Dr. Iris Trick, Fraunhofer-Institute IGB, German coordinator of the Cluster Dr. I. Trick (F), Ph.D., is a fulltime researcher at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Surface Technology and Biotechnology in Stuttgart since 1985. Major research fields are microbiological studies on biofilm prevention and using them in biotechnological processes. Development of testing devices for antimicrobial surfaces (tooth materials, medical devices, industrial application), studies on the mechanisms of micro- and nanostructured surfaces with photocatalytic properties. Actually responsible for projects considering bacterial communication in antimicrobial strategies. Iris Trick obtained her Ph.D. at the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim (1982) in the field of bacterial populations in biological treatment of waste waters to get a better understanding of bulking sludge and to prevent development of bulking blooms. After a 6 month period at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen at the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene she works at the Fraunhofer IGB as vice head of the department of environmental biotechnology and biochemical engineering in basic and mainly applied research especially with companies as well as in interdisciplinary project groups.

Dr. Michaela Müller, Fraunhofer-Institute IGB Dr. Michaela Müller (F) reached her Ph.D. 1998 in polymer chemistry at the University of Mainz (Germany). After an employment at the EMPA in Dübendorf (Switzerland) she joined in 2001 the interfacial engineering department of interfacial engineering of the Fraunhofer IGB. Her major field of activity are tailor-made surface modifications to control interfacial processes like adsorption and wetting, e.g. to reduce protein adsorption or to prevent biofilm formation.

Dr. Burger-Kentischer, Anke, Fraunhofer-Institute IGB, Dr. Anke Burger-Kentischer (F), Ph.D., is group leader of the Molecular Biology group within the Department of Molecular Biotechnology at Fraunhofer IGB headed by PD Dr. Steffen Rupp. The two major aims are the study of inflammation and immune mediators and their receptors and the structural elucidation (cell based test system), recombinant production (in yeast, bacterial and mammalian cells), and design of pharmaceutical proteins (MIF, macrophage migration inhibitory factor; IFN, interferon; TLRs, toll-like receptors; PAMPs). She obtained her PhD at the Section of Radiobiology and Molecular Environmental Research, Department of Radiotherapy at the University of Tübingen. The theme was the role of TGF-? as main modulator of the irradiation induced fibrosis: in vitro co-culture system studies. After A Postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Physiology at the Ludwig -Maximilian-University in Munich with the research topic Osmoregulation in the kidney: Hypertonicity-induced accumulation of organic osmolytes, she starts her work at Fraunhofer IGB.