The TH Mittelhessen, the Philipps University of Marburg and the Gesellschaft für Medizintechnik (GfM) from Groß-Gerau are cooperating on a research project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The partners want to develop a new type of device for treating skin diseases.
As part of the Research Campus of Central Hessen the working group led by Prof. Dr. Frank Runkel and Dr. Thomas Schmidts from the THM Competence Center BioTecMed and the working group around Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Pfützner and Dr. Christian Möbs from the Clinic for Dermatology and Allergology at the Philipps University of Marburg is leading a scientific collaboration in this project. The aim is to design a device that is suitable for treating inflammatory skin diseases with UV light and offers an alternative to current clinical use. The focus is primarily on neurodermatitis, a widespread chronic disease that is associated with dry skin, eczema and excruciating itching. UV light has been used for treatment in dermatology for a long time. However, the current procedure involves a lot of time and personal effort for both patient and doctor, as the applications usually have to take place on an inpatient basis in the clinic. “We are working on a type of device that is light and flexible, but at the same time safe to use, so that it can be used at home and even combined with gels containing active ingredients. A targeted, application-oriented innovation is created through collaboration between industry and research institutions in Hesse,” explains Dr. Christina Zinecker from the THM Research and Transfer Department.
During development, the THM initially has the task of testing LED light sources with different wavelengths and radiation intensities for skin compatibility. In addition, the Biopharmaceutical Technology working group is developing a gel that supports light therapy by optimizing the transport of an active ingredient to the affected skin areas. This substance, a precursor of vitamin D, is to be administered as a "prodrug" that is activated by UV light.
The laboratory experiments and preclinical tests are carried out at the University Hospital of the Philipps University of Marburg in order to be able to draw conclusions about the therapeutic effectiveness. Among other things, it is checked whether the prodrug penetrates deep enough into the treated skin areas and can be converted there by the newly developed irradiation unit in order to achieve anti-inflammatory effects.
As an industrial partner, the South Hessian company GfM designs the device base, the housing and creates a programme for the operating functions. GfM will then take over the marketing.
The project has a duration of two years. It is funded by the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry of Economics with around 190,000 euros. This initiative wants to bring medium-sized companies together with business-related research institutions in order to sustainably support the innovative strength and competitiveness of the companies.