Chronic wounds have become a major therapeutic challenge and will continue to increase as our population ages. But also after burns or chemical burns, the resulting skin defect can usually no longer be closed without problems by conservative treatment and therapy, so that transplantation becomes mandatory. Covering large wound areas with autologous skin is often an unmanageable problem, since the supply of autologous skin is limited. In addition to the high socioeconomic costs, there is also an enormous physical and psychological burden for these patients. The question of skin substitutes is therefore becoming more and more apparent. So far, there is no product available on the market for advanced wound healing made of WF and collagen. To reduce the considerable burden on both the healthcare system and the patients, SpinPlant’s proprietary and patented collagen fleece technology is to be extended and combined with growth factors (GF). This approach is unique and combines the biological properties of native nanostructured collagen with the stimulatory properties of GF. Collagen and GF can only contribute to an effective product in their native form. The goal is to maintain the stability and biological activity of these components. The feasibility study serves as a requirements analysis for the combination capability and is the prerequisite for the implementation of the R&D project.

SmartMed – MastitisDX
Concept development for mastistis diagnostic by the detection of the pathogens in milk using microscopic characterization.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem because as infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria increases, so do mortality, morbidity, and social and economic costs. Antibiotic resistance results from the overuse of antibiotics, even in cases where it would not be necessary. WHO has recognized the problem of antibiotic use in food-producing animals, which is contributing to widespread and rapid development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. The bacteria carrying the antibiotic resistance gene can be transmitted to humans across species. Studies have shown that restricting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals reduces the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. Dairy cow mastitis is one such bacterial infectious disease and is the most common production disease on dairy farms, both in developed and developing countries. In practice, a cow showing clinical signs of mastitis (e.g. flakes in the milk) is usually treated immediately with antibiotics, since the results for pathogen determination from the laboratory are usually not available until 2 days after the sample is sent in and a gram-positive pathogen is always assumed first. An immediate differentiation of the pathogens into gram-positive and gram-negative or a rough classification into yeasts, mycoplasma or other bacteria can therefore influence the decision whether antibiotic treatment is necessary at all. In the feasibility study, several filter systems connected in series will be tested for the purification and concentration of the cow milk and combined to individual process steps, so that the sample preparation can be carried out quickly and with few steps even by laymen. Accordingly, a concept for the software for the detection of the specific pathogens must be researched and developed as well as an inexpensive and, above all, robust hardware suitable for the barn.