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Panoramic view on the North Campus © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
VIP+ FUNDING FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

How Process Engineering Enhances Drug Efficacy

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Two hands are holding several packs of pills. © Nicolás Gajardo-Parra
For a medication to be absorbed optimally by the body, the active ingredient it contains must dissolve well in water.
An active ingredient alone is no guarantee for efficacy. 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 and the reason why process engineer Prof. Markus Thommes and his team at the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering have developed and patented a new type of melt electrostatic precipitator. The aim of the novel process is to improve the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble compounds. In April, the team was awarded around €1 million from the Federal Government’s VIP+ funding program to demonstrate the technology’s innovation potential and make the process applicable in practice.

The new melt electrostatic precipitator is 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

Porträt © BCI
Markus Thommes ist Professor für Feststoffverfahrenstechnik.

“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 was already acknowledged in the regional funding competition “NRW Patent Validation 2020”, and the team was awarded the first €200,000 to further raise the precipitator’s Technology Readiness Level.

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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