotic drugs.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI is certified as a GLP test facility. Most recently, the institute conducted, among other things, a preclinical study to test the safety of an ATMP for the treatment of cartilage damage to the knee. An advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) developed by BioPlanta GmbH was subjected to extensive testing under GLP conditions with regard to its potential undesirable biodistribution and tumorigenicity.

Interviews with female scientists at Fraunhofer ITMP. Supporting female scientists on their career path is a major concern of Fraunhofer ITMP. The female scientists talk about their projects, what they find particularly exciting about their work, and also about some of the challenges they face along the way.

At the Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine (MEOS) in Erfurt, the MEOS Innovation Center for Precision Analysis of Cell Therapy Products, or MIC-PreCell for short, is being established until summer 2023. Funded with 750,000 euros from the Free State of Thuringia, this center will then support the development of new analysis methods for quality assurance and process control for the manufacturing of cell-based therapeutic products.

On May 6, 2022, the laboratories of the Fraunhofer Site for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research in Penzberg/Munich were officially opened. 

The AIOLOS project (Artificial Intelligence Tools for Outbreak Detection and Response) has received approval from the French and German governments to develop a digital platform designed to allow for early detection of new respiratory pathogens epidemics, monitor their spread and inform decisions on appropriate counter measures. 

Scientists around the world are seeking to develop additional vaccines against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In Hannover (Germany), researchers of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and of Fraunhofer ITEM are working on a vaccine that will not be injected but inhaled. In the clinical trial MVA, they now want to test the safety and tolerability of this new vaccine when used as a booster against COVID-19.

»NanoEDGE«: Production technologies and devices for the diagnosis of mental disorders and functional recovery. Electrodes attached to the skin are the core element for both electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG). In addition to good electrical conductivity, the electrodes used must also be skin-compatible and have low skin-electrode resistance. 

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a very fast technology for determining whether a tumor has been fully removed — before the patient even leaves the operating theater. Using a combination of laser scanning microscopy and fluorescent tumor markers, doctors can detect any remaining cancer cells immediately after operations.

Amblyopia is a functional visual impairment of one eye, which mostly occurs in children and which has so far been treated by covering the healthy eye with a darkening patch. The earlier the treatment, the better the chances of recovery. However, this type of therapy is only successful if the prescribed wearing time of the patch is adhered to.

Patients in clinical trials must undergo thorough examination in order to allow the effects of new medications to be determined as precisely as possible. One important factor here is the response of their immune systems. Using chip cytometry, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM have established a procedure for characterizing immune cells in the lungs.

Saarland’s Minister President Tobias Hans and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, signed an agreement today to establish the Fraunhofer Center for Sensor Intelligence ZSI. It will address the entire innovation chain in the pioneering field of intelligent sensor technology, bring together core areas of expertise from the regional research landscape and develop them further.

RNA has already been making an impact in the context of the vaccine program, but the potential of RNA-based compounds is far from being fully tapped, as RNA allows for entirely new therapeutic approaches. Prof. Thomas Thum, Co-Institute Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, has developed a form of RNA therapy for treating heart failure, which has already been successfully tested in patients as part of a phase 1b clinical trial. Other RNA therapies are currently being developed to treat pulmonary fibrosis and other forms of organ fibrosis.

The COVID-19 Research Network Lower Saxony (COFONI) is funding 13 interdisciplinary collaborative research projects in Lower Saxony with 5.97 million euros, aimed at investigating active substances against SARS-CoV-2 and at studying the mechanisms of disease as well as the long-term effects of COVID-19.

Nitrosamines (NAs) are a class of organic chemical compounds that humans may be exposed to by tobacco smoking or consuming certain foods. N-nitrosamines have been classified as probable human carcinogens and are categorized in the ICH M7 guideline as belonging to the »cohort of concern« group of high-potency mutagenic carcinogens. Some active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) carry NAs as impurities from production and/or storage or may cause their formation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Neurological complications associated with COVID-19 have been observed frequently. Although SARS-CoV-2 may be abundant in brain tissue of patients, its pathways of entry and the resulting consequences are not well understood. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer ITMP and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has now shown that cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be infected in vitro by the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. 

The »Aptamers/Tolerogenic Protein Complexes« platform aims to create cross-institutional structures and networks for the research and further development of MHCII-glycopeptide complexes for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and of aptamers for use in the early detection of glycosylation defects in autoimmune diseases or their precursors.

Project »Phage4Cure«: Research alliance aims at establishing bacteriophages as an approved drug.

The overall objective of the REMEDIA project is to determine to what extent environmental factors – the exposome – affect the severity and morbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) throughout the disease. Its unique methodology relies on using atmospheric simulation chambers, integrating a unified clinical data repository and applying advanced machine learning approaches.

New position paper by the European Society of Cardiology

Worldwide, there is growing belief that biomedical sciences can advance with less animal testing by replacing in-vivo experiments with in-vitro models based on human cells or tissues. However, when it comes to elucidating disease mechanisms, especially at the organ and system levels, or to testing the efficacy and safety of drugs and medical devices, animal models are as yet indispensable.

Laut Weltgesundheitsorganisation geht von durch (Trink-)Wasser übertragenen Pathogenen, wie Legionellen, höchste Gefahr für die Gesundheit aus. Legionellen können durch das Einatmen erregerhaltiger Aerosole, zum Beispiel beim Duschen oder Händewaschen, eine Legionellose auslösen, die zu einer Lungenentzündung (Legionärskrankheit) führen kann.

Patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria suffer from regularly recurring itchy wheals that appear on the skin with no clear cause. Frequently, additional swelling occurs in the facial area, so-called angioedema, which can persist for one to two days. Unfortunately, standard therapy with antihistamines is not efficacious in many patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. However, these patients can now draw hope as a new drug yields promising results in a clinical trial involving Fraunhofer ITMP.

The project ELISE – A Learning and Interoperable Smart Expert System for Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine – convinced the jury in the third award category »eHealth – ditigal support in patient treatment, nursing and rehab«. In pediatric intensive-care medicine, physicians are confronted with the problem that diseases are sometimes difficult to recognize and may also take a different course. Aimed at supporting the medical staff, the ELISE research project was initiated. The existing patient data management system already stores important patient data such as recorded vital parameters, laboratory values, medication administration and diagnoses and makes this information available at any time for treatment and nursing.

Approximately 60 million patients worldwide suffer from chronic heart failure – a disease which in its advanced stages is associated with a rather limited life expectancy that is actually shorter than with many types of cancer. Chronic heart failure is a clinical syndrome involving not only the heart, but numerous other organ systems, especially the lung. 

Joint research team from Fraunhofer ITEM and Hannover Medical School successful in Europe-wide SPRIND challenge with a new development pipeline for RNA-based drugs.

Das Fraunhofer MEVIS arbeitet unter Federführung von Smart Reporting GmbH zusammen mit der Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Visage Imaging und der Medizinische Hochschule Hannover an der strukturierten Therapieplanung mit KI-gestütztem Workflow. Das vom BMBF geförderte Projekt hat kürzlich die Testphase erfolgreich bestanden und die entwickelte Software wird nun evaluiert.

In order to optimize oncolytic viruses for therapeutic use, a consortium of the Fraunhofer Institutes ITEM, ISC, IZI, and ITWM, coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, have developed a broadly applicable platform technology for combined oncolytic virus immunotherapy in the TheraVision project. An oncolytic virus for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer has been developed as a proof of concept.

Prof. Dr. med. Fabian Kiessling has been recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher 2021 in the Pharmacology and Toxicology category. This is the third consecutive year he has been on the Highly Cited Researcher list, having already been recognized in the Cross-Field category in 2019 and 2020.

For the second time already, Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Thomas Thum is one of the most frequently cited scientists worldwide. Once a year, the U.S. company Clarivate Analytics reports which publications in a particular discipline are among the one percent that have been cited most. Thomas Thum is a specialist in cardiology and bioscience, with a clear research focus on the functional characterization and translational potential of therapeutic RNA strategies, and his publications have had a major impact on the progress of cardiac research.

Die Vision von SaxoCell besteht darin, in Sachsen einen eigenständigen Industriezweig aufzubauen, der sich auf »lebende Arzneimittel«, also zellbasierte Therapieansätze, fokussieren wird. Hierbei handelt es sich um einen der innovativsten Bereiche der modernen Medizin, in dem die Therapie bislang unheilbarer Erkrankungen im Fokus steht. 

Dr.-Ing. Andrea Schenk, Mitglied der erweiterten Institutsleitung von Fraunhofer MEVIS und Leiterin des Bereichs Leberforschung, ist im Rahmen der Woche der KI in Lübeck mit dem „Norddeutschen Zukunftspreis für Künstliche Intelligenz“ ausgezeichnet worden.

On November 12, 2021, the third Immune Research Day of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD took place. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the event was again held digitally this year. The specially in Microsoft Teams established team »Fraunhofer CIMD Immune Research Day 2021« and the associated meeting channel attracted 187 participants. The field of participants consisted of employees from 29 Fraunhofer institutes as well as participants from universities, university hospitals and industry. 

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology are working on developing a tissue that can be used to filter and inactivate airborne pathogens. On November 11, 2021, the project team from Leipzig received a funding commitment from the Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung (EKFS) for the »Aerocatch« project.

The first Winter School within the Fraunhofer CIMD Young Scientists Program took place from October 5 to 8, 2021. It was oriented around the four major topics of Fraunhofer health research - Diagnostics, Data, Drugs and Devices. During these four days, around 30 Fraunhofer PhD students and post-docs listened to numerous excellent presentations by internal and external experts, pitched their own projects, and discussed ideas and the translation of research ideas into applications in humans/patients.

Implants can actively support the body, as in the case of pacemakers, neuroprostheses or cochlear implants. In the future, active implants will be smaller, less energy-intensive and, above all, more patient-friendly. This is why the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT is working on miniaturization, external power supplies and wirelessly networked implants.

Um Zellen endlich auch anhand ortsaufgelöster Merkmale sortieren zu können, arbeiten Forschende der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zurzeit an einem Verfahren zur bildbasierten Sortierung von Zellen. Im Projekt IMAGO soll der Ansatz von Fraunhofer IZI-BB, Fraunhofer IOF, Fraunhofer IIS und der Charité zusammen bis zur Marktreife geführt werden. Dafür wird das Projekt im Rahmen des Fraunhofer PREPARE Programms mit 3,3 Millionen Euro gefördert.

With the aid of artificial stem cells, it will soon be possible to establish new treatments for previously incurable diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. At the Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering SPT, a process for the mass production of these so called induced pluripotent stem cells is being developed. This process involves new materials, which ensure that industrial cell production will meet high quality standards. 

Die besondere Herausforderung der andauernden COVID-19 Pandemie hat die Grenzen der Gesundheitssysteme zur schnellen nationalen Zusammenarbeit deutlich aufgezeigt. Die Radiologie nimmt eine Vorreiterstellung in der digitalisierten Medizin ein und konnte sich so schnell zu einem dieser Verbundprojekte zusammenschließen. Unter 13 dieser Verbundprojekte gelang es nur RACOON in der bisher größten universitätsmedizinischen Vernetzungsinitiative alle Universitätsklinika zu vernetzen.

Organoide sollen künftig die Erforschung von Therapien bei Frühgeborenen erleichtern. Die größte Gefahr für Frühgeborene ist die unreife Lunge. Zwei Leipziger Wissenschaftlerinnen der Universität Leipzig und des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Zelltherapie und Immunologie (IZI) haben nun ein dreidimensionales Modell der unreifen Lunge entwickelt. Das innovative Modell soll künftig die Entwicklung neuer Therapien und Wirkstoffe für Frühgeborene erleichtern.

On Wednesday, October 6, the virtual kick-off meeting for EsteR, a project aiming to enhance decision support of public health authorities by employing risk modeling for pandemic control, took place. The project started on July 1, 2021 and is funded for one year with 193,000 euros by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the announcement »Prävention und Versorgung epidemisch auftretender Infektionen mit innovativer Medizintechnik«.

How can viruses be effectively eliminated from indoor air? This question is now becoming more important as fall approaches. Efficient indoor air purification is essential, especially in schools. Fraunhofer researchers are investigating and optimizing various filter and air purification techniques in the AVATOR project.

Für eine erfolgreiche Proteinsynthese ist die korrekte aber schwer beherrschbare Faltung des Proteins wichtig, da sie ausschlaggebend für dessen Aktivität ist. Am Fraunhofer IZI-BB konnte in Kooperation mit der Universität Greifswald das blutgerinnungshemmende Protein Hirudin aus dem Blutegel kürzlich mit 100-fach höherer Wirksamkeit außerhalb lebender Zellen hergestellt werden.

In August 2021, after several years of research at Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, a team of scientists has spun-off and created Phialogics, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the development of innovative biologics to treat autoimmune diseases.

Improving Indicators for Tumor Diagnosis

Biomarkers are often indispensable for accurate diagnoses. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS is working on adaptive algorithms that make the search for new biomarkers much easier. This can provide physicians with valuable support in choosing the best possible therapy.

Das Bündnis »PolyChrome Berlin«, das Partner aus Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg in sich vereint, hat sich für eine Förderung vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) qualifiziert. Das Fraunhofer IZI-BB ist mit seiner Arbeitsgruppe »Funktionelle Nukleinsäuren – Aptamere« an dem Forschungsvorhaben maßgeblich beteiligt. Für seine Leistungen wird das Institut über 1 Million Euro erhalten. 

Die Fraunhofer-Einrichtung für Individualisierte und Zellbasierte Medizintechnik IMTE präsentiert hier spannende Forschungsthemen und Medizintechnik zum Anfassen und Mitmachen:

As a consequence of climate change, tropical mosquitoes are becoming increasingly endemic to Germany, where they spread dangerous pathogens. Even local species of gnats have now become carriers. Sixty percent of infectious diseases that afflict humans originate in animals. The West Nile virus has already spread in the area around Leipzig, Halle and southern Brandenburg. Zika, dengue and others are likely to follow. It is only a matter of time until the next pandemic. What will it take to speed up vaccine production?

How do infectious aerosols spread in supermarkets, airplanes, and other indoor areas where large numbers of people congregate? Researchers from 15 Fraunhofer institutes and institutions are investigating this in the AVATOR project. Fraunhofer ITEM is involved in this project at various important inter-faces, for example in the collection of data on aerosol distribution, in the de-velopment of the risk model, and in the (efficacy) testing and toxicological evaluation of several air purification and disinfection processes.

Eine für alle Menschen zugängliche, personalisierte, bezahlbare und gerechte Medizin zu ermöglichen, ist eine der größten gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts. Dieser Herausforderung will sich das neu zu etablierende Center for Medicine Innovation widmen.

Clinical pharmacokinetic studies on lung-targeted drugs are typically limited to measurements of systemic plasma concentrations, which provide no direct information on lung target-site concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether spatial pharmacokinetic studies in human lung are feasible. To this end, the lung pharmacokinetics of commonly prescribed drugs was evaluated by sampling different lung compartments after inhalation and oral administration.

Minister Dr. h. c. Björn Thümler, Prof. Michael Manns, Prof. Ulrike Köhl, Prof. Norbert Krug and Prof. Thomas Thum discussed the potential for health research in Lower Saxony.

At the Institute of Medical Engineering (IMT), the University of Lübeck and the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-based Medical Technology IMTE, tiny floating robots are being developed that will be able to navigate through the body like submarines in the future. With this new treatment option, drugs are to be brought specifically to their site of action and interventions in areas of the body that are difficult to access are to be carried out very gently.

New publication in the »American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology«

Cooperation agreement between the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck and the Technische Hochschule (TH) Lübeck deepens collaboration. What has worked well for a long time within the framework of project-related cooperation is now being put on an institutional basis between TH Lübeck, Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences, and Fraunhofer IMTE.

Funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, together with 25 European partners from research, pharmaceutical companies, SME’s and patient organizations, is researching a poorly understood disease that affects millions of people. 

The High-Performance Center Medical and Pharmaceutical Engineering is aimed at easing the translation of ideas into successful applications – consistently focusing on user safety. The combined expertise of the Fraunhofer Institutes ITEM and IST as well as the Fraunhofer Research Institution IMTE provides an ideal basis for accelerating scientific developments in medical and pharmaceutical technologies to provide state-of-the-art applications for patients.

A team of scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has discovered a novel molecular regulatory axis that plays a decisive role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Are algae the superfood and active ingredient suppliers of the future? Under the direction of Professor Carola Griehl, researchers at the Competence Center Algal Biotechnology at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences have been working on this question for many years.

Ultrasound and MRI are among the most important imaging procedures in medicine. The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine is developing software solutions that optimize image acquisition and simplify tracking physiological functions.

In a clinical proof-of-concept study, Fraunhofer ITEM researchers were able to demonstrate that chip cytometry can also be used to analyze bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid or induced sputum. This method enables quantitative and even multiple repeated analyses also of the small amounts of morphologically heterogeneous cell populations that are typical of these biological samples.

Bei der CAR-T-Zell-Therapie, einer neuartigen Krebsimmuntherapie, werden gentechnologisch veränderte, körpereigene T-Zellen der Patientinnen und Patienten für die Behandlung genutzt. Derzeit kommt diese Therapie bei einigen Formen von Blutkrebs und Lymphomen zum Einsatz. Um sowohl den Erfolg als auch Nebenwirkungen von CAR-T-Zell-Therapien abschätzen zu können, ist eine intensive Überwachung nach der Verabreichung nötig.

Fraunhofer ruft ein neues Forschungsprojekt, die »e-Pille«, ins Leben, mit dem die Formulierung neuer Medikamente für die orale Verabreichung optimiert werden soll.

Es besteht ein dringender und weltweiter Bedarf an der Entwicklung effizienter bakterieller Impfstoffe. Eine Harnwegsinfektion zum Beispiel kann für hospitalisierte Patientinnen und Patienten tödlich enden. In dem deutsch-dänischen Projektkonsortium führen die beteiligten Einrichtungen ihre unterschiedlichen Expertisen zusammen, um ein glykosyliertes bakterielles Impfstoffprotein zu entwickeln und zu testen. Dieses Impfstoffprotein soll dann hinsichtlich Immunogenität und Selektivität optimiert werden. »Dies wird der erste Impfstoff sein, der auf diese Weise entwickelt wurde«, erklärt Projektleiter und GlyProVac-Geschäftsführer Anders Boysen.

Bei Operationen treten immer wieder Komplikationen auf, sogar mit Todesfolge. Ein neues Projekt namens „KIPeriOP“ will das Risiko solcher Komplikationen minimieren. Basis sind digitalisierte Entscheidungsleitlinien und selbstlernende Algorithmen, die anhand individueller Patientendaten eine verlässliche Risikoabschätzung liefern sollen: Mit welcher Wahrscheinlichkeit können bestimmte Komplikationen auftreten, wie ließen sie sich womöglich vermeiden?

BMBF-Verbundprojekt Ophthalmo-AI gestartet.

Das kürzlich gestartete Verbundprojekt »Ophthalmo-AI«, koordiniert vom Fraunhofer-Institut für Biomedizinische Technik IBMT, will ein intelligentes, interaktives Assistenzsystem schaffen, das Augenärztinnen und -ärzte mit Methoden der erklärbaren Künstlichen Intelligenz unterstützt und nachvollziehbare Diagnosen und Behandlungsvorschläge macht.

Den Innovationstransfer zu beschleunigen, haben sich die Fraunhofer-Leistungszentren auf die Fahnen geschrieben. Im März 2021 ist das Leistungszentrum Medizin- und Pharmatechnologie an den Start gegangen. Mit Fokus auf personalisierte Implantate und Respirationssysteme sowie individualisierte Arzneimittelherstellung ist es das Ziel, eine Plattform für die Forschung und den Innovationstransfer in die Patientenversorgung zu schaffen.

Operationen an der Herzklappe sind oft hochkomplex und müssen genauestens vorbereitet werden. Das Fraunhofer-Institut für Digitale Medizin MEVIS entwickelt zusammen mit dem Deutschen Herzzentrum Berlin und der Charité ein Assistenzsystem, das die Planung der Eingriffe mit Hilfe von Virtual Reality erleichtern soll. Auch Patienten dürften künftig von der neuen Technik profitieren.

Fraunhofer-Expertise im Einsatz gegen SARS-CoV-2, Fraunhofer-Institut für Biomedizinische Technik IBMT.

Das internationale Konsortium iCAIR® hat im Mai 2020 ein Forschungsprojekt zur Entwicklung von Medikamenten gegen SARS-CoV-2 gestartet.

Fraunhofer Institut für Translationale Medizin und Pharmakologie ITMP in Kooperation mit der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (federführend), der TU Darmstadt, der Universität Heidelberg, dem Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik sowie pharmazeutischen und biotechnologischen Unternehmen im Rhein-Main-Gebiet.

Sächsiches Konsortium erhält Zuschlag in der Zukunftscluster-Initiative (Clusters4Future) des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung.

Die biomedizinische Forschung steht aktuell an einem Scheideweg, an dem die Entwicklung, Herstellung und Anwendung innovativer Therapieverfahren zwar technisch möglich sind, ihr breiter Einsatz das Gesundheitssystem jedoch stark belasten würde – finanziell wie logistisch.