The MIB Consortium consists of 10 beneficiaries:
- Technical University of Denmark
- Ferdinand Braun Institute
- M-Squared Lasers Ltd
- Medical University Vienna
- Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology
- GRINTECH GmbH
- Region H, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital
- Helmholtz Zentrum München
- 2M Engineering Limited
- Albert Ludwigs Universität Freiburg
Technical University of Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
Contact: Peter E. Andersen
Website: www.dtu.dk
The Department of Photonics Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has approximately 225 employees including approximately 80 graduate students. The department participates in a large number of EU programmes as partner or coordinator.
Within Biophotonics, the core competencies include development of light sources for biomedical optics, including compact diode laser systems, development of light sources for OCT including frequency swept sources, OCT system design and development, ultrafast lasers for nonlinear microscopy, and clinical studies of OCT in dermatology and ophthalmology. DTU has long-standing relationships with local hospitals for clinical testing within dermatology (Roskilde Hospital), ophthalmology (Glostrup Copenhagen University), and urology (Frederiksberg Hospital).
Ferdinand Braun Institute
Berlin, Germany
Contact: Bernd Sumpf
Website: www.fbh-berlin.com
FBH is a German public research institute of the Leibniz-Association located in Berlin-Adlershof and funded by the State of Berlin and the Federal Government. The FBH has a staff of 280 employees (including 100 scientists, 35 student assistants). FBH researches electronic and optical components, modules and systems based on compound semi-conductors. These devices are key enablers, which address the needs of today’s society in fields like communications, energy, health and mobility. Specifically, FBH develops light sources from the infrared to the ultra-violet spectral range: high-power diode lasers with excellent beam quality, UV light sources and hybrid laser systems. Applications range from material processing, medical technology, high-precision metrology and sensors to optical communications in space. In the field of microwaves, FBH develops high-efficiency multi-functional power amplifiers and millimeter wave frontends targeting energy-efficient mobile communications as well as car safety systems.
The FBH is an internationally recognized competence centre for III-V compound semiconductors. FBH competence covers the full range of capabilities, from design to fabrication to device characterization. In close cooperation with industry, its research results lead to cutting-edge products. The institute also successfully turns innovative product ideas into spin-off companies. Thus, working in strategic partnerships with industry, FBH assures Germany’s technological excellence in microwave and optoelectronic research.
The FBH has a profound experience in developing diode lasers with high brilliance, high efficiency and high output power (up to 20 W per single emitter) that are used for various applications like medical or material processing. These characteristics along with the extraordinarily high reliability under extreme conditions have earned FBH lasers approval for use in space applications.
It has also developed micro-integrated extended cavity diode lasers for sensor applications around 670 nm. Various high power laser concepts have been realized, like monolithically or hybrid integrated master-oscillator power amplifier concepts, applying tapered or ridge waveguide amplifier technology. These laser systems provide an output power in excess of 10 W from a single emitter. Very recently, FBH has demonstrated nonlinear frequency conversion from 970 nm to 485 nm with a micro-integrated frequency doubled diode laser system that provides an optical power in excess of 1 W at the blue wavelength with superb beam quality. The FBH also performs full characterization of optical, electrical, spectral and noise properties of diode lasers and accomplishes laser lifetime tests.
M Squared Lasers Ltd
Glasgow, Scotland
Contact: Nils Hempler
Website: www.m2lasers.com
M2 develops and manufactures next-generation diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers and related systems. The company expertise spans continuous-wave to femtosecond sources, and from deep-ultra-violet (DUV) to terahertz (THz) frequencies. It has longstanding experience and demonstrated success in delivering innovative solid-state laser products and meeting customer application requirements. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, M2 has global reach and provides local sales and service support via representatives in Europe, the USA and Asia. In 2012 it was named the fastest growing technology company in Scotland (Deloitte Fast 50). M2’s technology and capabilities include: Diode-pumped solid-state lasers (DPSS); Ultrashort pulse lasers: Picosecond and femtosecond sources; Ultra-narrow linewidth lasers (tunable or fixed wavelength); Ultraviolet (UV) and DUV laser sources; OEM laser sources and instrumentation sub-systems; Custom laser solutions for demanding new applications.
Expertise covers a diverse range of applications, with particular emphasis on: Scientific research and development; Laser spectroscopy; Atomic cooling and manipulation; Ultrafast laser applications; Multiphoton Imaging (MPI) and microscopy; Biophotonic applications; Semiconductor inspection and metrology ad optical data storage. With a total of 48 employees, M2’s core team has experience in all aspects of laser design, manufacture and commercialization. M2 is already active in the rapidly growing fields of standoff sensing/spectroscopy. Of particular relevance to the proposed work, M2 has developed a shoebox-sized, fully integrated ultrafast Ti:S laser system which offers hands-free operation and world-class leading performance.
Medical University Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Contact: Wolfgang Drexler
Website: www.meduniwien.ac.at
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was originally developed at the Center of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering (CMPBME) at MUW and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA, USA) in the early 1990s, and the MUW is still a leader and pioneer in the development of state-of-the-art OCT technology. More than 3% of all OCT publications (around 6000) have been published by current and previous members of this Center, leading in Europe and the second-best scientific OCT output worldwide. CMPBME has successfully coordinated and participated in several national and international (especially ERC funded) projects.
Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH
Sexau, Germany
Contact: Dragan Sandic
Website: www.blazejewski.de
Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH was established in 1991 and employs currently more than 70 staff members in the area of development, production, service, distribution, administration for manufacturing of endoscopes Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH develops and manufactures precision medical instruments. Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH is specialized in the development of medical devices for endoscopy. Blazejewski MEDI-TECH GmbH develops and produces endoscopes, endoscopic cameras and light sources for various medical applications.
Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology
Jena, Germany
Contact: Jürgen Popp
Website: www.ipht-jena.de
The Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) is an interdisciplinarily working research facility based in Jena, Germany, researching the scientific basics of photonic processes and systems of the highest sensitivity, efficiency, and resolution. In accordance with its mission “Photonics for Life”, IPHT develops customized solutions to issues in the life and environmental sciences and medicine. Following IPHT’s guiding principle “From ideas to instruments” research results are implemented in processes, instrumental designs, and occasionally even into laboratory prototypes to sustainably contribute to the needs of patients and consumers. The impact of the aging society and the defense of pandemics are the focus of the Leibniz research network “Medical Engineering: Diagnosis, Monitoring and Therapy.” This network was initiated by IPHT together with sixteen institutes of the Leibniz Association. From mid-2014, IPHT holds the presidency within the network. Innovative and gentle methods shall help to detect diseases early, to examine the effect of therapies narrowly and match them better to the individual patient. IPHT will mainly contribute to the research and development of point-of-care rapid tests (POC) and medical imaging.
With its research profile, IPHT significantly contributes to the advancement of the research topic of Biophotonics and performs an important deed in safeguarding the future in an area highly relevant to society. Based on applied basic research the biophotonics research focus implements innovative photonic processes and tools in the fields of molecular sensor technology, analytical diagnostics, and imaging. Several applications are investigated from clinical diagnostics, e.g., sepsis and cancer diagnostics.
GRINTECH GmbH
Jena, Germany
Contact: Bernhard Messerschmidt
Website: www.grintech.de
GRINTECH GmbH was established as a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute IOF in the year 2000 and employs currently 25 researchers, engineers and technicians.
GRINTECH develops and produces micro-optical systems using gradient-index microlenses with plane optical surfaces. The optical lens performance is generated by a refractive index profile through an ion exchange diffusion process in boroalumosilicate glasses. Due to the plane optical surfaces of the lenses, different plane optical components as fibers, prisms and beam splitters can be combined to very compact micro-optic imaging systems. Preferred applications are in the field of endomicroscopic imaging applications, in conventional miniaturized endoscopy as well as in displacement sensors in the field of optical metrology.
Region H, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital
Gentofte, Denmark
Contact: Gregers Hermann
Website: www.gentoftehospital.dk
The Department of Urology has the third biggest bladder tumour (BT) population in Denmark and is specialized and leading in treatment of superficial (non-muscle invasive) bladder tumours. The department has approximately 30 urologists/MDs, three associate professors, four full daily operating theatres, ward with 40 beds, outpatient department (OPD) serving 30,000 consultations a year, graduate students and a urology research unit with individual doctors/staff and rooms. About 2,000 endoscopies of the bladder are yearly performed in the OPD for follow up of BT and about 350 endoscopic BT resections are yearly performed in the operating theatre (OT) in general anaesthesia. The department has thus a huge load of diagnostic and therapeutic commitment within superficial bladder tumours.
During five years the department has had ingeniour senior scientists from Danish Technical Institute doing technical tests on optics at the operating theatre. The department has thus been familiar having technical scientists in the urology clinic.
Helmholtz Zentrum München
Munich, Germany
Contact: Vasilis Ntziachristos
Website: www.helmholtz-muenchen.de
The Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) is a research institution within the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, the largest scientific organisation in Germany. As a leading center in health research with a focus on Environmental Health, HMGU pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases.
The Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI) is a joined venture of HMGU and the Technische Universität München (TUM). IBMI is a world-leading research institute in the field of medical imaging and optoacoustics with strong focus on translation of in vivo imaging technologies to the life sciences. Having a rich experience in research and clinical translation, IBMI aims to expand boundaries of modern biomedical clinical imaging techniques beyond the anatomical imaging of conventional approaches. To achieve these goals, IBMI integrates highly interdisciplinary skills and bridges mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and medicine and invests in key focus areas, including the development of new imaging devices and multi-modality systems, advancing imaging and image reconstruction theories and methods, development of animal models for the interrogation of new technologies at the biological, pre-clinical and clinical level and advanced data and image processing methods and medical informatics.
The institute consists of eleven (11) laboratories integrating Fluorescence Molecular Imaging, Optoacoustic Imaging, Microscopy, Cell Engineering, Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Theory and Computation of Inverse Problems and Image and Signal Processing. A strong focus of the Institute is the development of new intravascular imaging techniques that go beyond the anatomical sensing capabilities of existing methods. The group has pioneered fluorescence intravascular imaging, has performed the first in-vivo studies using hybrid optical-ultrasound imaging and has invented coherence-restored pulse interferometry (CRPI), a new fiber-based method for intravascular optoacoustic and ultrasound detection.
2M Engineering Limited
Valkenswaard, The Netherlands
Contact: Gillian Mimnagh
Website: www.2mel.nl
The core business of 2M is the generation of new unique products bringing them from concept to commercialisation. Most of the products are based on the use of advanced sensor and laser techniques and the application focus is Industrial and Medical products. The company was founded in 2004 and since then has been led by Mrs. Gillian Mimnagh the CEO. 2M’s policy is to co-operate with other companies and knowledge institutions that have complementary expertise and to build alliances with companies who already have established marketing and sales channels in order to shorten the time from concept to industrialisation and lower the barriers to commercialisation and market penetration.
Albert Ludwigs Universität Freiburg
Freiburg, Germany
Contact: Çağlar Ataman
Website: www.imtek.de
“We turn visions into reality” is our motto for the research we do at IMTEK, the Department of Microsystems Engineering. We help to make life healthier, safer, more comfortable and versatile, and, not least, easier. We turn visions into reality by laying the foundations for better and more intelligent products. This is important to our industrial partners because it keeps them ahead of global competition.
Over the last few years, IMTEK has grown to become one of the world’s largest academic institutions in the field of microsystems engineering. We train young scientists to be microsystems engineers by teaching them how to pass on this visionary spirit and to make vision reality.