Three early-stage researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will be granted EUR 1.5 million each for up to five years from the CZS Nexus funding program of Carl Zeiss Foundation. Dr. Nadja Alina Henke studies how bioprocesses can be scaled up precisely from the lab scale to the industrial scale. Dr. Gözde Kabay develops biosensors for the rapid diagnosis of acute kidney injuries, and Dr. Jingyuan Xu’s development work focuses on CO2-neutral and zero-power refrigeration.
“I am very happy that three early-stage researchers of KIT have acquired funding for their interdisciplinary and ambitious projects from Carl Zeiss Foundation,” says Professor Oliver Kraft, KIT’s Vice President Research. “Their fascinating research projects in the areas of bioengineering, medical diagnosis, and energy technology are of great potential and high future relevance.”
Transferring Bioengineering Processes from the Lab to the Industrial Scale
Sustainable and innovative bioengineering processes, such as the production of proteins or dyes, are of crucial importance to solving major social challenges, such as climate change, the energy crisis, or increasing consumption. The BIOSCALE project of Dr. Nadja Alina Henke who heads a junior research group at KIT’s Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences is aimed at transferring bioprocesses precisely from the laboratory to the industrial scale. So far, concepts of chemico-technical industry have mostly been used for this purpose. “Bioprocesses, however, follow complex cell physiology which is characterized by gene regulation and biochemical interactions,” Henke says. “Through the systematic acquisition of transcriptome data, I want to better understand and scale bioprocesses.” BIOSCALE combines bioprocess engineering with molecular bioengineering and data science. Specific and more systematic scaling of bioprocesses will shorten development times and increase success rates and process qualities. The BIOSCALE concept will be of universal character and transferable to other bioengineering processes.
Biosensors for the Rapid Diagnosis of Acute Kidney Injury
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent and most complex clinical syndromes of high morbidity and mortality. Existing formal diagnosis parameters are insufficient in specificity and sensitivity. Specialized tests and instruments used for the examination of samples from patients are painstaking and costly. Dr. Gözde Kabay, Head of a junior research group at KIT’s Institute of Functional Interfaces, has launched the IDEArt project (stands for Interdigitated electrode biosensor decorated with artificially imprinted polymer receptors for rapid diagnosis of Acute Kidney Injury) to develop portable, low-cost biosensors. They allow for the early, sensitive, and simultaneous detection of several AKI biomarkers in hospitals and personalized environments. They will significantly improve AKI prognosis and results for patients. “My design combines artificial receptor synthesis, simultaneous screening of AKI-specific biomarkers in the early stage, and highly sensitive detection of measurement data with user-friendly data visualization and Wi-Fi-supported data transmission,” Kabay says. “It is cost-efficient, precise, and accessible. It will help improve the diagnosis of early-stage AKI in rural and urban areas and facilitate the development of other biosensors for the detection of numerous diseases.”
CO2-neutral and Zero-power Refrigeration Technology for a Sustainable Future
Refrigeration technology has a share of about 17 percent in global power consumption. Currently, gas compressors are dominating the market. They use climate-polluting gaseous coolants with a high global warming potential. Within her ELASTO COOL project, Dr. Jingyuan Xu, Head of a junior research group at KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology, works on elastocaloric refrigerators driven by heat. They represent a highly promising zero-power alternative. Refrigeration processes are based on thermal modifications in shape memory alloys under mechanical load. The solid coolant is not harmful to the climate, resource and energy efficiencies are high. “I would like to develop a demonstrator with zero power consumption that does not produce any emissions. It will be based on extremely low-fatigue shape memory alloy layers with a high heat transfer coefficient and a competitive refrigeration temperature range,” Xu says. The project pursues a multi-disciplinary approach that combines materials sciences with thermodynamics, microtechnology, and engineering. Work focuses on refrigeration in miniature dimensions, such as cooling of electronic chips or temperature control of bioanalytical chips. The findings will be the basis for future climate-neutral refrigerators in the macrorange.
CZS Nexus Funding Program of Carl Zeiss Foundation
Carl Zeiss Foundation funds research and academic education in the areas of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and engineering. The CZS Nexus program is designed to support outstanding early-stage researchers who work on fascinating ideas at the interfaces of STEM disciplines. Funding will give them the opportunity to establish own interdisciplinary research groups and to start a scientific career.
The junior research groups are financed with up to EUR 1.5 million each for a period of five to six years.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.