Genetic Medicine and Medical Biotechnology

The research area of “Genetic Medicine and Medical Biotechnology” at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) links basic research in the natural and engineering sciences at the Essen and Duisburg campuses of the UDE with applied research at University Hospital. This key research area connects and embraces the three main research hubs – the Centre for Medical Biotechnology (German abbreviation: ZMB), the institutes and medical divisions doing research in genetic medicine at University Hospital Essen, and the joint research initiative for “Research in the Biomedical Sciences” (RIBS) – at the UDE. There are strong links between all three hubs. The main research area of Genetic Medicine and Medical Biology offers a platform where the activities of the three hubs intersect and overlap.

ZMB is an interdisciplinary facility of UDE, integrating the field of medicine of University Hospital and the field of natural sciences at the Essen Campus. It aims to uncover the pathological mechanisms on the molecular level and to develop biotechnological methods which might target these processes in order to develop new drugs and exact diagnostics. Therefore, ZMB combines the basic biomedical sciences at the Campus with the applied sciences at University Hospital. Today there are 43 research groups integrated into the ZMB. While the research topics of “tumor biology”, “aging and degenerative diseases”, and “regulation of gene expression by chromatin” constitute the main research areas at the Campus, the key research area of “Genetic Medicine” at University Hospital covers the three core research areas of “cardiovascular system”, “oncology”, and “transplantation”. The direct linkage of, and collaboration between, the research groups offer a unique opportunity to apply current research results directly to clinical research studies across a broad spectrum ranging up to and including clinical trials.
Since 2005 the alliance between the Campus and University Hospital has been bolstered by the area of “scientific-technical solutions for medicine” (RIBS). Scientists from the natural sciences (chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics), engineering (electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science) and medicine are working on interdisciplinary solutions and concepts for the fields of biomechanics, biocompatible materials, sensor technology, medical imaging and drug delivery. In the future there will be a new emphasis on home care for patients. The fusion of the different potentials and skills is promoted by joint workshops and by the development of a web-based communication platform. Joint project proposals are drawn up and funding is obtained from outside sources on this basis.

The establishment of a research training group (Graduiertenkolleg) on “Transcription, Chromatin Structure and DNA Repair in Development and Differentiation” in 2006 created new opportunities for the best students to top off a first-class education with a PhD degree at the UDE.

The unique profile of the ZMB has done its part to entice the Nobel Laureate for chemistry in 1988, Professor Dr. Robert Huber, to become a visiting professor at the Centre. Prof. Huber, an expert in structural biology, participates in research and teaching and gives the ZMB direct advice on crucial decisions.