On 27 March 2025, 14 Bachelor's and Master's students from the Mechanical Engineering/Process and Environmental Engineering department visited Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Bergisch Gladbach, the company is a global player in biotechnology and medical technology. At its site in Teterow near Rostock, the company employs around 400 of its more than 4500 employees worldwide and conducts research into new therapeutic approaches for tumours, among other things. The company also develops and produces devices and reagents for the magnetic sorting of human immune cells. Magnetic cell separation (MACS) technology is already being used successfully worldwide and is a process by which cells can be specifically selected or separated, for example with the help of antibodies that are directed against specific cell surface antigens. In this way, highly purified populations of immune cells can be quickly and easily enriched in order to subsequently destroy cancer cells.

The students, accompanied by Professor Christoph Hornberger and Professor Falk Hillmann, learnt about the particular challenges of GMP (good manufacturing practice) compliant production of medical products as well as current developments in bioprocess and medical technology. The experience report by mechatronics student Carolin Grodt, who is currently writing her Master's thesis at Miltenyi, was of particular interest.

Many thanks to Dirk Fricke for the organisation and the exciting insights!