Archive l Press Releases

The new ‘SmILE’ project aims to develop intelligent solutions that reduce the burden of non-communicable musculoskeletal diseases (MSK-NCDs) in older people with the help of preventive measures and early interventions. The kick-off meeting took place at Fraunhofer IMTE.

Lübeck, January 15, 2025 - On January 15, the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck hosted the handover of the grant notification for the development of Fraunhofer IMTE as a transfer center for medical technology. The Minister President of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, presented the notification with a total funding amount of 23.8 million euros from the state's economic program to the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Prof. Holger Hanselka, and the two directors, Prof. Thorsten Buzug and Prof. Philipp Rostalski.

Several months have passed since the recovery of an Enigma from the Geltinger Bay by research diver Dr. Florian Huber in December 2020. Since the discovery, metal conservator Corinna Mayer has been working on the conservation of the Enigma. Now, together with researchers from the Fraunhofer IMTE and the help of computed tomography, she is searching for the serial numbers. Last year computer tomographic examinations of two Enigmas from the find in the Schlei were already made. Due to the sediments deposited in the machine and the partly considerable corrosion, the search for a serial number is more complex than initially assumed. On the basis of the initial CT scans it was possible to derive the model of the Enigma, of which there were different versions depending on the area of use. Using this information and with the help of historians, Corinna Mayer was able to identify the region where the serial number was typically applied. Now these areas are to be scanned with higher contrast and resolution. In addition to the search for the serial number, the researchers are also focusing on the digital preservation of the Enigma. Modern techniques make it possible to digitize such unique finds and make them virtually available to a broad public.

Aquaculture is a growing market worldwide and is seen as a key research and development field for the food security of a growing world population. From feed production and food manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and medicine, numerous industries benefit from the knowledge gained from basic and applied aquaculture research, which thus forms an important link in the health chain. Fraunhofer IMTE in Lübeck will be strengthened by the research team of GMA - Gesellschaft für Marine Aquakultur mbH, thus gaining an additional location in Büsum. This will combine expertise in the research sector to further strengthen the maritime economy in the northern German region and develop innovative technologies to improve the ecological and economic balance of aquaculture.

At the Institute of Medical Engineering (IMT) at the University of Lübeck and the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-based Medical Technology IMTE, tiny floating robots are being developed that will be able to navigate through the body like submarines in the future. With this new treatment option, drugs are to be brought specifically to their site of action and interventions in areas of the body that are difficult to access are to be carried out very gently.

Cooperation agreement between the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck and the Technische Hochschule (TH) Lübeck deepens collaboration. What has worked well for a long time within the framework of project-related cooperation is now being put on an institutional basis between TH Lübeck, Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences, and Fraunhofer IMTE.

Individualized medical engineering is the answer to a growing demand for precision diagnostic techniques that identify patient-specific and disease-specific influencing factors and use these to develop highly effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment procedures with few side effects. This is at the core of the new Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering IMTE, which emerged from the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology and Cell Technology EMB as a result of strategic realignment and restructuring measures in December 2020. Supported by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, its research focus is on developing innovative, personalized medical products for diagnostic and treatment applications. The funding decision of the state of Schleswig-Holstein has now officially been delivered.

The aim of the Fraunhofer High-Performance Centers is to speed up innovation transfer. In March 2021, the High-Performance Center Medical and Pharmaceutical Engineering was launched. With a focus on personalized implants and respiratory systems as well as individualized pharmaceutical production, the goal is to create a platform for research and the transfer of innovations into patient care.

In November 2020 and January 2021, a number of ENIGMA systems were found in the Baltic Sea and Schlei. These were purely accidental finds, as the research divers were actually pursuing other tasks - the recovery of ghost nets and a propeller. ENIGMA is the name given to the cipher machine used by the Germans before and during World War II. In a collaboration between the Schleswig-Holstein State Archaeological Office (ALSH) and the new Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck, these finds are now being made accessible to digital planning for restoration and long-term archiving through high-resolution computed tomography.