Reference projects IME | Aachen

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a metabolically active peptide hormone that can reduce obesity-associated metabolic disorders in various animal models. Initial clinical trials with FGF21 analogs (administered by injection) confirmed reductions in body weight, blood lipids, and insulin in humans and point to the liver as an important target organ, particularly in patients with fatty liver disease. The liver is also the main producer of FGF21, but direct hepatic effects and mechanisms are still poorly understood. This project aims to investigate whether an oral administration system can achieve positive metabolic effects by targeting the liver and avoiding side effects.

In the face of the energy transition, solar fuels represent a sustainable solution for an environmentally friendly energy supply – whether in transportation, private households, or industrial sectors with high CO2 emissions. Artificial photosynthesis is a promising approach to producing solar fuel; however, current systems are inefficient and unsuitable for industrial use due to their high costs. The EU project SUNGATE aims to overcome these limitations by combining the principles of artificial photosynthesis with photoelectrocatalysis, flow microreactor technology, and biotechnology. SUNGATE's overarching goal is to provide a technology that can ensure a cost-effective global energy supply and contribute to climate neutrality by 2050.

The use of chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, contributes significantly to global warming and environmental pollution. This project aimed to optimize the root architecture of maize by modulating strigolactones. These natural plant hormones play a key role in nutrient uptake and promoting symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, which improves phosphate and nitrate uptake. Researching this strategy should enable the development of new breeding technologies for maize varieties with improved resilience and productivity.

Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or certain cardiovascular disorders are caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Endogenous proteins typically play an important role in the development and clinical manifestation of these diseases and are therefore potential targets for pharmacological intervention. Many conventional drugs act as inhibitors that bind to target proteins and block their catalytic activities or molecular interactions. A relatively new strategy, however, involves the degradation of target proteins through the cell’s own ubiquitin–proteasome system.

Plant molecular farming is the production of high-value compounds from plants using biotechnology. Several such plant biotechnologies are under development, and a few products are already commercially available (such as the biologic Elelyso (Protalix Biotherapeutics) and the secondary metabolite paclitaxel (Phyton Biotech)). Plant biotechnology for biologics has only been developed in the last 20 years. Therefore, plant-based production platforms are not yet mature compared to the microbial and mammalian cell expression systems that are routinely used in the pharmaceutical industry today and on which current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines are based.

The International Center for Networked, Adaptive Production (ICNAP) originated from an initiative of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Fraunhofer Society, with strong support from industry. It was launched in Aachen at the end of 2016 as the Fraunhofer Center of Excellence "Networked, Adaptive Production." The Center's mission is to design an open research platform and testing environment for industry, where new concepts for digitized production and their transfer to industry can be researched and tested in practical applications. ICNAP emerged from this initiative and consolidates the successful collaboration in industry projects. This allows other companies to benefit from the Center's work as partners within the community.

Plant cell cultures (PCCs) cultivated in bioreactors for the production of valuable plant ingredients represent a sustainable and resource-efficient alternative to the cultivation of whole plants. Light is a key factor in optimizing bioprocesses with regard to product yield and quality and making them more economically attractive without having to resort to genetic modifications of the PCCs – at least if no recombinant proteins (pharmaceuticals, biologics) are to be produced. While the determination of individual light conditions (so-called light recipes) to increase product yields in PCCs can already be achieved through patented in-house developments at Fraunhofer IME, the transfer of optimized light conditions to industrial scale is not possible because existing bioreactor systems with integrated lighting units (photobioreactors) are not designed to implement individual light recipes.

In recent decades, not only has sugar consumption continuously increased, but the number of chronic diseases attributable to excessive sugar consumption has also risen sharply worldwide. Diseases such as tooth decay, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases (stroke and heart attack), type 2 diabetes, and overweight and obesity in children and adults are caused or promoted by long-term sugar consumption. To counteract the increasing health problems caused by diet, the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food (BMEL) aims to reduce the sugar content in convenience foods and beverages in order to lower the direct and indirect costs for the economy and society as a whole. Sweet-tasting proteins, isolated for the first time from tropical and African plants, can serve as a template for developing healthier alternatives to sugar and counteracting diet-related diseases.

The contamination of wastewater from private households and industry with heavy metals and dissolved trace substances, such as additives and pharmaceuticals, is steadily increasing in Europe. Because these dissolved substances are difficult or impossible to biodegrade and accumulate in the environment, plants, and animals with unknown effects, environmental regulations for wastewater treatment and water reuse are becoming more stringent in the EU. However, these trace substances do not settle and, due to their size in the nanometer and micrometer range, pass through conventional filter systems. Furthermore, because of their low bioavailability, they are hardly biodegraded in wastewater treatment plants, making it increasingly difficult to comply with EU environmental regulations. The “Aachen Network for Waste Water Reuse, AIX-Net-WWR” is paving the way for a sustainable, decentralized, and economical water supply and disposal system in the near future. Using innovative technologies, wastewater is transformed into water of suitable quality for reuse in neighborhoods, agriculture, and industry. Heat and valuable materials contained in wastewater are reused. Through regional focus, the alliance makes a significant contribution to local structural change, while also making a substantial contribution to the globally pressing problems of water and resource scarcity and climate change.

About half of the world’s population is infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. This stomach pathogen can cause chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa and is the most common trigger for stomach cancer. Increasing antibiotic resistance complicates effective treatment, creating an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. The HeliTec project explored a new antibiotic-free treatment method aimed at directly killing the bacterium in the gastric mucosa. To achieve this, genetically modified, harmless Helicobacter bacteria were developed as drug delivery systems. Acting as “Trojan horses,” these bacteria release bactericidal substances in close proximity to pathogenic Helicobacter strains. The release of these antimicrobial substances is triggered by signaling molecules produced by the pathogenic bacteria themselves.The project pursued three strategies: (1) Release of bactericidal proteins or peptides by the Trojan bacteria. (2) Loading the Trojan bacteria with bacteriophages—viruses that specifically attack and kill pathogenic Helicobacter strains. (3) A combined approach, where the phages are incorporated into the Trojan bacteria and are only released in the presence of pathogenic Helicobacter. This targeted release directly at the site of infection is intended to enable efficient treatment. The research project therefore contributes to overcoming the limitations of current drug delivery methods.