Technology Offerings

Unique nano-seals allow for forgery-proof object identification. Due to a combination of ion irradiation and simultaneous co-deposition of metal atoms a unique surface pattern is created. Its manufacturing process and its size of only a few square micrometers make it impossible to be reproduced, thus creating a forgery-proof identifier.

A method and components to fibre-couple multiple light sources in a highly efficient way is proposed. The new technique simplifies the process with which a side coupling arrangement for a double-cladded target fibre can be realized. In addition it improves the coupling efficiency compared to the so far existing state of the art.

Hybrid plasma-laser micro-structuring provides a tool for treating fused silica without the need for a time consuming preconditioning of the surface or the use of expensive vacuum-UV- respectively mid-wavelength-IR-lasers. The use of a hydrogenous plasma prior to the ablation process causes a temporary increase of the absorption in a more easily accessible wavelength region.

The invention describes a procedure to improve fluid mechanically the efficiency of chemical reactions and methods for emulsification and dispersion. This is done by generating hydrodynamically oscillating cavitations in a very efficient and homogenous way.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and the third most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. Cure of HCC is only possible by complete resection in early stages, but only 10–20% of tumors can be curatively resected and the risk of HCC recurrence is high. In addition, HCC is resistant to conventional radio- or chemotherapy. As a result, the prognosis of HCC remains poor and new therapies are urgently needed. The discovery of so far unknown immunodominant epitopes of the tumor-associated antigen Glypican-3 and the according HLA-A2 restricted T-cell-receptor enable the development of an adoptive T cell therapy for HCC patients. Adoptive T cell therapies showed very promising results in cancer therapy over the last years. The Science Magazine even awarded this technology as “Breakthrough of the year 2013”. Therefore, the current invention provides the tools for a promising new approach for the therapy of HCC.

The novel pH value sensor works according to an optical electrochemical principle and comprises a photoluminescent or fluorescent layer, a light source and a detector. The layer comprises an electric potential and acts as a working electrode which is implemented as a nanostructure (nanowires with quantum dots). Furthermore, spatial resolution can be achieved by using numerous nanowires contacted individually on a carrier and a visual array detector (analogous to CCD sensors in digital cameras).
Other reactions or concentrations of substances can also be detected.