More Effective Medicines Through Innovative Methods

To improve the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble compounds, a team led by process engineer Professor Markus Thommes from the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering has developed and patented a novel melt electrostatic precipitator. With €1.1 million in funding from the federal government’s VIP+ funding program, the team now aims to demonstrate the technology’s innovation potential and make the process applicable in practice. On 30 September 2026, Parliamentary State Secretary Matthias Hauer presented the team with the symbolic fundig notification for the project, named “MediMikroPart.”

Matthias Hauer, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR): “With the High-Tech Agenda for Germany, we are strengthening competitiveness, value creation, and sovereignty through research and technology—particularly in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The goal is to bring research findings into practical application more quickly and to strengthen innovative companies, including those in the healthcare sector, in Germany. The BMFTR’s VIP+ program for validation funding enables excellent research to lead to concrete applications and—wherever possible—economic value creation and societal benefits. The VIP+ funded project MediMikroPart, with its innovative melt electrostatic precipitator, will make an important contribution to the pharmaceutical industry, to Germany as a hub for research and innovation, and ultimately to a high-performing and efficient healthcare system. I wish the project team every success.”

For the body to absorb a drug as effectively as possible, its active ingredient must dissolve easily in water. It is precisely this prerequisite, however, that is often a challenge. The new melt electrostatic precipitator can be used to embed drug particles evenly and gently in a carrier matrix of excipients. This carrier matrix acts as a “functional environment” that enables the active ingredient to better unleash its effect in the body, yet without changing its chemical structure. To achieve this, the drug particles are first produced by spray drying and then transferred to the melt electrostatic precipitator, where they are deposited in a melt that serves as a matrix after solidification. In addition, a new type of aerosol generator helps to produce particularly fine particles in the low micrometer range.

Pharmaceuticals, food technology or plant protection

“With our process, we have already observed a significant improvement in the dissolution behavior of poorly water-soluble active ingredients. We are delighted that we will now be able – thanks to the validation funding – to further develop the technology,” says Prof. Thommes, who has headed the Chair of Solids Process Engineering at the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering since 2014. In the first instance, the new process is intended for pharmaceutical applications, but it can also be used in food technology or plant protection.

PROvendis GmbH registered the intellectual property rights on behalf of TU Dortmund University. The patent was granted in the US in May 2025, and the technology is also protected in Europe. “As we enter the market, we are seeing that our broad portfolio of intellectual property rights is an important factor for the successful acquisition of funding,” says Professor Thommes. His melt electrostatic precipitator had already been successful in the regional funding competition “NRW Patent Validation,” receiving an initial €200,000 to further advance the technology’s maturity.

Photo: Five people pose for a photo next to the test facility. — State Secretary Matthias Hauer (left) presented the grant notification to (from left to right) Louisa-Lynn Siebert-Sambor and Prof. Markus Thommes — in the presence of Prof. Manfred Bayer and Dr. Sabine Giessler-Blank.

Photo: Experimental setup with insulated components and sensor wiring inside a protective enclosure. — The new facility will look something like this; this image is from a previous project.

Photo: Two people present a funding certificate in front of the laboratory equipment. — Matthias Hauer (left), Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), and Prof. Markus Thommes from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering.

Photo: A speaker gives a presentation to a seated audience in an institute room. — Prof. Manfred Bayer, president of TU Dortmund University, welcomed the guests in the gallery of the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering (BCI).

Support from the outset

TU Dortmund University supports inventions like this from the outset. For example, the university’s Section Legal Matters checks whether a new development infringes any third-party rights. PROvendis assesses the chances of success of applying for intellectual property rights and handles both their registration and maintenance. TU Dortmund University bears the costs incurred for the IPR. Together with PROvendis, the university also helps to identify funding programs suitable for financing further development work. The team at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET) advises and supports the researchers on a continuous basis throughout all these steps and the process as a whole.

About the VIP+ funding program

The funding program “Validation of the Technological and Societal Innovation Potential of Scientific Research – VIP+” of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space invites researchers to take the first step towards creating economic value or applying their research findings in societal contexts. Validation forms the bridge between idea and practical implementation in the knowledge and technology transfer process. The aim of the validation phase is to examine, demonstrate and evaluate the innovation potential of research results and develop potential areas of application.

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