LIFE SCIENCES

Zebrafish, Team Spirit
and Superb Ideas
How Anna wants to help shape the futureof medicine in Saxony.

Vineyards draped across sundrenched slopes move past thetrain window. Green meadowswith families who’re enjoying
picnics. A fragile glass dome
right out of the Arabian Nights.
To be sure, it had been a longtrip from Stanford to Dresden.
But as her ICE train glides
through the picturesque ElbeRiver Valley, Anne is certain:“I made the right decision,”
she thinks. “I can see myself
being at home here.” The rightplace for researching and living
where she can finally pursue
and explore her ideas for a newregenerative therapy which
had already been on her mind
since she had been a research
assistant in the USA.

BETWEEN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
AND „SMART MEDICAL“
The hotbed for Saxony’s life sciences branch is the pharmaceutical industry. What beganwith August Lingner and the mouthwash “ODOL” in the late 19th century became known
as the Sächsisches Serumwerk Dresden vaccine factory later. Today, the company is a corporate site of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and produces influenza vaccines for the global
market. Saxony’s medical technology is also steeped in tradition and accounts for about
70 % of the life sciences sector in the region.
Today, Saxony is considered to be a national center of excellence for cell and gene therapies as well as regenerative medicine. And Saxony’s cancer research has gained international renown and repute, too – when it comes to both early diagnosis and innovative
treatments. Thanks to the traditionally strong cross-technology expertise in Saxony whichis also available in the sectors micro and nano electronics, sensor technology, 5G mobile
communication as well as 3D printing technology, the region’s life sciences
branch develops growing competences for applications in the smart medical
sector. Whether it be in the fields of telemedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, computer-assisted surgery, or health care robots – interdisciplinary
knowledge is an important success factor for the entire branch.
Even more bright ideas are being developed by Saxony’s researchersand entrepreneurs. Learn more about them as you read on:
www.business-saxony.com/lifesciences, or scan the QR code

VIBRANT DEVELOPMENTIN SAXONY
Saxony has invested one billion euros and twenty years into developing the region into a very special and, above all, an exceptionally dynamic life sciences location. More than 300 commercial enterprises and 30 research institutions with about 200 workgroups and 15,500 employees from 40 countries are working on
innovative solutions for human health here today.
Those who come to Saxony as entrepreneurs, researchers, or
specialists will find highly specialized biotech companies aswell as truly unique research clusters and clinical centers here
in which scientists and physicians cooperate closely with one
another. Interdisciplinarity and cooperation are paramount:“Being better than others is only possible through cooperation,”that’s how the Finnish lipidomics pioneer and Dresden resident
Prof. Dr. Kai Simons expresses the guiding principle of the region.
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VITAL
NETWORKThe branch association“biosaxony” brings
stakeholders frombusiness, science, andgovernment together
and actively promotes
this cooperation.

At the train station, Anna rushes past the taxi­
cabs with her trolley suitcase and boards the
tram: The nice people from the “DRESDEN-concept Welcome Center,” who had already helped
her with the official registration and all theaccompanying paperwork and who had helped
her find that beautiful and inexpensive apartment right on the river, have described theroute precisely for her. Anna loves exploring a
new city with public transportation in order to
get the right feel for the place and its people.
That’s what she’ll be doing for the next two
weeks before she starts working as a teamleader at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD): She wants to finally meetthe people behind the profiles on Facebook
and LinkedIn in person and get to know themafter she had already established online contact with them previously.
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“Hmmm…,” lost in her thoughts, Anna drums
her fingers on her tablet. The view from herapartment across the Elbe River is fantastic –but at the moment, she doesn’t really know
where she’s to start her journey of discovery.
Well, she’s, of course, done research on the internet when the question came from Saxony as
to whether she’d like to establish and head her
own research group at the CRTD. “Finally” – that
had actually been her first thought. “I’m now 32;
it’s time to move on from that assistant job.”

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And she was surprised how many potential
contact points she had actually found here forher own scientific projects: So many universities, corporations, and non-university institutes are focused on the life sciences in Saxony. “I think, I’ll ask Kai Simons,” muses Anna.
“The professor comes like me from Finland andwill probably give me a number of good tips.”

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SEARCH ONLINE
for life sciences companies in Saxony.

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Photo: Prof. Simons /Thilo Schoch,photo+ videographer

Prof. Dr. Kai Lennart Simons
Anna

Tell me Kai, why did you come to Saxony?
5:20 PM
Photo: Lipotype GmbHIn the 1990s, I had been a cell biologist in Heidelberg when I got
the offer to help establish an institute for molecular life sciencesin Dresden. I saw the possibility that not just an institute might
be founded in Saxony, but actually an entire research community.
I saw this as an exciting challenge.
5:23 PM

What should I look for, and why did you stay around for 20 years?
5:34 PM

After having undergone rapid development, our research hasreached a world-class standard. Universities, university hospitals,
Max Planck and Fraunhofer institutes, etc. – they all form a multidisciplinary community here and offer superb research environments. This kind of quality attracts excellent researchers – likeit did you and me.
6:18 PMYou founded in Saxony a start-up that is based on your research.
I’m thinking of maybe doing the same thing…
7:58 PMAnyone who founds a company here gets more attention and has
better opportunities to differentiate themselves from the others
than, for example, in Boston, where there’s a lot more competition. The bio centers in Dresden and Leipzig offer ideal conditions
even for start-ups.
8:14 PM

Detailed information on diabetes, Parkinson’s, and other still inactive diseases are waiting
to be discovered in the key component of cell membranes – fat molecules and/or lipids.
The Finnish lipidomics pioneer Prof. Kai Simons has dedicated his life to the research oftechnologies which are capable of analyzing this information. In 2012, he founded the
Lipotype GmbH together with colleagues in the BioInnovationCenter BioZ Dresden – thefirst and only GMP-certified shotgun lipidomics provider on the entire globe. In doing so,
the researcher wants to trigger a small revolution “made in Saxony” for individualized
medicine. The customers include academic researchers as well as the pharmaceutical,
cosmetics, and food industries.

GOOD TEST – GOOD THERAPY

What specifically do you like about Dresden?
8:20 PM

I truly love living in Dresden. There’s lots of room in the city, andthe surrounding countryside is spectacular. And even students oryoung researchers with a family and children find a pleasant andstimulating environment here.

9:03 PM

Prof. Dr. Kai Lennart Simons is a Finish medical researcher and biochemist who was born in 1938. He is considered
to be a pioneer in lipidomics. He helped establish the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics(MPI-CBG) in Dresden in 2001. As a 74-year-old, he founded the biotech company Lipotype in 2012 in Dresden.
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DELVING INTO THE MYSTERY OF FAT MOLECULES

An individually customized therapy for each and every
patient – this vision of medical experts is about to become reality thanks to the Biotype GmbH in Dresden.
Founded in 1999 as the first biotech start-up in Saxony,
Biotype develops, produces, and distributes state-of-theart diagnostics applied in personalized medicine. With
new test methods and test kits, the company seeks tosupport doctors and physicians from the sectors oncol­
ogy, hematooncology, dermatology, and forensics inmastering the current challenges in medicine.

IDEAS F0R THE
MEDICINE OF TOMORROW
are provided by numerous
R&D facilities in Saxony.

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Photo: Sonovum GmbH

LAB-IN-A-POCKETA special headband from Leipzig
makes it possible to look into thehead and to quickly detect the smallest changes in the brain. To do so,
the engineers of the Sonovum GmbHhave modified ultrasound technology
in such a way that brain tissue can be
examined “mobily” in real time andwithout surgical intervention. The
measurement system consists of theheadband with ultrasound probes aswell as a device which evaluates therequisite data with the help of mathematical models. Thanks to the new
acoustocerebrography (ACG), precious minutes can be saved for thetreatment of patients having a stroke.

Much too often when antibiotics are prescribed, it’s hit or miss without knowing
whether it is a bacterial infection or not.
This can be avoided with the innovative
minilab developed by the start-up AnvajoGmbH from Dresden. The device is hardly
any bigger than a smartphone. It contains atiny little spectrometer and a digital microscope. With the device, a physician or lab
technician can analyze blood samples within a minute. Because the “fluidlab R-300”
is particularly easy to operate and inexpensive, it is frequently used also in environmental technology, food analytics, andresearch. The Dresden-based company
develops the requisite hardware and software in-house.

The fact that Anna is first visiting Leipzig for two daysis actually due to a tip: A biotechnologist, who hadearned his doctoral degree at Leipzig University andwho now works at the CRTD, lives one floor below her.
“Take your time and look around Leipzig first,” he had
told her. “There’s a unique ecosystem composed of universities and non-university research institutes, startups, and mature companies to be found around the BIO
CITY LEIPZIG technology center.” In the BioCube, forexample, the start-up Sonovum is developing ultrasonichead bands which can actually listen to the brain. Justo n e exciting visit which is on her itinerary for Leipzig.

8

Photo: Anvajo GmbHA HEADBAND
LISTENS CLOSELY

WHERE BRIGHTIDEAS CAN GROW
The interdisciplinary life
sciences ecosystems in
Dresden and Leipzig unite
research, education, andbusiness under one roof.

9

Around the globe, 36.9 million
people live with HIV, many ofthem in developing countries
where clinics and test labs areoften located quite some distanceaway. With “CyFlow,” the Sysmex
Partec GmbH from Görlitz – thepioneer and market leader forflow cytometry – has introduceda mobile, fully equipped diagnostic instrument to the market. The
compact and robust flow cytometer analyzes cells that float past it
and delivers results within threeminutes. The inexpensive, userfriendly solutions of the Görlitz
experts also support the fightagainst tuberculosis and malaria.

When it comes to the development and production of medical devices for modern diagnostics, Saxony has some “hidden champions” lined up. For example, the Dr. Müller
Gerätebau GmbH. The Freital-based company is one of the leading international manufacturers of systems for diabetes diagnostics and therapy. The systems determine quickly,
easily, and precisely the most important parametersfrom only one drop of blood. A globally leading provider of breath gas analysis systems is the Fischer
Analysen Instrumente GmbH (FAN) from Leipzig.
The company’s products identify, for example, thetrigger for gastric ulcers via the breath and, thus, offer
a gentle alternative for diagnostics when comparedto gastroscopy. Functional disorders of the liver andpancreas as well as lactose intolerances can be identified via the breath as well.

Photo: Dr. Müller Gerätebau GmbHCUTTING EDGE DIAGNOSTICSAT HOME IN SAXONY

Photo: Sysmex Partec GmbHMANAGEABLE DIAGNOSTICS TECHNOLOGYFOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIESABOUT BIOMARKERS AND BIOBANKING
The Leipzig-based Zellkraftwerk GmbH has developed a unique technology platform
which not only permits classic blood cell analyses, but also the measurement of tissue
samples, red blood cells, and rare cells. More than 105 biomarkers can be measured on
one cell. The cell samples are stored on special chips – the so-called biobanking – which
is why the samples can be kept for a period of up to two years and reused as often as desired. This way, various approaches can be tested on the same sample. The Zellkraftwerk
technology is used, above all, for the development of drugs in order to test their impact
on the basis of markers.

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The vibrant and future-oriented
life sciences environment in
Saxony attracts companies
from all around the globe. The
EUROIMMUN AG – a globallyleading provider of medicallaboratory diagnostics – hasbeen active in Saxony already for more than 20 years now. Reagents for the determinationof antibodies that help detect allergies, autoimmune and infectious diseases are primarily
manufactured at the two production sites in East Saxony. In 2018, the US American
GENEWIZ corporation decided in favor of a commitment in Leipzig. The trade fair city is
now the European headquarters of the leading global genomics service provider whichruns a high-tech laboratory with state-of-the-art sequencing platforms and lab automation
technologies here.

Photo: EUROIMMUN AG

LOCATION FORCOSMOPOLITANS

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In the operating room of the
future, the technology will be
smart: It will assist surgeons inplanning surgeries and during
surgical interventions, and it will
relieve them of ancillary activities. For this purpose, the Innovation Center Computer Assisted
Surgery (ICCAS) at Leipzig University is developing computer-aided technologies and intelligent assistance systems.
On the basis of collected data, digital patient models are created here with which it will
be possible to make the diagnoses more accurate, plan surgeries, and find individual therapies for patients. During surgical interventions, state-of-the-art imaging methods show
the surgeons where they have to position their instruments or whether any complications
are about to happen. With its comprehensive approach, the ICCAS is considered to bea pioneer around the entire globe.

„BIG DATA“ IN MEDICINESo that physicians in intensive care units are able to recognize
life-threatening complications in a timely manner, the consortium “Smart Medical Information Technology for Health Care,”abbreviated SMITH, is developing computer-aided decision
support systems under the leadership of Leipzig University.
These systems help doctors take the requisite countermeasureswith suitable antibiotics and other life-saving remedies at an
early stage. Towards this end, the systems evaluate the individual data of patients and the progression of their ailment aswell as the latest medical research and combine these datawith one another – in strict compliance with data protection
and privacy laws, of course. In so doing, the SMITH partners
link data integration centersat all participating university
ANOTHER CENTER
hospitals with one another.

FOR DIGITAL HEALTH

Photo: Stefan Straube / University of Leipzig Medical Center

University. “Today, we’re demonAnna takes a look at the “operating room of the future” at Leipzig
s tomorrow,” she was told by thesurgeonofwork
thesupportwill
strating how digital technologies
ciplinary teams at the Innovaengineers and medical professionals who work together in interdis
Leipzig hadn’t promised too
fromtion Center Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS). And the guys
surrounded by tiny monobeingof
Insteadlight.
much: The operating room glows with a blue
them. They’re displaying
aroundallsmonitorlarge
have
nursesandchrome displays, the surgeons
as well as the vital data and thein real time the path of the scalpel in the patient’s body, 3D models
someone who conducts fun“Asactual progress of the operation. “I really like this,” Anna thinks.
in the real world.”
appliedactuallyisingdamental research, it’s nice to see how everyth

TROUBLESHOOTER SOFTWARE

Photo: ICCAS / Leonie Lang

THE SMARTOPERATING ROOMSAXONY’S SOFTWARE

As a vibrant ICT location, Saxony is home to numerous
COMPETENCE
software specialists who are working on solutions for thefor the technologies ofcontrol and monitoring of processes in health care. Since
tomorrow is multifaceted.
2001, the Dresden-based qualitype GmbH has been developing specialized software products for such processes
and the requisite data management in laboratories. The
MediaInterface GmbH is the market leader in the field ofspeech-based medical documentation; from Dresden, thecompany supports its customers around the entire globe
with simplified solutions for managing the flood of information in health care.
Headquartered in Dresden, the Cognitec Systems GmbH is the only company on
the entire globe which has been working exclusively on face recognition technologies and innovative applications based thereon since 2002. The systems are used,
for example, for border controls, security check-ins – and in the future also in
robotic health care assistants which will enable them to interact better with thehumans they are programmed to assist.

works in an interdisciplinary mannerat Dresden University of Technology.
1213Patients suffering from chronic renal insufficiency are dependent on having their bloodcleansed via dialyses at regular intervals. The core element in this treatment is the dialysis
machine. The B. Braun Avitum Saxonia GmbH manufactures such blood filters at no lessthan three locations in Saxony. About 1,000 employees develop new dialyzers, spin thefibers for them, mold the housings, and assemble and pack the filters. The high researchdensity found in the Dresden region was the crucial factor for the Hessian parent company B. Braun to pool its “Extracorporal Blood Treatment” division in Saxony. This was agroundbreaking decision: With its factory in Wilsdruff, the company operates the mostmodern production site for dialyzers in Europe today.

Photos (2): B. Braun Avitum Saxonia GmbHFILTERS FOR DIALYSES

Anna is really excited: In a minute, she’ll be visiting one of themost renowned research
institutes of the life sciences sector in Saxony. And she doesn’t
even have to go very far– the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI
is located right next to
BIO CITY LEIPZIG. A South Korean researcher is showing her
the ultra-modern labs andcleanrooms at the IZI. This is where Anna feels right at home; she’s
fascinated by the celltherapy production lines, the high-performance microscopes, andother analytical instruments which only very large research institutes can afford. “Thispotential for development at the Fraunhofer IZI is a unique opportunity for young biotech
enterprises;” thinks
Anna. “I’ll have to remember that. The IZI could also be a great
partner for my group.”

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig acts at the interfaces of medicine, life sciences, and engineering sciences. The scientists transfer biomedical research into clinical applications. For example, they are participating in thedevelopment of new immuno-oncological therapies in which modified immune cells andantibodies combat cancerous tumors. Currently, they are readying an innovative technology which helps deactivate viruses and other pathogenic agents for mass production.
Additional fields of research include neurodegenerative diseases and immune disorders
as well as such illnesses as strokes, arthritis, and infections.

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Photos (2): Fraunhofer IZIFROM RESEARCH TO
CLINICAL APPLICATIONS

15

Photo: CRTD

MAKING THE
INCURABLE CURABLE
Right in the heart of the BioCampus in
Dresden’s Johannstadt district one canfind the three institutes of the Center for
Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering(CMCB). The focal points of its researchrange from conducting fundamental toapplied research in molecular bioengineering at the BIOTEC and B CUBE all
the way to analyzing the basic understanding of stem cell biology and tissue regeneration
at the CRTD. Cells that renew themselves. Cancer that doesn’t even arise at all: The
Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) focuses on the self-healing powers of
the body. The objective is to develop innovative regenerative therapies for such previously
incurable diseases as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or leukemia and to rapidly implementing
them in practice.

Photos (2): Tobias Sauer / DKMS Life Science Lab

she went downstairs:“And who are you, little one?” Anna taps the glass pane. Today,
and Genetics in
Biology
CellarInto the cellar of the Max Planck Institute of Molecul
Thousands ofular:
spectac
is
view
The
her.
to
ed
Dresden as Kai Simons had suggest
She likes inms.
aquariusluminouthethroughschoolsinngzebrafish are swimmi
s. Does hewhisperAnna
particular a very adventurous fish. “Nemo shall be your name,”
The Max
here:
about
all
is
this
know the secret of self-healing? Because that’s whathzebrafisofpowersative
regenerngly
surprisithePlanck researchers want to harness
busy
quite
be
will
Anna
illness.
and
age
old
thwarttoorder
inand the like for humans
therapies soon. “Youwith them when she starts working next door on regenerative
Nemo.
atalways meet twice in life,” Anna whispers as she winks

How do cells organize themselves into tissues? How are organs formed from these tissues?
Why are some animals able to regenerate lost limbs and even organs? About 550 researchers from 41 countries are addressing these questions at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics(MPI-CBG) in Dresden. They are,thus, paving the way towards
therapies for such previously incurable diseases as cystic fibrosis. Based on the findings gainedat the MPI-CBG, the spin-off
Dewpoint Therapeutics started
in early 2019 with corporate sites
in Boston (USA) and Dresden.
Its objective is to find treatment
options for the severest ailments.

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Photo: MPI-CBG / Jürgen Lösel (DML-BY-NC)

UNVEILING THE SECRETS OF LIFE

THE TREASURE TROVEOF LIFE
Where money was once counted and gold wasstored, the DNA of seven million people are archived today – in deposit boxes at a temperatureof minus 20 degrees Celsius. The former buildingof the German Central Bank in Dresden is theplace of the world’s largest typing lab for stem
cell donors: The DKMS Life Science Lab Dresden
examines the DNA of all samples one after another so that the matching donors can quickly befound for patients undergoing stem cell transplants. So far, the laboratory has typed 1.2 millionof the stored samples. Towards this end, theDresden-based Life Science Lab was the first laboratory of its kind on the entire globe to introduce the “Next Generation Sequencing” in 2013
which accelerates the typing process enormously.

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COMMITMENT TO FIGHT CANCER

Photo: Dresden University (TUD)

Scissor Cut
with Genes

Today, many types of cancer can be treated quite well. The problem are relapses.
The Riboxx GmbH from Radebeul develops and produces innovative reagents for
an immunotherapy that prevents these relapses. The reagents are based on an innovative platform technology for the production of ribonucleic acid (RNA). The
pharmaceuticals activate the body’s own
immune cells. Subsequently, the latter
identify and remove the cancer cells thatremained in the body.

Photos (2): Dresden University Hospital (Gabriele Bellmann)

At the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Dresden, patients and researchers are heading in the same
direction. Everything revolves around ultramodern cancer drugs and immunotherapies. The NCT builds upon
the structures of the University Cancer Center (UCC),
and the University Hospital Dresden is just around thecorner. This way, cancer patients can be treated in linewith the latest scientific findings and achievements directly on site. Since 2020, the center has been home toa research platform which is unique on the entire globe.
The platform includes an operating room of the future,state-of-the-art imaging devices, and a radiation unit.
Additionally, the NCT/ UCC benefits from the National
Center for Radiation Research in Oncology “OncoRay,”
which is also located at the University Hospital. Here,about 80 physicians, physicists, biologists, and computerscientists from 38 countries are working on individualized proton therapies for every patient.

STRENGTHENING
THE DEFENSE,
PREVENTING RELAPSES

It’s less than five minutes on foot for Anna to go from the Max Planck Institute to the
University Hospital. “The distance between theory and practice is always just around thecorner in Dresden,” Ian, a young oncologist whom she had met via the open access platform
at the university library, explains to her. “Everyone is linked to everyone, whether it be via
DRESDEN-concept or the mutual research projects. The National Center for Tumor
Diseases Dresden and the University Cancer Center, for example, are so closely linked thatthey’re actually presenting themselves as a single entity nowadays,” explains her guide andshows her a building that had been constructed just recently. Anna sees doctors in it withdata glasses, surgeons and engineers who are teaching an artificial intelligence.
“Interdisciplinary work has top priority here. You’re always welcome with your expertise inregenerative therapies,” says Ian at their parting before he disappears in a throng of people
heading for the cafeteria.

The internationally leading molecular biologist Frank Buchholz is a Professor for Medical
Systems Biology at the University Hospital Dresden and the head of translational researchat the University Cancer Center. His work group has developed a method with which
defective segments in the genome can be identified, repaired, or even removed. Thispermits the early detection and treatment of such diseases as HIV or cancer. Professor
Buchholz is the co-founder of several start-ups which include, for example, the Dresdenbased Eupheria Biotech GmbH and the PROVIREX Genome Editing Therapies GmbHin Hamburg. The focus is on the continued development and promotion of a technology which not only cuts the genome very precisely, but is also able to reconnect thetwo cuts with the same precision.
18

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Photo: ITM / Dresden University (TUD)

Rethinking problems – and solving
them –, this is what numerous spinoffs of Saxony’s renowned researchfacilities stand for. Researchers fromthe Freiberg University of Mining andTechnology and the University Hospital Dresden have proven the healing effect of brominated substances contained in sea sponges on tumors and metastases. In 2015, this resulted in the founding of the BromMarin GmbH, which has been developing pharmaceuticalproducts from sponges ever since. The research conducted at Dresden University of Technology’s B CUBE evolved into the start-up denovoMATRIX GmbH in 2018 which hasdeveloped a technology for the mass cultivation of stem cells. Stem cell therapies and3D printing of organs are the future. So far, though, it has been difficult to grow large
quantities of these cell cultures in high quality. denovoMATRIX has solved this problem– with a chemical coating for lab vessels and carriers which emulates the environment inwhich the cells grow inside the body.

IMPLANTS FROM THE 3D PRINTER

Photo: INNOTERE GmbHThe Leipzig-based c-LEcta GmbH focuses on whitebiotechnology and specializes in the industrial exploitation and utilization of biological processes.
c-LEcta develops enzymes as well as microbial
production strains for the manufacture of proteins
with very high yields that are used in the finechemicals and food industries as well as for the
production of biofuels.

Photo: c-LEcta GmbHVERSATILE ENZYMES AND MORE

The INNOTERE GmbH specializes in implants for bone regeneration. The experts from
Radebeul develop and produce an injectable bone cement paste based on calcium
phosphate. Physicians greatly appreciate this implant material because it is easy to use.
Lengthy preoperative preparations are not necessary. The company applies this innovativetechnology also for the 3D printing of filigree skeletons (“scaffolds”). This permits theprecise definition of the size, form, and porosity and to adjust the implants to individual
defects. No other company on the entire globe offers this singular combination of bonelike material properties and innovativetechnology for 3D printed implants.

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Photo: Fraunhofer IFAM Dresden

Saxony’s research institutes excel with their exceptional materials expertise. And they also
contribute this expertise to bio and medical technology. Dresden University of Technol­
ogy’s Institute of Textile Machinery and High-Performance Material Technology (ITM) develops, for example, textile implants which are used as stents or as artificial muscles andheart valves. Joint replacements and dental implants are produced from metal foams orwith powder-metallurgical 3D printing at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM’s Branch Lab Dresden. The Fraunhofer Institute for
Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS Dresden uses ceramic materials for the development of functional components which can be applied in implantology. And the Fraunhofer
Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden
contributes biodegradable electronics for active implants.

Photo: Fraunhofer IKTS

Photo: BromMarin GmbHIT’S THE MATERIAL THAT MATTERS

HEALING POWERSFROM SEA SPONGESAND CELL CULTURESA PRIME LOCATION FOR BUSINESS FOUNDERS
Saxony actively supports start-ups: With many start-up and idea
contests and a wide range of technology support programs.

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Whenever you need help... just drop by.

The Pros Behind It

a little
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Imprint

Editor:Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH
(Saxony Economic Development
Corporation)
Text composition in cooperation with:
Inge Gerdes, Dresden
Ina Reichel, Chemnitz
Heiko Weckbrodt, Dresden

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Printed by:
Gustav Winter Druckerei
und Verlagsgesellschaft
mbH, Herrnhut
www.gustavwinter.de
Illustrations:Peter Ernst, Dresden
www.ernstillustriert.deGraphic design:
VOR Agentur für
strategische Entwicklung
und Kommunikation
GmbH, Dresden
www.vor-dresden.de
Editorial deadline:
December 2020... are the staff members of the Saxony Economic Development Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH). We’re promoting the business location Saxony
with conviction. But we prefer to let our actions speak for themselves. We assist new
business setups and company expansions, help develop new markets, and initiate
networks between business and research.
You see, we give our very best for Saxony – and also for your project. Come and takea look behind the scenes: We’d love to hear from you! Call us at +49-351-2138 0.

www.business-saxony.com

Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH
Bertolt-Brecht-Allee 2201309 Dresden
Phone: +49-351-2138 0
info@wfs.saxony.de
www.wfs.saxony.de

ES

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300
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Even more bright ideas are being developedby Saxony’s researchers and entrepreneurs. Learn more about themas you read on: www.business-saxony.com/lifesciences, or scan the QR code