Product Sheets and Technology Offers

Drinking water is our most important foodstuff and is therefore subject to strict and frequent controls. Nevertheless, there are always situations in which contamination with pathogens cannot be ruled out, e.g. after floods or earthquakes. In addition, bioterrorist attack scenarios cannot be ruled out, as supply facilities represent a potential target because of their nationwide infrastructure and central feed-in points. Established analyses are laboratory-based, complex and time-consuming. There is currently a lack of reliable and sensitive rapid test methods that can be used on site. The aim of the joint AquaNANO project is to develop a novel mobile analysis system that can detect impurities in drinking water in the shortest possible time.

Fraunhofer IME is an application-oriented research institute focusing on the development of innovative analysis platforms. In close cooperation with partners from science and industry, we develop tailor-made solutions for specific challenges. One of the research focuses of Fraunhofer IME is the development of tailor-made immunological assays and the production of specific antibodies for these purposes. In addition to adapting classical methods such as the enzyme coupled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to specific problems, we also focus on the development of innovative rapid test platforms, e.g. using special magnetic nanoprobes.

Plant pathogens such as viruses and fungi have a strong global impact on crop plants and lead to considerable economic losses of up to 30 percent. The early identification and quantification of plant pathogens is of crucial importance in order to initiate appropriate measures in good time, such as the use of plant protection products, and thus prevent the spread of such diseases. Routine testing of random plant samples for the presence of certain pathogens is a suitable strategy. For this purpose, we have developed a novel rapid test method using antibody-functionalized magnetic particles. Continuous sampling in the field in combination with the mobile rapid test allows early detection of pathogenic infestations and efficient control of the amount of pesticide.

DNA sequencing is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process that has become indispensable in modern biological research. It is required to characterize new genes or to verify the identity of recombinant DNA. To support our customers in their research activities, we offer a portfolio of DNA sequencing and related services:
- Plasmid DNA Preparation
- PCR Product Purification
- Preparation of sequence reactions
- Analysis of sequence reactions

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At Fraunhofer IME, murine antibodies have been produced using hybridoma technology for many years. Based on this, our expertise has expanded into other areas of antibody work. A modern cell culture laboratory with automated cell cultivation is available for the generation and selection of antibody producing cells. The purification of the produced antibodies as well as characterization and functional analysis (e.g. by gel electrophoresis, ELISA and Surface Plasmon Resonance) are routinely performed. The cloning of the genetic information of the antibodies and their further optimization as well as the conversion into other antibody formats e.g. single chain antibodies (scFv) are an integral part of our work.

The activity of active pharmaceutical ingredients is usually based on a molecular interaction of the respective active substance with specific receptor or target molecules in the patient's body. The reliable and detailed quantitative characterization of biomolecules in terms of interaction parameters such as specificity, binding strength and stoichiometry plays a decisive role in the identification and development of new drugs and vaccines as well as in quality control in the manufacture of new drugs and vaccines.

Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) are increasingly used in ecological risk assessment of chemicals. SSDs compile toxicity data for a set of species tests to estimate hazardous concentrations (HCx), which represent a specific proportion of species in a communitythat would be affected. For the risk assessment of plant protection products tests for at least eight invertebrate species of the sensitive taxonomic group are required for the SSD approach. Until now, most invertebrate SSDs for plant protection products are based on acute test data because to conduct for example chronic tests with eight different aquatic arthropoda species is difficult. The Fraunhofer IME is able to perform chronic testing of different invertebrate species which could provide toxicity data for the SSD approach.

Active substances of pesticides, biocides or pharmaceuticals can display adverse effects in non-target organisms. Therefore, European legislation requests manufacturers to provide data for environmental risk assessment of active substances for registration. The commonly applied OECD tests are time- and cost-consuming and come along with a substantial number of animal tests. Thus, they are conducted only in the final stage of industrial substance development, bearing the risk of a failing registration due to proven adverse environmental effects. The Eco'n'OMICs project aims at an early ecotoxicological risk prediction for active substance precursors based on substance-induced molecular changes in aquatic model organisms.

All organic compounds undergo transformation and degradation processes that generate new substances with completely different properties. Before products can be registered, it is therefore necessary to understand how they are metabolized and degraded in different environmental matrices. Regulatory approval procedures for this are challenging because highly-sensitive analytical methods are needed to detect and identify the minute quantities of transformation products generated by metabolism and environmental degradation. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is the most efficient analytical method for determining the structure of organic substances.The NMR suite is supported by a high-resolution OrbitrapTM Hybrid FT mass spectrometer that can determine the chemical formulae of unknown substances to complement the structural data.