Technology Offerings

This new 2D-actuator enables ultrasonic assisted drilling, milling or grinding of brittle-hard materials like ceramic, glass, silicium carbides or hardened
steel. It can be used in combination with existing machining centres. Operating at low frequency it allows the compensation of thermal and geometric faults at the workpiece as well.

The human integrin avß6, which is usually undetectable in normal adults’ cells, but highly upregulated in different types of cancer, is an emerging target for therapy as well as imaging across several common tumor types. However, only few ligands are known so far that are highly active for avß6 integrin and at the same time possess no binding affinity toward other RGD-recognizing integrins. Furthermore, their metabolic instability, their high molecular weight and the complexity of their structures limit their medical application.
This problem could now be solved by the present invention. The peptides according to the invention show a remarkable affinity for avß6 and high selectivity against other integrins.

One important biosynthetic precursor of fatty alcohols is hydroxyalkanoyloxy alkanoic acid (HAA). HAA can be produced by microbes using sugars as substrate. Currently, no commercial production of HAA is established in the art and only few literature exist
that relates to HAA production. Due to their amphiphilic nature, HAA can be used as biosurfactant on one hand and as a precursor for the synthesis of alkanes, which can be used as fuel especially aviation fuel on the other hand.
The present invention provides a novel procedure for a selective and quantitative (> 1g/L) production of HAAs from biotechnological process engineering.
Industrial relevant strains like P. putida and E. coli have been tested and specific chain lengths of HAAs (short or long) can be obtained via direct product secretion into the media. Within one day, already 40% of theoretical product (in view of glucose as C-source) can be achieved.
On behalf of the University of Aachen, PROvendis offers access to rights for commercial use as well as the opportunity for further co-development.

For the production of rechargeable batteries, it is desirable to use silicon as anode material in Li-ion batteries. The use of silicon anodes theoretically increases battery capacity tenfold compared to conventional graphite anodes. However, the attempt had previously failed, since the layers would expand by 300 to 400 % due to the storage of lithium ions in the Si bulk material. This induces a high residual strain and can destroy the bulk Si after only a few charge cycles. In addition, as a consequence of the irreversible reaction between the Si anode and electrolyte a layer of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) can develop and lead to a low coulombic efficiency.
Scientists of the University of Stuttgart now succeeded in developing a porous semiconductor layer, which displays a pore distribution from 50 to 3000 nm and eliminates the residual strain. It can be manufactured in a continuous process.

The present technology improves immunogenicity by treating DCs during maturation with the fungal-derived enzyme galactose oxidase. Hereby, a stronger physical interaction between DCs and T cells is achieved resulting in an at least 10-fold improved T cell priming capacity. In cell culture assays both human and mouse DCs showed enhanced T cell priming potential, the murine cells also in vivo.
Even the T cell stimulatory potential of mature DCs that were putatively activated up to a maximum was further improved by the galactose oxidase treatment. Hence, low affine T lymphocytes, as often found in the context of tumor antigens, can be activated and brought to proliferation too.
By improving T cell priming capability and therefore immunogenicity, this technology provides the opportunity to markedly enhance the classical DC maturation and accordingly to improve DC-vaccine approaches for example in tumor or HIV patients.

This invention is a process for detecting salmonellae as well as a fluorescing detection molecule that can be used for detecting salmonellae. This procedure enables the rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of salmonellae. A major advantage of this invented technology is that the salmonellae biosensor described here requires no additional devices aside from a fluorescence reading device, and does not require any specially trained technical experts.