Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier has awarded this year’s future prize to the developer of a novel Herpes-medication. Other Teams came from the fields of mechanical engineering and chemistry.
Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday evening announced the discoverer and developer of a Herpes medication as a winner of the German future prize. The price of the Federal President for inventions that have already achieved a breakthrough in the industry gives, and the lives of the people improve. Here are the winners:
Protection against life-threatening herpes virus in Organ Transplantation
Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff, and Holger Zimmermann dedicated to your Wuppertal-based company AiCuris, the fight against dangerous viruses. Rübsamen-Schaeff had called AiCuris 2006 as a spin-off from Bayer.
One of the viruses, where they conducted research, is the human Cytomegalovirus (CMV). This herpes virus is widespread and occurs in almost all of the people in developing countries and about half of the people in developed countries are chronic. The Virus rarely causes symptoms, but the Affected for a lifetime.
To the Problem of CMV is only when patients suffer from a weakened immune system. Then the virus can break out of the infection and the organs, the gastro-intestinal tract damage and even lead to blindness.
Other former Nominees: 3D printing in the aerospace
Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff, and Holger Zimmermann suppress your medicament Herpes infections.
Particularly dangerous it is when patients receive a bone marrow transplant. During this time, you do not have their own immune protection, and have to build him up only with time. A CMV infection can be in this transitional phase, lethal.
Here is a CMV prophylaxis called Letervomir can protect the patient. It was developed by Rübsamen-Schaeff, and together with Zimmermann brought to market maturity. It is an enzyme – a so-called “non-nucleoside CMV-Inhibitor” – blocking the Virus replication and inhibits.
Also, people who receive a kidney transplant, can help the drug. And in the case of a newborn whose mother is suffering from CMV, can avert the prophylaxis of severe damage to the nervous system.
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And here are the other two nominated Teams and their inventions:
Thus, the transmission of the future looks like: The teeth mesh over the full surface in the recesses and hold much better.
The Gear re-invented
Gears consist of toothed wheels, which engage a complex mesh. You can transfer the turning, the engines produce, so sent that the actuators of machines to get the desired speed and enough strength to muster.
Conventional transmission, however, have one weakness: It always involved relatively few gears at the same time, the actual power transmission in a Gear. The surface hits with a single Tooth on the opposite Gear is only a very narrow strip. And the courses in which a machine is running frequently, faster.
Therefore, the two engineers Manfred Wittenstein and Thomas Bayer invented the Gear is virtually new: you have it divided into many smaller individual teeth, which are mounted so that they contact with the opposite Gear in the power transmission with a complete Area.
Due to a better Geometry, it is possible to increase the surface area significantly. This reduces the wear and tear of the teeth, increases the efficiency and the life of the transmission several times.
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Manfred Wittenstein, and Thomas Bayer, supply-driven machine builders in the world with your Special.
The new gearbox is stiff against torque loads, produce less unwanted vibration, run quieter and can also be used for more precise control. Machine tools run with the new Gears better and metal fabricators such as a lathe can make your workpieces in order done faster.
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Pipetting with the research of anti-viral drugs at AiCuris in Wuppertal, Germany
The winner of the 2014 German future prize for lupines
The LOHC carrier liquid is not flammable, if elementary hydrogen is stored
Is hydrogen safe to store – why in liquid?
All agree that hydrogen will be an important energy carrier of the future. The Element is available in virtually unlimited quantities and can be simply by electrolysis with renewable electricity. Also, it is quite easy to gain power With fuel cells is well controlled and quite safe.
Only the saving power of the engineers to Worry about. Hydrogen can be used as other technical gases under pressure or liquefied and stored, but it is not very easy. The Gas is extremely flammable in combination with oxygen is highly explosive.
Today, the usual storage pressure is 700 bar. This is more than bottles, Double that of normal air pressure. In the case of a condensing temperatures below -250 degrees Celsius, are necessary. Both are time-consuming and expensive.
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Peter Wasserscheid, Wolfgang Arlt and Daniel Teichmann laid the Foundation for a safe hydrogen-logistics
In order to solve the Problem, conceived by Peter Wasserscheid, Wolfgang Arlt, both professors at the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and Daniel Teichmann, managing Director of the hydro-genious Technologies GmbH is a completely different solution: The hydrogen is bound in a harmless carrier liquid chemically, it can then be transported as normal – for example, in tankers or Pipelines, and is then set in again from the fluid.
The liquid itself remains as liquid empties for a new use. The Whole is called the LOHC-technology (liquid organic hydrogen carrier). The carrier liquid is a hydrocarbon called Dibenzytoluol.
The chemical is according to the EU labelling of dangerous substances as “hazardous to health” is defined, but not as toxic. It is hardly inflammable, non-explosive, thus easier to handle and less risky than conventional fuels such as gasoline or Diesel. Thus, the extensive build-up of water would, then, fuel tank also from a safety aspect, no Problem.
Now LOHC is used, where industrial companies are dependent on a secure supply of hydrogen, including in the United States. And hydrogen gas stations, which are to be supplied also in construction in Germany, China and Finland.