Effective Mini-lab for Active Ingredient Research

thinXXS AG (Zweibrücken) also focuses on thermoplastic elastomers. These materials are the key to the new microfluid chip, which can help to accelerate the laborious active ingredient research performed by pharmaceutical labs.28/11/2006

One of the products produced by thinXXS is the QPlate for the Danish company Sophion Bioscience A/S. The Qplate is the heart of the lab-on-a-chip, which enables fully automated measuring of the electric currents through the ion channels of cell membranes (patch clamping). Ion channels are important indicators for active substances, as their controlled opening and closing can be therapeutically significant. “Up until now, such measurements are performed manually and were extremely time and labor-intensive. It was possible to examine a maximum of two to three cells per day; now we can examine 48 of them at once on a single carrier“, says Christian Kirsch, thinXXS’s Marketing Director. The chip is the first to combine the benefits of different manufacturing processes: micro injection molding, silicone microstructuring and printed circuit board technology.

This type of technology is the basis of most of the exhibits presented at the IVAM joint booth. As well as applications for microtechnical components and systems, such as sensors, actuators, pumps and labs on a chip, high-tech materials were this year the focus of the exhibits presented at the COMPAMED product market and the associated forum. “Our slogan, High-tech for Medical Devices, was absolutely right. Modern medicine is becoming more and more reliant on micro and nano systems and functional materials”, explains Dr. Uwe Kleinkes, a member of the IVAM management board. In total 25 companies and institutes were represented, almost three times the number that exhibited last year. This is also evidence of the resonance the COMPAMED is currently enjoying among innovative and research-intensive companies and institutions. In total 320 exhibitors filled Hall 8, more than ever before. Around 9,500 visitors visited the booths – also a new record.

As structures and systems get smaller and smaller, the need for appropriate cleaning and sanitizing methods for medically-relevant surfaces increases. Diener electronic GmbH + Co. KG (Nagold) has therefore has expanded its use of plasma equipment to include the sterilization and disinfection of medical components and devices. “The cleaning process works on all materials – glass, metal, synthetics and ceramics – right down to atomic level”, emphasizes Dr. Steffen Haag, who is responsible for process development at Diener. This method can also be used to chemically modify surfaces before printing, applying adhesive or writing on them. Diener supplies the necessary plasma devices in different designs and for different levels of cleaning.

According to a study carried out by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) “medical technology is progressing in three dimensions – computerization, miniaturization and molecularization.” The COMPAMED 2006 is impressive proof of the truth of this statement.

The next COMPAMED will be held November 14 to 16, 2007 (MEDICA: November 14-17, 2007). Information is available on the Internet at: http://www.compamed.de



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