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BioTOPics 46 | September 2013
BioTOP-Report
Life Sciences
stitute for Agricultural Engineering (ATB) in Potsdam-Bornim
whose research focuses on resource-efficient and carbon-neutral
use of biological systems for the production of foods, raw materi-
als and energy, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer
Research (IAP) in Potsdam-Golm, which is a leading provider in
the field of applied cellulose and starch research and opened a
competence centre for biopolymer processing at the BASF site
Schwarzheide in April 2013 (see on page 23).
As part of a nationwide programme of the German Federal Min-
istry of Education and Research (BMBF), new concepts for future
biotechnology have been developed jointly with research organi-
sations and universities since 2010 to provide the foundation for
the development of a bio-based economy. To see which projects
in Berlin-Brandenburg are involved in this programme, please
turn to page 41.
Certified excellence
In addition to Freie Universität Berlin, the Humboldt Universität
zu Berlin also succeeded with its concept for future development
in the context of the Excellence Initiative for cutting-edge re-
search at institutions of higher education. One of the university’s
main goals thus is the continued development of its Integrative
Research Institute (IRI) for the Life Sciences (see on page 36).
Other life sciences projects and initiatives in Berlin-Brandenburg
funded under the Excellence Initiative include the Berlin-Bran-
denburg School for Regenerative Therapies BSRT (a graduate
school in the field of Regenerative Medicine), NeuroCure (a Clus-
ter of Excellence focused on the neurosciences) and UniCat (the
Cluster of Excellence “Unifying Concepts in Catalysis”).
You will find more detailed information on these Excellence Initia-
tives and an overview of other research projects involving scien-
tists from Berlin and Brandenburg in our publication BioTOPics 45
“Life Sciences from A to Z”.
NOVEMBER 2012
Federal and state governments agree to found the Berlin Institute of Health
(BIH). It is created from the merging of Charité and Max Delbrück Center for
Molecular Medicine. In the future, scientists conducting basic research and
clinical research will thus work hand in hand.
DECEMBER 2012
Christian Hackenberger receives Leibniz Humboldt professorship for chemi-
cal biology
++++
Performance of German Institute of Human Nutrition (DifE)
rated as very good to excellent
++++
MDC celebrates 20th anniversary.
JANUARY 2013
Charité and FU are jointly successful in the competition "EXIST-Gründung-
skultur – Die Gründerhochschule" of the German Federal Ministry of Econom-
ics and Technology
++++
German Research Foundation extends collabora-
tive research centre (SBF 650) at Charité – ten million Euros for research on
immunological therapy
FEBRUARY 2013
Humboldt research award gets Ivy-League professor Klaas van Wijk to Pots-
dam
++++
Biopolymers – strong future field with high potential for innova-
tion presents itself in Schorfheide
MARCH 2013
Hasso-Plattner-Institut speeds up personalised medicine with new data bank
technology
++++
Integrative Research Institute for Life Sciences (IRI) found-
ed in Berlin
++++
Paul Ehrlich- and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize goes to MDC
scientist Dr. James Poulet
APRIL 2013
Charité and Sorbonne found Virchow-Villermé Centre for Public Health
++++
EU-OPENSCREEN included in the new BMBF-roadmap for large research
infrastructures
MAY 2013
New laboratory building of MDC opened – named after physiologist Max
Rubner
++++
Stem cell researchers in Germany pool their expertise. They
found the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) on May 7
th
2013
++++
Evalu-
ators praise Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). Enst Theodor Rietschel becomes
chairman
JUN 13
BIH officially opened
++++
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin once more
reaches rank 1 of Focus-ranking "Germany's best hospital"
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BioTOPics 46 | September 2013
BioTOP-Report
Life Sciences
Know-how in Systems Medicine and
Systems Biology
In the past years, it has become evident that determining the function of singular genes is insufficient for
understanding the processes in our body and the development of diseases. Therefore, biomedical research
increasingly follows a holistic approach. The new key words in this context are “systems biology” and “systems
medicine”. Researchers use highly modern techniques to gain precise insight into the molecular networks of
genes and their products, the proteins, as well as their regulation and interaction, to understand their impor-
tance in the development of diseases. The resulting vast quantity of data is evaluated with help of mathematics,
informatics, and powerful computers. In the German capital region, significant know-how has been built and
structures have been created for this.
Amongst the internationally prominent names of Berlin med-
icine in this context are the Max Delbrück Center for Molecu-
lar Medicine (MDC) – it focuses on basic research and is part of
the Helmholtz Association – and in clinical research the Charité
- Universitätsmedizin Berlin. MDC and Charité now combine their
research in the newly founded Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). It
will be set up with public funds of 300 million Euros until 2018.
Additionally, 40 million Euros come from the benefactor Johanna
Quandt. The BIH follows a holistic, systems medical approach for
the first time in Germany. That means steering away from single
organs or disease patterns towards the overarching mechanisms
causing diseases. In doing so, systems medicine uses genetic,
cell biological, biochemical, and physiological methods, imaging
techniques, and extensive technology platforms. The aim is the
medical translation, meaning the development of new diagnostic
techniques, therapies, and preventive measures to increase and
speed up the transfer of research findings to hospitals.
Humboldt Universität (HU) is also invested in interdisciplinary
life sciences research. The Integrative Research Institute (IRI) for
Life Sciences, funded by the Excellence Initiative of federal and
state governments, is a core project of the university’s plans for
the future, having gained the status of elite university in 2012.
The scientific areas involved in the project range cover the entire-
ty of life, from the molecular level to the complex organism. The
research focus of the IRI lies on the areas of commitment of the
institutions supporting it: Systems biology and theoretical biolo-
gy (represented by centres of HU, Charité, and MDC); Neurosci-
ences (represented by the Bernstein Center Berlin, an excellence
cluster and a graduate school of HU) as well as infection biology
and immunology (represented by the Center for Infection Biology
and Immunity of HU). From these areas of focus, the IRI wants to
strengthen the connection between theoretical and experimen-
tal techniques as well as clinical application areas. The everyday
life in hospitals is set to profit especially from research insights
into neurological diseases (nervous system, strokes), oncological
diseases, and regenerative medicine. An important part of the IRI
will be the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB)
of the MDC, which is a pioneer of systems biology in Germany.
Founded 2008, it focuses on the research of post-transcriptional
regulation of the genome and its influence on cancer, cardiac,
metabolic, and neurologic diseases.
Prof. Ernst Rietschel
CEO · Berlin Institute of Health – BIH
With the establishment of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH),
the German federal government and the federal state of Ber-
lin want to respond to proposals from the academic sector to
promote translational research, i.e. the transfer of research
results into clinical practice and back. In the new institute, the
MDC and Charité will combine their basic and clinical research.
In this endeavour, systems medicine plays an essential con-
ceptual role representing a unique selling point of the BIH.