Research Focus

Biomaterial development can be seen as a fundamental example of interdisciplinary cooperation in NIFE. 

From clinical practice, requirements are defined for synthetic and biological materials for implants that are either conventional, artificial, biohybrid with a resorbable structure, or completely biological.

Infections caused by bacterial biofilms play a crucial role in all medical fields.

In the focus area of implant-associated infections, new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are being developed on the basis of a systematic characterization of biofilms on implant surfaces and the resulting implant-associated diseases.

The main focus of the work is to elucidate the tissue-implant interaction.

Clinically, implants must reliably fulfill many specific functions in addition to their biocompatibility and mechanical suitability.

Biofunctionality and functionalization are essential research tasks in medical implant development in the various fields of application. 

Optimization of the cell-specific implant surface and its inextricably linked function is of fundamental importance in all of the organ systems brought together in NIFE.

Novel biomaterials must undergo extensive testing prior to their use in humans to rule out adverse reactions such as material-induced implant failure.

Tissue engineering occupies the interface between biology (isolation and cultivation of cells), medicine (replacement of missing or diseased tissue), and engineering, including physics and chemistry (development and production of synthetic matrices).

The eNIFE is a research center associated with NIFE within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Leibniz Universität Hannover, which is dedicated to the topic of biomedical engineering from the perspective of electrical engineering.