Biosystem technology
The Biosystems (English: Biosystems engineering ) deals inter alia with the combination of molecules of biological origin (eg .:. Proteins , nucleic acids , antibodies ) with technical surfaces (Biohybridtechnik). She therefore also examines their interactions and develops miniaturized biotechnical components using microsystem technology : biosensor arrays , microarrays , biochips. They are currently used primarily in medical and pharmacological research, in medical diagnostics and in food and environmental analysis. Biosystems technology is a young, highly application-oriented field of work and integrates aspects of physics, microtechnology, electronics, materials technology, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology.
Elements of biosystem technology mostly have a high information density due to miniaturization (see microarrays), so the use of computer science / bioinformatics to evaluate the data obtained is of great importance (pattern recognition, machine learning, microarray analysis, databases). This is where they differ from classic analytical methods such as enzyme tests, immunassays or the early biosensors (e.g. glucose sensor ).
In 2001, the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau was the first university in the world to set up the biosystems engineering / bioinformatics course as a consecutive Bachelor and Master course with funds from the Federal Ministry of Research (BMBF) and successfully accredited it internationally in 2006.
The biosystem technology course at Otto von Guericke University was established in 2004 as a diploma course. Since 2007, the students have been trained in the consecutive Bachelor and Master courses, which were accredited in 2012. In terms of content, it relies on an engineering focus in systems biology and enables graduates to carry out basic research and technological use of biological systems. In addition to the latest molecular biological methods, systems and engineering methods are used to analyze complex phenomena such as the regulation of metabolic pathways or the functioning of signal transduction processes. The knowledge gained opens up new possibilities in basic research in medicine and natural sciences as well as in transferring them to biotechnological processes and manufacturing processes.