Press Releases 2021

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. The latest developments will be presented at COMPAMED/MEDICA in Düsseldorf from November 15 to 18 (Hall 13, Stand D60).

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. The process will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, between November 15 and 18, 2021 (hall 3, stand E74).

Today’s imaging technologies in ophthalmology are so advanced that retinal and vascular structures in the eye can be resolved with unprecedented precision in two, three and even four dimensions. However, interpreting the image material and deriving a therapy decision taking into account the patient's history is a complex task that requires a lot of experience. Treatment errors may have severe consequences for patients. The recently launched joint project »Ophthalmo-AI«, coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, aims to create an intelligent and interactive assistance system that supports ophthalmologists with methods of explainable artificial intelligence to provide comprehensible diagnoses and treatment suggestions.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, with it´s long-term expertise in nanotoxicity and nanosafety testing, contributes to a new EC project for water saving solutions for textile industry. This industry uses a vast amount of water for different steps in the textile dyeing process. It also produces a lot of wastewater, which contains a range of chemicals and dyes.

Fraunhofer IBMT bidirectional microelectrodes help to reduce pathological tremor. The partners in the EU-funded project "EXTEND" are developing tools to create a minimally invasive neural interface platform to provide real-time bidirectional connectivity between a dense network of implanted wireless micro-stimulators and -sensors. These so-called Bidirectional Hyper-connected Neural Systems (BHNS) stimulate and record neuromuscular activity in a distributed and synchronized manner. Now the EXTEND researchers have shown that the BHNS approach can reduce essential tremor.