Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZIDepartment of Diagnostics
The Department of Diagnostics offers a value chain that covers the identification and testing of new biomarkers, the bioinformatic analysis of complex transcriptomic and genomic data ("Big Data") as well as the development of prototypes for in vitro diagnostics and point-of-care platforms. Furthermore, it offers a broad range of analytical methods.
In the department's RIBOLUTION Biomarker Center new biomarkers are being systematically identified and validated using state-of-the-art techniques such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and microarray analysis. A particular focus is on non-coding RNAs, which show high, so far mostly underestimated, biomarker potential. An experienced bioinformatics group provides efficient processing and (statistical) analysis of molecular biological data, particularly of NGS data obtained from large clinical cohorts. Competencies in study and data management enable our scientists to plan and conduct such cohorts. A quality management system has been implemented and certified according to ISO 9001:2015 with an eye to these processes.
A main focus of the department is to develop molecular and immunodiagnostic tests in the medical and food sector. This includes PCR and NGS analyses, lab-on-a-chip systems as well as peptide selection and epitope mapping technologies. Diagnostic needs are addressed e.g. for cancer, cardiological diseases and food allergies as well as pathogen tests for infectious diseases. Moreover, the department has a wide range of additional analytical methods at its disposal and develops novel biointeractive molecules on structural DNA-based scaffolds. New imaging procedures support the analysis of cell biological processes.