Projects

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This article summarizes projects related to the digitization and automation of life sciences. Our contributions usually comprise in hardware, software, and process development. The projects are ordered starting from currently ongoing to older discontinued entries.

2018-today, Lab-IoT

In this project, we look at how we can build smart applications for the laboratory based on Industry 4.0 and Internet-of-Things technology in order to improve the degree of digitisation and automation. Futhermore, our application cases serve as examples for small-and-medium enterprise on how this technology could be exploited for now products.

Our tasks are the overall project coordination and the agile development of smart laboratory IoT applications.

2016-today, Merlin Process Designer

Development of a software tool for the documentation, planning, optimization, and analysis of discrete biotechnological processes.

  • Funding: public/private (Industry)
  • References

2016-today, MAVO LyDIA HD

This project aims to develop a high-throughput system for the personalised tissue-based diagnosis of (i.e. based on the example of) lymph-node cancer.

Our task was the development of an electronic solution/tool for the execution and documentation of all laboratory workflows. Since we didn’t want to do reinvent an electronic laboratory notebook (which the project essentially requires), we utilised an existing commercial product and adapted our Merlin Process Designer accordingly. Thus, we holistically modelled pathological processes within our Merlin Process Designer, which then is used to automatically generate workflow descriptions in the electronic lab notebook RSpace. The electronic lab notebook RSpace serves as front-end that let’s end-users execute and document experiments.

2015-today, Consultancies in Laboratory Automation

Acquisition, preparation, conduct, and wrap-up of various workshops related to the planning and optimisation of biotechnological processes for various customers.

  • Funding: private (Industry)
  • References: (undisclosed)

2015-today, Tissue Grinder

Development of a small bench-top device for the semi-automated tissue dissociation. We developed the control software and the user interface.

2015-today, LabFreezer

This project addresses the development of a bench-top device for fast freezing-and-heating of plate-based substances for screening purposes.

We developed the device control and the graphical user interface.

Discontinued Projects

The following projects have been discontinued (closed/completed).

2017-2019, Lab of the Future (aka “Cloud Lab”)

This project addresses a new market niche: so-called cloud-labs that offer flexible automated services in a centralized fashion.

Our tasks included the integration of cloud-based lab services with clinical data management systems. We conceived concepts on how to map clinical data onto laboratory data and vice versa, as well as how to represent descriptions of workflows/processes and their parameters based on HL7/FHIR und Allotrope ADF forth and back. We developed a working prototype.

  • Lifespan: Oktober 2017 – Dezember 2018
  • Funding: public (State of Baden-Wuerttemberg)
  • References:

2015-2017, Bead Trap

Firmware development for a bench-top measurement device utilizing bead technology.

2015-2016, Oak

Development of an augmented-reality workflow clients (AR-client) for the preparation, the conduct, and the documentation of flow-chemistry experiments using modular setups and exploiting Industry 4.0 concepts

  • Funding: private (Industry)
  • References (undisclosed)

2014, LabCoder

Development hardware-software support that digitizes the process of blood collection in clinical environments. Our parts were the design and implementation of the user interface as well as the firmware based on ordinary mobile devices, which have been augmented by dedicated measurement hardware.

  • Funding: private (Hospital)
  • References: (undisclosed)

2014, InnoCyte split.it

Development of embedded device control and user interface a stand-alone bench-top cell cultivation system.

2012-2016, CryoMAT

Development of an system that automates the process of deep-freezing of cell cultures for pharmaceutical applications.

  • Funding: private (Industry)
  • References: (undisclosed)

2011-2015, SELEX

Development of system that automates the SELEX process as an application of molecular and cell biology.

2010-2013, ManuCyte

Design and development of a novel electronic lab notebook for sterile laboratory environments based on modern multi-touch hardware.

2010-2015, Ribolution

Development of an automated solution of RNA preparation.

  • Funding: public (Fraunhofer)
  • Reference (undisclosed)

2010-2013, Whole-o-Hand

Development of robotic assistant for closed-loop minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery. Design and implementation of control software based on the CORBA middleware. Design of the software control layer for two robotic manipulators and 6-DOF input devices. The outcome of this project paved the way for the founding of the Fraunhofer Project Group for Automation in Medicine and Biotechnology PAMB.

2009-2015, Tissue Factory

Joint collaboration between several Fraunhofer institutes having the goal to build an automated facility for the production of skin models. Our parts were the design and development of device drivers, the process management system, the user interface, the implementation of high-level processes for the overall production system.

2008-2014, Autranomics

Joint collaboration between several the Fraunhofer society and the Max-Planck society having the goal to build an automated system for the reproduction and selection of trans-genomic cell cultures for research purposes. Our parts were the design and development of device drivers, the process management system, the user interface, the implementation of high-level processes for the overall production system.

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