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NextGen Life Science

Shaping medical innovations together: When visions become additive reality.

Medical technology is a constantly growing and demanding field for innovations and their application. Additive manufacturing (AM) and artificial intelligence (AI) have proven to be important building blocks in modern, patient-specific care.

The next-generation research area of Life Science conducts research in both areas of expertise and actively supports companies, hospitals, and medical professionals in the implementation and integration of the new medical workflow.

Together with physicians from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), we develop exclusively tailored solutions for individual and optimized patient care in our interdisciplinary teams, both in vivo and ex vivo.

The focus is on implementing additive technologies in the entire Life Science environment, as well as integrating them holistically into the corresponding workflow.

We are pleased to offer you a customized additive solution for your challenges in the fields of medical technology, pharmacy, or biotechnology.

Focus Areas

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Medical Process Integration

Together with UKE, we are working on optimizing the medical workflow through additive manufacturing technologies and AI and integrating them into clinical everyday life. This enables reconstructions and implants to be precisely planned based on AI and subsequently manufactured additively.

Another component in this context is the qualification and certification of processes and products in accordance with the requirements of the new MDR (Medical Device Regulation).

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Implants using AI and AM

In our established process chain, we utilize medical image data as a foundation to create patient-specific medical products, such as implants, using AI and Additive Manufacturing.

For this purpose, we develop software solutions that use AI to reconstruct the patient-specific anatomy from layer data and convert it into printable CAD models.

 

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Qualification & Certification

Another focus area of our next-generation research  is the development of holistic and visionary concepts for the field of Life Science.

In this regard, we offer support for the qualification and certification of processes, materials, and products, always in accordance with the requirements of the current EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR).

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Tools & Demonstrative Models

We support you in the development of medical tools and demonstrative models. These enable detailed preoperative planning and intraoperative visualization. Our infrastructure allows us to select the appropriate additive technology and adjust the optimal manufacturing process for prototypes or series production. We can produce these from metallic materials, plastic powders, as well as resins and silicones.

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Further Focus Areas

  • Orthopedics
  • Wound therapy
  • Mobile medical care
  • Orthoses

Current Research and Results

 

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DigiMed

Reconstructive surgery in the oral, maxillofacial, and facial area is often used in the context of tumor diseases or accidents.

Together with UKE and HSU, we have developed a MDR-compliant concept for the production of patient-specific orbital floor implants in the DigiMed project. These implants are generated using AI and manufactured additively from titanium.

More information
 

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FingerKIt

The remobilization of finger joints that are impaired by diseases or injuries is a future market for patient-specific care. The consortium »FingerKIt«, which brings together five Fraunhofer Institutes, is developing AI-generated, individualized joint implants from 3D printers to replace delicate finger parts when necessary.

Press article

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