SFB 1270:  ELectrically Active ImplaNts - ELAINE

• Subject Area: Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering ; Biology ; Chemistry ; Mechanical and Industrial Engineering ; Materials Science and Engineering ; Mathematics ; Medicine ; Physics
• Term: since 2017
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 299150580

The European population is ageing rapidly. By 2060, for example, one in three people in Germany will be over 65 years old. For this reason, regenerative therapies are of high social and socioeconomic relevance. This is particularly true for implants: the older the population becomes, the more implants are required for various indications and the more frequently they need to be replaced during therapy. The research vision of the Collaborative Research Centre focuses on novel, electrically active implants. Specifically, the research addresses implants that regenerate damaged bone and cartilage tissue and deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders caused by Parkinson's disease and dystonia. The CRC 1270 ELAINE addresses three central research goals. The first goal is the creation of innovative energy-autonomous implants that enable feedback electrical stimulation. This will lay the foundation for new long-term medical applications and patient-specific therapies by designing a miniaturised electronic implant platform with extremely low power consumption for the electrically active implants addressed in ELAINE. For in situ applications, the technical solution aims at an energy-efficient implantable electrical stimulator that can operate autonomously for several weeks in continuous or intermittent modes and is externally programmable. The second goal is the creation of efficient multiscale simulation models to enable rapid and targeted progress in implant optimisation and patient-specific therapies. New methods for simulating novel biomaterial constructs, biophysical stimuli to cells and tissues, and verifying generated data will advance fundamental understanding far beyond the current state of research. The third goal is to analyse the fundamental mechanisms of electrical stimulation in bone, articular cartilage, and the brain and to translate this knowledge into clinical application. To this end, scientists from electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, materials science, physics, biology, and medicine work closely together. The interdisciplinary consortium in ELAINE enables scientifically sound validation of newly derived theoretical models, simulation methods, and technical solutions through engineering and life sciences experiments. This ambitious research program aims to enable new biomedical implant approaches to address the ageing population's significant health challenges.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• International Connection: Italy

Current projects

• A02 - Refined multiscale and multiphysics models of electrical stimulation towards clinical applications (Project Heads Adrian, Simon ;  Appali, Revathi ;  van Rienen, Ursula ;  Schmidt, Christian ;  Zimmermann, Julius )
• A03 - Electrostimulation-induced cellular responses: Biomarkers for eustress levels and model implant surfaces (Project Heads Nebe, J. Barbara ;  Rebl, Henrike ;  Speller, Sylvia )
• A04 - Cell dynamics and cell mechanics on electrically conductive multilayers (Project Heads Delcea, Mihaela ;  Helm, Christiane A. )
• A06 - Mathematical modelling and data-driven multiscale analysis (Project Head Starke, Jens )
• A07 - Image-based modelling of angiogenesis and tissue remodelling for electrically active implants (Project Head Zeller-Plumhoff, Berit )
• B01 - Electrically conductive and piezoelectric materials for multifunctional implants for bone and cartilage regeneration (Project Heads Boccaccini, Aldo ;  Seitz, Hermann )
• B02 - Sensory and therapeutic functions for an energy-autonomous total hip replacement (Project Head Klüß, Daniel )
• B03 - Modelling and design of ultra-low power implants for closed-loop stimulation (Project Heads Haubelt, Christian ;  Hohlfeld, Dennis ;  Niemann, Christoph ;  Timmermann, Dirk )
• B06 - Efficient signal processing algorithms and architectures for in situ monitoring using electrically active implants and their closed-loop control (Project Heads Reichenbach, Marc ;  Spors, Sascha )
• B07 - Numerical methods for the prediction of physiological bone and cartilage properties (Project Head Adrian, Simon )
• C01 - Electro-physical stimulation of osseoinduction via alloplastic osteosynthesis system after ablative surgery in the mandible (Project Heads Dau, Michael ;  Engel, Nadja ;  Kämmerer, Peer )
• C02 - Electrical stimulation of articular cartilage: Evaluation of its potential for the repair of osteochondral defects in situ (Project Heads Bader, Rainer ;  Jonitz-Heincke, Anika ;  Seitz, Hermann )
• C03 - Deep brain stimulation in dystonia models: Biological implementation, definition of optimal stimulation parameters, and analysis of mechanisms (Project Heads Köhling, Rüdiger ;  Richter, Angelika ;  Richter Assencio, Franziska )
• C04 - Accelerometer-controlled adaptive deep brain stimulation in rat models of Parkinson’s disease to influence motor and non-motor behaviour (Project Heads Fauser, Mareike ;  Storch, Alexander )
• C05 - Translating advanced biophysical modelling into the clinical practice of deep brain stimulation programming (Project Head Horn, Ph.D., Andreas )
• INF - Information infrastructure (Project Heads Adrian, Simon ;  Krüger, Frank ;  van Rienen, Ursula ;  Sander, Manuela ;  Spors, Sascha )
• IRTG - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Rebl, Henrike ;  Spors, Sascha ;  Storch, Alexander ;  Uhrmacher, Adelinde )
• S01 - Improving metrology and instrumentation of electrostimulation experiments (Project Heads Franz, Denise ;  Haubelt, Christian ;  van Rienen, Ursula ;  Spors, Sascha )
• Z - Central administrative tasks (Project Heads van Rienen, Ursula ;  Spors, Sascha )

Completed projects

• A01 - Computational models for analysing the impact of electric fields on intracellular and intercellular processes at different spatio-temporal scales (Project Head Uhrmacher, Adelinde )
• A05 - Dielectric evaluation of cellular and interfacial characteristics for electrical stimulation (Project Head Kolb, Jürgen )
• B05 - Assessment of the mechanical reliability of electrically active, porous and functionally graded implant structures by local damage approach (Project Head Sander, Manuela )

• Applicant Institution: Universität Rostock
• Participating University: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; Hochschule Wismar; University of Applied Sciences; Technology, Business and Design; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz; Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover; Universität Greifswald; Universität zu Köln
• Spokespersons: Professorin Dr. Ursula van Rienen, until 12/2025; Professor Dr.-Ing. Sascha Spors, since 1/2026