Strengthening of health research in the Rhine-Main area

Application regarding two national centres for cardiovascular as well as cancer research evaluated positively

A sponsor programme controlled by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has the objective to create national health centres in several locations that undertake research on and provide diagnostics and therapy at a high scientific and technological level for widespread diseases. The proposals of Goethe University, Frankfurt, together with the University of Mainz and other research institutes were evaluated positively: a German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research and a German Centre for Cardiovascular Research.

FRANKFURT (Germany). Together with the University of Mainz and other research institutes, Goethe University competed for the sponsoring of two national centres for health research. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research announced that both proposals were evaluated positively: a German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research and a German Centre for Cardiovascular Research. Both are intended to be located at the Goethe University Hospital. The research team led by Prof Hubert Serve and Prof Simone Fulda (cancer research) as well as Prof Andreas Zeiher (cardiovascular research) is now required to combine their application with six other centres respectively to form a consortia application. The final decision with regard to the sponsoring will be made in February 2011. It is the objective of the sponsor programme controlled by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to create national health centres in several locations that undertake research on and provide diagnostics and therapy at a high scientific and technological level for widespread diseases, such as cardiac infarction or infections. In the so-called translational approach, fundamental research and clinical medicine are to be combined for the patients’ wellbeing. National health centres for neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes have already commenced their work.

German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research

“In the past years, great progress has been made in the field of oncology with regard to fundamental research. With this application, we want to make use of this knowledge for our patients with new medications,” declared Prof Hubert Serve, Director of the University Cancer Center (UCT). Cancer research is one of Goethe University's most important strategic priorities. The university hospital is based on a developed tradition in the field of cancer research, which is also demonstrated by a large number of currently supported third-party funded projects, amongst which are the following projects: “Onkogene Signaltransduktion Frankfurt” (Oncogene signal transduction Frankfurt) and the “Zentrum für Zell- und Gentherapie” (Centre for cell and gene therapy), both of which are supported by the German federal state of Hesse as part of the LOEWE initiative, two cancer research consortia supported by the Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid), one consortium supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as well as a researcher network supported by the European Union. The currently evaluated Consortium for Translational Cancer Research unites the expertise of the UCT and the Medicine, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy departments of Goethe University with that of the Georg-Speyer-Haus, the Nordwest-Krankenhaus Frankfurt and the University of Mainz. “Innovative cancer therapy assumes that cancer is caused by a number of molecular disorders. Thanks to ever-increasing knowledge about molecular signatures, tumours, which had been viewed as being the same, can now be divided into subgroups,” explains Prof Simone Fulda, Director of the Institute of Experimental Tumour Research in Paediatrics: “This affects the diagnosis as well as the development of clinical studies, in which the number of patients with genetically identical tumours is becoming smaller.” In addition, it is imperative to differentiate between the molecular variations, which promote uncontrolled cell proliferation, and those that play solely an accompanying role. This leads to two challenges in the undertaking of clinical studies, i.e. to identify clinically relevant and susceptible structures (biomarkers) in the cancer tissue and to find a sufficient number of patients with the same characteristics. This procedure requires clinicians and fundamental researchers to cooperate in networks.

German Centre for Cardiovascular Research

Globally, an increasing number of people is affected by cardiovascular diseases. Health care systems are confronted with increasing costs, which are caused by heart failure after infarction or peripheral arterial diseases for example. Goethe University, the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research and the Kerckhoff-Klinik in Bad Nauheim, as well as the University of Mainz now want to perform research in the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (now approved) on how such diseases come into being. They want to decipher the transfer of signals in the vascular system, find out the role of epigenetic factors and gain insight into the body’s repair system. The objective is to identify molecular target points for diagnosis and therapy.

“We are sure that this approach will make way for personalised therapy in the field of vascular diseases. That is one of the greatest challenges for the medical field of the future,” stated Prof Andreas Zeiher, Director of Cardiology at Goethe University. At the same time, biomarkers need to be identified, which will aid in the prognosis of risks. In order to improve the imaging procedures, target molecules are searched for that enable clinicians to make clinically significant structures visible. The translational concept also includes results being checked via new diagnostic and therapeutic target structures in clinical studies.

geändert am 10. November 2010  E-Mail: webmasterpresse@uni-frankfurt.de