FIRST - Frankfurt International Research School for Translational Biomedicine
WELCOME
FIRST
FIRST
the Frankfurt International Research School for Translational Biomedicine, is an integrated effort to accelerate education and research in the areas of Inflammation & Pain, Cardiovascular System, Targeted Cancer Therapy and Biologicals using a variety of different technologies.
FIRST is devoted to the interdisciplinary research training of outstanding international PhD students in translational biomedicine with a focus on drug research, development and safety.
Biomed FIRST is a Graduate Centre of GRADE – Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers, a platform for (post)graduate education in the life and natural sciences a the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main with a focus on life sciences and drug research, development and safety.
Courses & Seminars
Courses & Seminars
FIRST offers a number of courses for PhD students in the area of biomedicine.
A prinicpal component of the FIRST PhD education is the Core Curriculum on Drug Research, Development and Safety which intends to give the participants an insights into the different topics along the value chain.
Professional and transferable skills for PhD students are offered by the Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers - GRADE. In particular, courses on Scientific Writing and on Scientific Presentation are highly recommended to all FIRST PhD students.
Research Areas
Research Areas
The main research areas within FIRST are Infammation & Pain, Lipid Signalling, Cardiovascular Signalling, Redox Signalling, Biologicals &small drug molecules.
Within these areas, there are a number of Collaborative Research Centres (CRC) and Research Training Groups for PhD students, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the LOEWE Initiative by the federal state of Hessen or foundations such as the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung in Bad Homburg.
People at FIRST
People at FIRST
A number of professors of the Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy (14) and of the Faculty of Medicine constitute the FIRST-Faculty. Members of the Georg-Speyer-Haus (GSH), Frankfurt, and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, Langen, are also part of FIRST. Associated are collaborators from the Technische Universität Darmstadt and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
PhD students and postdocs working in a lab of a FIRST-PI on a doctoral project in the biomedical sciences, can participate in FIRST. For more information see here. Some structured PhD programmes (such as Research Training Groups, Collaborative Research Centres) with their PhD students are part of FIRST.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Graduiertenkolleg
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Graduiertenkolleg
The Else Kröner-Fresenius-Graduiertenkolleg (EKF-GK) Eicosanoid and Sphingolipid Signalling in Inflammation, Cancer and Vascular Diseases is funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung since January 2015 and continues the Dr. Hans Kröner-Graduiertenkolleg (HKG). Its aim is to understand of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of eicosanoids and sphingolipids in inflammatory processes as well as in cancer and vascular biology. The academic goal is to train excellent graduate students/PhD students for careers in molecular medicine, pharmacy and biology.
FIRST at a glance
FIRST at a glance
FIRST (Frankfurt International Research School for Translational Biomedicine) was founded in 2007 as graduate school by the Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, the Georg-Speyer-Haus (GSH) in Frankfurt and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute in Langen. At Frankfurt University, groups within the faculties of Medicine (FB16) and Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy (FB 14) that address different aspects of drug research from basics up to clinical development, have joined to form FIRST, which in autumn 2009 became the Graduate Centre BioMed FIRST at the Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers - GRADE.
FIRST is an integrated effort to accelerate education and research in the areas that show great promise for translating basic biomedical knowledge into prevention strategies or new treatments with the ultimate aim of enhancing and prolonging life. FIRST is devoted to the interdisciplinary research of excellent international PhD students in translational biomedicine with a focus on drug research, development and safety.
The establishment of FIRST represents the logical consequence of the long experience in translational biomedical research in the Rhine-Main area and is driven by key research areas in which Frankfurt University possesses a critical mass of reputed researchers, i.e. in the areas of Lipid Signalling, Cardiovascular Signalling, Oncogenic Signalling, Redox Signalling and Biologicals & small molecules in drug research. Our research networks help to guarantee the highest international standards for both research and education. However at this point we must stress that the development of drugs is not a primary aim of FIRST. Rather, FIRST provides a platform for the education of PhD students who will later establish careers in drug research and development, both in academia and industry. The integration of pharmaceutical companies within the FIRST programme highlights the interest of non-academic institutions in this education concept.
FIRST - Mission & Academic Aims
FIRST - Mission & Academic Aims
FIRST is devoted to the interdisciplinary research training of outstanding PhD students in translational biomedicine with a focus on drug research, development and safety. Despite much progress in basic research, the translation of these findings into therapeutic advances for any type of disease is slow. The interaction of the pharmaceutical industry and academia including university hospitals is required to combat insufficient patient-oriented research and inadequate technology transfer. The knowledge in translational biomedicine is essential for the future realization of the full potential of new discoveries made at the level of basic science by ensuring rapid transfer into clinical studies.
Given the overwhelming volume and complexity of current scientific knowledge, FIRST does not attempt to provide postgraduate education in all the of the natural and medical sciences simulteaneously. Rather, FIRST concentrates on translational biomedicine and the interdisciplinary training of postgraduate students. Such programmes are essential for the future realisation of the full potential of new discoveries made that the level of basic science by ensuring rapid transferral into clinical studies.
