Projects on Scientific-technical Solutions for the Field of Medicine (RIBS)

The aim of the research area “imaging and image analysis” is the further development of technologies for obtaining medical imaging material and for interpreting medical images to assist medical scientists with diagnosis and treatment. Typical projects comprise the BMBF-funded project on the high-field magnet resonance tomograph (7 Tesla), whole-body-tomography data sets, the characterization of liver perfusion by sequential image analysis (DFG-funded), and the development of a prognosis system for optimizing surgery and rehabilitation methods for the human musculoskeletal system (EU-funded).

The researchers working in the area of “drug delivery and nanoparticles” develop pharmaceutical carrier systems on the basis of nanoparticles and nano-capsules. These systems are intended to temporarily bind the active pharmaceutical agent and allow enrichment of the substance at a specific site within the human organism where the drug can than be released at high concentrations. Recently new carrier modules were developed which permit the transfection of nucleic acids into living cells with high efficiency. These calcium phosphate nanoparticle carriers are also of high biocompatibility.

The area “implants / biomechanics / biomaterials” comprises inter alia biocompatible bone substitution materials and implant surfaces as well as simulation of the biomechanical properties of, for example, arteries and the human musculoskeletal system. Typical projects are concerned with the simulation of arterial biomechanics for balloon angioplasty applications, individual implants for bone reconstruction, the development of methods for synthesizing biocompatible surfaces, the development of aggregation inhibitors for ß-sheets (Alzheimer ligands), epiretinal visual prostheses, retinal implants for blind patients, and intraocular visual aids.