Touchless, contamination-free ultrasonic level and flow measurement

The highly accurate control of filling levels or of reaction volumes is an essential and partially safety-critical process. Ultrasound technology is able to measure interference-free and highly dynamically the filling level in nearly all types of vessels. In addition to level and volume, flow rate is an essential parameter in many processes. Fraunhofer IBMT is developing modular systems for in-line measurement for manual or automated applications. A demonstrator for automated measurement in standard-well-plates as well as an ultrasound-based flow sensor for HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) systems are displayed. The presented systems demonstrate simple, robust, flexible adjustable and scalable methods for measuring continuously the filling level (and hereby the volume) or the flow rate.

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High-power ultrasound in process technology

High intensity ultrasound, conventionally at frequencies below 100 kHz, and the appropriate tools are valuable means for disintegration, homogenisation and emulsification in the liquid phase. Solid objects can be cleaned, cut, welded or treated otherwise with ultrasound. Fraunhofer IBMT showcases the high-power ultrasound spectrum from a stainless steel capsuled compound transducer at 30 kHz to an applicator for microtiter plates in 96-well format at 1.5 MHz. Thereby, high intensity ultrasound can be applied well defined and without contamination to reaction containers. Fraunhofer IBMT develops and manufactures single components like transducer, electronic systems and software, thus featuring the complete value chain up to manufacturing of complete systems as modular components ready for integration.

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Low-cost fibre probe for analytics in unfavourable environment

For many applications within deep-cold or otherwise aggressive environments, commercially disposable fibre probes are too susceptible and too expensive. The Fraunhofer IBMT presents a robust, versatile and low priced alternative for the sensor technology in thermally, chemically and mechanically challenging scenarios of the fluorescence and Raman sensing. By relocation of as many optical elements as possible to the part of the analysing systems in front of the fibre, a fibre probe was realized, which needs no adhesive and thin-layer technique and gets along with just one fibre.
Together with their industrial partner Askion GmbH, Fraunhofer IBMT has built up a mobile spectroscopy unit under standard conditions where all sensitive components are integrated. Robust, low priced fibre probes for unfavourable conditions (here: deep-cold) can be docked by a standard plug. Further probes for use in chemical or mechanical demanding applications are possible.

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LabBag® - Lab in a bag

Cell-based testing methods provide an important base within the medical biotechnology for studying disease models or dose-response relationships of toxic substances and drugs. To cover the existing demands therefore on high quality cell systems, efficient cultivation methods for human stem cells (e.g. human induced pluripotent stem cells, hiPSCs) are necessary. The most important workflows in the area of stem cell biology are expansion, 3D-cell culture and cryopreservation. At the moment, these are only feasible on very high time exposure and manual performance or on high investments in automated platforms. In future these processes can be realized affordable and secure within an “all-in-one-system” called LabBag®. The LabBag® has been developed together by Fraunhofer IBMT and its sister-institutes Fraunhofer IST (Braunschweig) and Fraunhofer IVV (Freising/Dresden) within a project funded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In this demonstrator of a “Mini-GMP-laboratory” all relevant steps for the cultivation of human stem cells can be performed in one single vessel.

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„Stabil-Ice“ – innovative disposable for cultivation, differentiation and ice-free cryopreservation of adherent cell systems

In medical biotechnology a steadily growing demand for all different kinds of cell systems is detectable. Beside the sheer provision of sufficient numbers of cells for further processing, which is already covered by conventional bio banking, the stockholding of directly applicable biological samples, e.g. for cell based assays in research and regenerative medicine, presents a particular challenge. In both cases the cryopreservation, i.e. the controlled lowering of temperature while adding special anti-freezing compounds (slow rate freezing), is the only possibility for a function-preserving long-time storage. So far the underlying technological and logistical processes are only aligned on the provision of great cell amounts, so that cells will be dissociated and transferred in a suspension regardless their physiology. The cryopreservation is still regarded as a separate process chain and is implemented in a very time and material-consuming manner. Fraunhofer IBMT develops in cooperation with the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen within the project “Stabil-Ice”, funded by BMBF, a sophisticated multi-usage disposable which can realize cultivating and differentiating steps as well as ideal ice-free cryopreservation (vitrification) and efficient thawing processes also for adherent cells and which can be integrated in an over-all workflow. With this innovative laboratory article the peeling of cells before cryopreservation as well as the time-consuming seeding and the re-accumulation of cells after a conventional cryopreservation of single cells in suspension, will lapse. The “Stabil-Ice Disposable” makes the long-term storage of adherent cell systems in ready-to-use modus possible, which can be turned to their purpose immediately after thawing, e.g. in drug research or biomedical research.

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We look forward to your visit and to interesting conversations at the Saarland Pavilion in hall 5.1 D89

Contact:
Markus Michel
Head of Business Area Laboratory Technology
Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Weg 1
66280 Sulzbach, Germany
Telefon: +49 6897 / 9071 111
E-Mail: markus.michel@ibmt.fraunhofer.de