Technology Offerings

Hydrogen is regarded as the energy source of the future. At Heidelberg University relatively inexpensive hydrogen storage materials have been developed, that allow a rapid and reversible uptake/release of hydrogen under mild conditions. The innovative storage materials can be used as a molecular, oligomeric or polymeric solid as well as in liquid form.

At the fem Research Institute for Precious Metals and Metals Chemistry in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany, a novel free-form casting process has been developed for the production of massive metallic glass products. The process is based on a combination of the established processing steps: wax modelling, electroforming, and investment casting. Using this process it is for the first time possible to produce relatively simply, quickly and cost-effectively even filigree and geometrically complex metallic glass products in small to medium production volumes.

Epigenetic modifications at the 5-position of cytosine in DNA provide important clues for diseases such as neurological disorders and a range of cancers. Scientists at the University of Constance have now developed a method which allows the direct detection, i.e. without prior chemical modification of the DNA sample, of the epigenetic modification status in the 5-position of cytosine (such as 5mC and 5hmC) in any user-defined sequence. It is a simple and reliable method with high resolution and can be combined with a multitude of detection methods. Detection both in vivo and in vitro is possible.

At the University of Konstanz a novel method with very high selectivity has been developed, which allows the inclusion of amino acids with nucleic acid-intercalating properties into proteins and peptides. Protein- and peptide-based active pharmaceutical components often contain structures that act as intercalators. The technology uses standard protein expression methods and only requires the presence of the ncAA in the medium and the co-expression of the respective aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases as well as the tRNA. The invention has substantial potential for the development of new applications and products, in particular in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields.

Digital beam forming systems simultaneously improve resolution and dynamic range. Usually the dynamic range of a system suffers, when there is only a limited number of senders and receivers. The present invention offers a process to increase the dynamic range of multi-sender multi-receiver systems which have only a small number of elements in the group. The system provides increased dynamic response even with a small number of antennae. The number of elements in a group of senders and receivers can be reduced, which in turn lowers the hardware costs.

All signal components (both the carrier signals and the frequency-modulated signal components) can be evaluated. Therefore ambiguities can be resolved. Using the frequency-modulated signal components, it is no longer necessary to compromise between the explicit angular range and the resolution.