Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder is the most common genitourinary cancer. Diagnosis of TCC currently relies on cystoscopy and urine cytology. Both examination methods have limitations. The present technology describes a novel urinary marker for the detection of bladder cancer. With a sensitivity of 85 % and a specificity of 86.4 % the potential marker exceeds currently commercially available bladder cancer associated marker proteins.
The field of application is under water welding (e.g. offshore platforms or inland water-ways) using electric arc welding including continuous filler wire supply. In comparison to the state of the art, the new welding system allows a creation of endless an slag-free welding seam in hyper-baric wet areas by the hand of the diver.
To date, the diagnosis of the severe infectious disease leishmaniosis is still highly unreliable in endemic areas of Eastern Africa, since the pathogen occurring in these regions differs from pathogens present in other endemic areas of South Africa and Asia. Moreover, leishmaniasis is also spreading in southern Europe because infected dogs represent a major source of risk for the transmission to humans.
A cost-effective and time-efficient diagnostics was developed which provides a more
reliable diagnosis of leishmaniasis in humans and animals as compared to currently
available diagnostics. This diagnostics is particularly suitable for a use as rapid test,
allowing an uncomplicated application outside of clinics and laboratories and
consequently a more efficient and improved diagnosis of leishmaniasis in hospitals
and in the field.
Several pathological conditions as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are due to an excessive T cell activity. Treatment modalities are based on the relief from symptoms, whereby immune suppressive biologicals are rapidly expanding, owing to the good efficacy and safety profiles. However, for the regulation of the starting point of the disease-causing processes no agents exist until now. For that we offer a new agent with an exceptional stringent and specific suppression of T cell activation, whereby the inactivation is reversible. With this invention it is not only possible to address T cells in their entirety, but also antigen-specific T cells. Membrane mobility characteristics have not to be considered, because the target is located on the outside of T cells.
Peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) ranks among the most frequent chronic diseases worldwide. Common therapies comprise mechanical interventions, which are not suitable for a considerable number of patients. We offer a new pharmaceutical, achieving an almost healthy blood flow due to an increased growth of collateral vessels. For that immune cells of the patient are used, giving reason to expect a good tolerance and thereby avoiding rejection reactions and the transmission of pathogens.
Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) is one of the major complications associated with transplantation. It is caused by donor T cells, which recognize the genetically dissimilar recipient and therefore attack the host’s body cells. At present there is no effective therapy available. We offer a simple method, whereby the transplant once is treated ex vivo with a well known substance prior to transplantation. For that only a very low concentration of the substance and a short incubation time are used. Remarkably, GVHD is reduced significantly. Due to the ex vivo treatment no side effects are expected.
Photodynamic tumour therapy (PDT) is a promising minimal-invasive method in the treatment of cancer. PDT is based on a method for the treatment of cancer with light in combination with a so-called photosensitizer.
In contrast to traditional photosensitisers, the chlorine compounds developed at and patented by the University of Bremen show amphiphilic (both hydrophilic and lipophilic) properties. The combination of lipophilic and non-ionic hydrophilic structure parts enables both good transport properties via the bloodstream and increased accumulation in the tumour tissue.
Due to the synthesis of the novel photosenitisers, exceedingly suitable candidates as active substances have been formed with the potential to improve the photodynamic therapy and its effectiveness. Moreover, the chemical process for the production of these compounds has been improved, enabling for the first time the clinical use of the structurally challenging photosensitisers in an economic way.
Initial experiments to verify the effectiveness have been carried out in vitro. The next step will be the verification in the animal model. We are looking for partner companies interested in the further development of the active substance using the patent.
University of Bremen developed a ceramic coating which comprises a special microstructure based on chemically inert oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, the ceramic surface has a biofunctional effect due to a lysozyme which adheres to it. This results in a high grade of strength and resistance and has an extremely effective antimicrobial effect.
The new material provides effective surface protection from an environmental and health perspective against abrasion, corrosion and bacterial deposition. It is therefore suitable for use in processes involving the handling and processing of foodstuffs. It offers an alternative to the use of biocides and antibiotics in combating biofilms, and even prevents their formation altogether.
In addition to the antimicrobial effect, the surface provides all the advantages of a ceramic coating: strength, mechanical resilience and chemical inertia. By protecting the surface, this ultimately prolongs the service life of the systems, reduces the amount of cleaning required, and leads to cost-savings. Furthermore, the use of the body’s own lysozymes means that the surface is also suitable for coating implants for preventing contamination during operation.
Laboratory tests were carried out successfully to check the activity of the lysozymes immobilized on the ceramic surface. For that purpose, a continuous flow system was developed in which harsh ambient conditions were simulated using a supply of model microorganisms and aggressive ingredients. The micro-moulding method is universally applicable on a diverse range of surfaces and geometries. The surface must be adjusted and further developed for the relevant application.
RedVersIn provides an expression system that was specifically developed to match the high demands in the production of protein-based biopharmaceuticals in mammalian cells and is perfectly adapted to batch production systems. RedVersIn is also very useful in manufacturing proteins that are otherwise difficult to produce, especially for unstable and sensitive proteins as well as proteins that have cytotoxic or cytostatic properties. RedVersIn excels itself by a proven functionality in several of the industrially established mammalian cell lines and by being tunable and reversible with very fast reaction kinetics. RedVersIn is a reversible optically controlled gene expression system for mammalian cell systems based on the redlight-controlled Phytochrome. It allows an easy and powerful spatiotemporally induction of gene expression in cells, tissues and organisms.
This development allows for wet-chemical production of non-agglomerating nanoparticles (e.g. titanium oxide, zinc oxide) from metal salts. To do so, metal salts are mixed with a reaction and stability reagent. Amorphous or crystalline metal oxide nanoparticles can then be produced depending on the reaction calibration. These can be further processed during dispersion or separated from the solvent. The metal oxide nanoparticles obtained from this can be used in this form or dispersed in another solvent, e.g. water.
Der Schwingungssensor arbeitet mit zwei optischen Sensoren mit Fiber-Bragg-Gittern in Kombination mit einem Biegebalken und einer breitbandigen Lichtquelle. Beim Durchlauf durch die beiden FBG-Sensoren wird die Intensität des optischen Signals in Abhängigkeit der Biegung geändert. Die Intensität des Lichts kann einfach mit einem optischen Detektor gemessen werden. Eine aufwändige Analyse mittels eines
Spektrumanalysators entfällt. Aufgrund der hier gewählten Technologie ist es möglich, Schwingungen bis zu einer Frequenz von 100 kHz zu messen.
Die zur Herstellung notwendigen Technologien gehen nicht über die konventionellen Technologien hinaus,
so dass bei der Produktion des Sensors auf die bekannten Prozesse zurück gegriffen werden kann.
Entwickelt wurde die Technologie des
Schwingungssensors in erster Linie zur
Überwachung von Pipelines. Sie kann
aber in allen Gebieten eingesetzt
werden, in denen mechanische
Schwingungen bis zu 100 kHz detektiert
werden sollen.
An increasing portion of digital devices nowadays is based on multi-core CPUs. Besides consumer gear like smart phones, tablet PCs, game consoles, (smart) TVs etc. multi-core CPU comprising devices are the groundwork in particular for modern automotive,
aerospace and industrial control applications.
To provide high data access rates each core of a typical CPU is equipped with a fast private (L1) cache. All cores commonly share the comparably slow main memory (and L2 cache). To avoid data inconsistencies due to multiple write accesses the cache controllers
implement cache coherence protocols. However, the communication Overhead increases with the number of CPU cores.
This leads to an increase of the necessary chip area as well as to an increase of power consumption.
Furthermore automotive, aerospace and industrial control applications demand hard real-time abilities. But the known cache coherence arrangements hardly provide this hard real-time functionality.
All in all permanently increasing demands
concerning processing speed, battery operation time, chip miniaturization level and particularly hard real-time constraints challenge the developers to offer a simple and reliable solution.
The novel approach to meet this market demand is the On-demand Coherent Cache (ODC²) recently developed at the Robotics Research Institute of the TU Dortmund University.
Lithium-Ion-batteries often comprise collector foils made of chemically pre-treated aluminium. The chemical pre-treatment of such aluminium collector foils can be superseded by a plasma treatment of raw aluminium. More general, the patented method allows reduction of the contact resistance of different metal substrates.
The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is an important process to convert coal, natural gas and biomass to a variety of hydrocarbon products and oxygenates of different chain length.
In this modified Fischer-Tropsch process valuable nitrogen or phosphorous containing products of varying chain length are produced via co-feeding of suitable gases such as ammonia. These nitrogen-containing products include amines but also nitriles, amides and formamides. Amines and nitriles are important base chemicals and they are typically produced from oxygenates precursors which themselves are derived from olefins. This process therefore eliminates the use of a two-step process. Similarly phosphorous containing compounds can be produced. Moreover, the formation of oxygenates including carboxylic acids which are undesired products of the synthesis can be fully suppressed with the modified process. Notably this can be achieved with no or tolerable loss of catalyst activity.
Researchers at the University of Bremen have developed a simple method for producing zinc oxide (ZnO) nan-owires. The ZnO nanowires provide the basis for a new generation of environmentally friendly LEDs with im-proved properties.
A simple way of describing this production method would be as a baking recipe: salts and water are mixed, put into a pressure tank and placed in an oven for several hours.
By altering the temperature during the production process, different conductivities (n- and p-conducting) can be embossed to the individual nanowires and different light spectra can be defined by combining them with each other.
The production of conventional LEDs based on gallium compounds is harmful to health and calls for huge technical effort.
Zinc oxide can be produced in large quantities in an easy, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. It comprises efficient light-matter interaction and is transparent across almost the entire spectral range. The new LEDs have the innate potential to produce white light. Emissions in the UV range are also possible.
A prototype of the ZnO nanowire LED has been tested successfully in the laboratory. A development or cooperation partner is now being sought.
There is no satisfactory therapy to prevent the loss of synapses, axons or neurons in neurodegenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Several studies demonstrate that this neuronal damage is partly mediated by proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species released by tissue macrophages and microglia.
The present invention allows preventing the production of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species through the application of low molecular weight polysialic acid PSA-20. In vitro studies showed that PSA-20 prevents the activation of human macrophages and human microglia thereby inhibiting the production of cytotoxic proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. It has been shown, that this anti-inflammatory effect is mediated through the human lineage specific receptor Siglec-11.
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