(mib) Two research teams from ETH Zurich are among the winners of this year's Swiss Technology Award (1), which was presented last week in the Kursaal in Berne.

ETH researcher Christopher Onder and his team from the ETH Measurement and Control Laboratory(2) and Oliver Kröcher from the Paul Scherrer Institute received a special prize. The scientists developed a new system (Urea-SCR-Process) that transforms the nitric oxide in the exhaust fumes of diesel vehicules into nontoxic nitrogen. This special prize in the category "preserving resources“ carries a prize sum of 10,000 CHF. The catalytic converter will be presented at the "Hannover 2005" trade fair..

A further prize went to the Michael Mrochen and his research team from the ETH Institute of Biomedical Engineering (3)for their development of a laser-finished contact lens, which, as they write, embodies a "custom made suit" for the eye. The project was not nominated for the final, but the prize for the team of scientists is the chance to present their project at the Medica 2005.

The main prize this year went to the company Molecular Partners AG from Zurich. The team succeeded in developing a new technology for the design and production of biomolecules. In contrast to the antibodies prevalent today, the proteins are computer designed and then produced synthetically in the test-tube–without trials on animals or living cells. This new class of artificial receptor molecules smoothes the way for better diagnostic tests, for pregnancy, for example, and promising new treatments, above all for cancer and rheumatism. Molecular Partners AG was founded in November 1994 as a spin-off company from the University of Zurich.