Medical technology

Dossier - 20/11/2025

Prevention as the key to health

Many serious illnesses can be prevented or at least mitigated through healthy lifestyles and early diagnosis. However, effective prevention requires holistic approaches at all levels of healthcare and the reinforcement of individual health literacy.

At the new Institute for Adaptive Mechanical Systems (IAMS) at the University of Stuttgart, the focus is on a new generation of walking robots and “soft robotics”. The researchers are developing adaptable robots inspired by natural movement patterns and made from innovative soft materials. The applications range from healthcare and industrial production to energy supply.

LICIT Solutions completes Series A financing to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation sustainable active ingredients for hygiene, preservation, and protective applications LICIT Solutions GmbH, a spin-out from the Institute for Clinical Anatomy and Cell Analysis at the University of Tübingen, has successfully completed its Series A financing round.

Researchers have developed a new method that greatly improves the accuracy of brain-state classification with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The brain-imaging technique fNIRS allows researchers to measure neural activity: Active brain cells need more oxygen, so variations in blood flow and oxygen saturation indicate which brain regions are at work. fNIRS detects these changes safely and without invasive procedures.

Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have achieved outstanding success at this year's world-leading forum for medical image processing and computer-assisted intervention. Two DKFZ departments competed in eight international AI competitions – and won seven of them. The successes cover key areas of oncology – from early detection and diagnosis to therapy support and follow-up care.

Help for tracheostomy patients - 23/10/2025

Biomimetic speaking valve: how a carnivorous plant makes speaking safer

Nature is the best engineer, so they say, and it's always worth taking a closer look. An interdisciplinary group of researchers did just this and drew inspiration from an aquatic plant to develop a novel speaking valve for tracheostomy patients. At the University Medical Center Freiburg, Dr. Claudius Stahl and his team may have addressed a life-threatening issue that can arise in everyday clinical practice by creating a biomimetic valve with…

Dr. Andrea Toulouse from the Institute of Applied Optics receives €1.8 million in funding from the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung as part of the CZS Nexus program to establish a new junior research group. She conducts research in the field of micro-optics and fiber-based 3D printing. Her vision is to develop 3D printers that will one day be able to build biological tissue directly inside the body.

With the FeMEA project – Ferroelectric Microelectrodes for Biomedical Applications – Hahn-Schickard is setting a pioneering course in bioelectronics research. The aim of the project is to develop novel microelectrode arrays in which ferroelectric materials are used as functional interfaces in CMOS chips for the first time.

Fluorescence and smartphones instead of laboratories - 11/09/2025

Mobile blood-analysis system for at home medication monitoring

For many medications, regular monitoring of drug concentrations in the blood is necessary to ensure efficacy and safety. Until now, this process has been time-consuming and required laboratory personnel and resources. The Heidelberg based start up QuantiLight has developed a mobile device with innovative sensor technology that enables quick, easy measurements at home or in a doctor's surgery.

Soft robots, robot systems made of soft materials, open up new perspectives for medical technology and industry. Jun.-Prof. Dr. Aniket Pal from the University of Stuttgart is conducting research into viscoelastic materials that have the potential to embed intelligent functions in soft robots. He is receiving 1.5 million euros in funding for this research as part of the Emmy Noether Program. The funding period began on September 1, 2025.

In the human body, stem cells process genetic information in an exceptionally reliable and very fast manner. To do this, they access certain sections of the DNA in the cell nucleus. Researchers at KIT have investigated how the DNA-based information processing system works. Their results show that this process is comparable to processes in modern computers and could therefore serve as a model for new types of DNA-based computer chips.

Enhancing human perception of the imperceptible - 28/08/2025

AI-driven imaging expands possibilities in surgery

Doctors frequently experience a restricted view of the surgical field, particularly during endoscopic procedures. A novel technique developed by Prof. Dr. Lena Maier-Hein's team at the DKFZ in Heidelberg integrates spectral imaging with AI-driven data analysis. This innovation facilitates accurate tissue differentiation and delivers real-time insights into organ function.