Presented by Jörg Opitz. Co-authored by Juliane Spohn, Malgorzata Kopycinska-Müller, Ralf Schallert, Natalia Beshchasna, Matthias Ahlhelm (Fraunhofer IKTS).

At Fraunhofer IKTS, the Bio- and Nanotechnology department develops technologies that accelerate biomedical innovation and bring individualized therapies closer to clinical and industrial application. Personalized medicine – from cardiovascular implants to immunotherapies and complex biosensor systems – holds enormous promise – yet remains costly. Our mission is to create materials, processes, and analytical platforms that reduce these costs while ensuring safety and performance.

We explore biologized materials and structures, using bioinspired fabrication routes such as additive manufacturing, cold sintering, and in-situ mineralization to design implants with tailored porosity, mechanical strength, and bioactivity. These developments are coupled with biological analytics, where advanced in-vitro systems and standardized cell-based assays quantify immune response, cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility under clinically relevant conditions.

A further dimension is advanced non-destructive characterization. Methods such as optical coherence tomography and other allow us to probe defects, porosity, and material degradation without damaging the sample, linking microstructural insights with biological performance.

Finally, nanoparticle functionalization and sensor integration open new pathways for antibacterial and immunomodulatory coatings, microfluidic systems, and diagnostic platforms. Together, these strands converge on a single goal: enabling reliable, affordable, and individualized biomedical solutions.

Presented by Natalia Beshchasna. Co-authored Dmitry Belyaev, Ivan Lopez Carrasco, Mahan Hosseinzadeh Fakhr, Jörg Opitz.

A major trend in biomedical engineering is the development of reliable, self-contained point-of- care (POC) devices for diagnostics and in-field assays. The new generation of such platforms increasingly addresses the clinical and environmental needs. Moreover, they are becoming more and more integrated with everyday objects, such as smartphones, and their spread among unskilled common people, has the power to improve the quality of life, both in the developed world and in low-resource settings. The future success of these tools will depend on the integration of the relevant key enabling technologies on an industrial scale (microfluidics with microelectronics, highly sensitive detection methods and low-cost materials for easy-to-use tools).

Fraunhofer IKTS researchers develop approaches for biosensors, as well as the corresponding materials and processes for their manufacturing and characterization. We are focusing on development of electrochemical biosensors (assay development, biochemical sensor functionalization, biocompatible design and connection methods), electrochemical sensor measurements, biocompatibile sensor packaging, sensor inspection and evaluation under the influence of media. Personalized and preventive healthcare is the main target of the upcoming systems, which should be able to detect or monitor several relevant parameters both in clinical and domestic settings.

The IKTS team utilizes the recent advancements in microfluidic technology focusing on device fabrication, integration of biosensors, and applications in various medical diagnostics driven by the need for high precision, reproducibility, and scalability. Techniques such as photolithography, soft lithography, 3D printing, laser ablation, and injection molding have been supplemented by innovative techniques to create intricate microfluidic structures with high resolution. To further enhance the performance and functionality of POC systems we develop and apply innovative functional materials (e.g. nanomaterials, MXenes), surface treatments (e.g. plasma treatment) and characterization techniques.

Our target applications are well being, detection of clinically relevant biomarkers and monitoring of antimicrobial resistances contributing to quick medical decisions and leading to improved health outcomes for patients by enabling the early start of treatment. Our mission is industry- oriented development and international interdisciplinary collaboration approach utilizing own expertise and research facilities of Fraunhofer landscape in Dresden.