Connecting marine research with healthcare to develop innovative medical technologies – with this idea, BlueHealthTech applied under the “WIR!” funding line of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It successfully outcompeted 130 other applicants and received 8.2 million euros in funding. The alliance is coordinated by Prof. A. Eisenhauer at GEOMAR and includes esteemed partners such as Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein. In total, the initiative encompasses 12 interdisciplinary research and development projects with 33 lead scientists.

Vision and Goals:
BlueHealthTech aims to improve healthcare by harnessing marine resources and analytical technologies for medical purposes. Its vision is to detect diseases—using innovations derived from the sea—even before symptoms appear. The research focuses on areas such as biomarkers, sensors, and isotope analysis, investigating their transformative potential in medical diagnostics and therapy.

Key Achievements and Highlights:
Building on GEOMAR’s patented bone density marker, two projects are working to improve the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. GEOMAR researchers, among others in collaboration with Stryker Traum GmbH, have developed an innovative calculator for assessing osteoporotic fracture risk. This tool offers alternative therapeutic approaches for preventing the disease and has been nominated for the Helmholtz Software Award.

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The SOOP innovation platform is one of three Helmholtz Innovation Platforms funded in 2023 with a total of 11 million euros. Coordinated at GEOMAR by Dr. Toste Tanhua in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Helmholtz Centre Hereon, SOOP provides an integrated framework for collaboration among science, industry, and civil society. Its goal is to build competencies and promote sustainable growth in ocean observation.

Technologies for ocean observation are often developed by small companies that face challenges due to high development costs and limited scalability. SOOP offers access to research infrastructure and transforms co-development and design processes into an open innovation process. It enables the joint development of instruments, operational environments, and procedures via standardized, interoperable technologies for non-scientific infrastructures. This approach is intended to break down innovation barriers and significantly strengthen the commercialization of marine data as well as the expansion of ocean observation. Following the successful prototype phase, SOOP is now moving into the next phase by developing scalable sensor solutions for four application cases in cooperation with industry partners to increase both impact and data coverage.

Based on user needs, SOOP actively participates in the joint development of specialized sensors and modular, scalable measurement systems for these application areas.

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Shipping is one of the world’s major sources of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Optimizing shipping routes—and thereby reducing fuel consumption—can lead to significant CO₂ savings. The RASMUS project, now starting under the leadership of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Kiel-based company TrueOcean GmbH, addresses this challenge. Funded by the state of Schleswig-Holstein with approximately 625,000 euros, the project focuses on optimizing ship routes by linking artificial intelligence with oceanographic current models.

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Monitoring safety in complex industrial facilities is increasingly important. By integrating a novel, highly sensitive multi-gas sensor into Boston Dynamics’ “robot dog” SPOT, large-scale leak detection becomes possible. Using AI methods, SPOT autonomously searches for the source of a leak based on gas measurements, effectively functioning as a sniffer dog.

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Various sources estimate that lost fishing gear is one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. For example, data from the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) indicate that ghost nets now account for between 30% and 50% of the plastic waste in our oceans.

GhostNetBusters will utilize sidescan sonar data to detect objects—such as lost nets—on the seafloor. The use of machine learning algorithms on sidescan sonar data aims to significantly enhance the efficiency of retrieving ghost nets by reducing the need for extensive manual review.

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This project leverages measurement data from the Boknis Eck time series station, which has been routinely sampling a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological parameters monthly since 1957. Using AI methods (particularly time series analysis, edge AI, supervised and unsupervised learning), the project aims to create a digital replica of the bay:

• Enabling real-time assessment of the bay’s environmental condition.
• Allowing hypothetical scenarios and measures to improve the environmental state to be tested before implementation, so that actions can be more effective and sustainable.
• Providing early warnings to users in the event of environmental deterioration.

With growing datasets, the applied AI methods are continuously refined, resulting in more accurate short-term forecasts and warnings.

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Despite considerable efforts, only about 25% of the ocean floor has been mapped using hydroacoustic methods. The KIMERA project addresses this gap.

KIMERA stands for “Artificial Intelligence for Seafloor Mapping and Marine Spatial Planning.” In collaboration with a regional company, the project is developing a method that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (known as “Remote Predictive Mapping” – RPM) to predict the seafloor’s characteristics. Based on these predictions, the project will estimate the likelihood of encountering specific habitats or mineral resources. This approach is a crucial cornerstone for marine spatial planning based on scientific insights, which will subsequently need to be verified.

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Marine researchers at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, together with physicians from the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), have developed an early detection method for bone calcium loss based on an analytical method derived from marine research. This method measures a biomarker that enables early risk assessment of metabolic bone diseases and supports therapeutic diagnostics.

"We use an analytical method for calcium isotopes that only requires urine or blood for analysis," explains Prof. Dr. Anton Eisenhauer, marine researcher and scientific director of osteolabs GmbH. The approach was met with high interest from the outset and has been supported by several public and private institutions.

The technology of calcium isotope markers (CIM), developed from coral research, is being transferred into clinical diagnostics by the OsteoTest family. CIM has the potential to become a universal platform for the early detection of calcium-related metabolic bone diseases, which affect over a billion patients worldwide. This enables treatment to be initiated before the disease progresses.

Founder: Prof. Dr. Anton Eisenhauer

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B2 Sensors GmbH is dedicated to the development, production, and distribution of sensors and measurement systems for the inspection and quantification of parameters in air and water. The company also offers research, service, and consulting in the fields of science, marine technology, industry, and government.

Founder: Dr. Roberto Benavides

VetHealthCheck is currently in the process of being established. The team has developed a testing method—which has been patented through GEOMAR—that can detect diseases in horses long before symptoms appear. By analyzing two biomarkers derived from the ratio of copper to calcium isotopes, the health status of a horse can be assessed. The results indicate conditions such as cancer, infections, or heart disease. The kit includes sampling utensils and in-house laboratory analysis. The principle of this test originally comes from marine research. Early feedback from veterinarians in Schleswig-Holstein has been excellent, and given the millions of horses in leisure and sports sectors, a significant market for VetHealthCheck has been identified in Germany.

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