The University of Tübingen and the University Hospital (Universitätsklinikum, UKT) have taken great efforts to promote interdisciplinary stem cell-related research. This is visible, for instance, in three research institutes that have been founded and are managed by joined efforts by the University, Medical Faculty, Faculty of Sciences and University Hospital together: Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie, Interfakultäres Institut für Biochemie, und Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin. Strong co-operations in systems biology and bioinformatics are facilitated by the Quantitative Biology Centre (QBiC; www.qbic.uni-tuebingen.de/), a core facility of the University, the UKT and the Max-Planck-Institutes. The QBiC provides knowledge and services in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Regenerative Medicine, Novel Surgical Technologies, and Imaging are key aspects at UKT and part of the research platform 1 “personalized medicine” and research platform 2 “medical technology”. The motto of the Initiative for Excellence in Tübingen is “Research – Relevance – Responsibility” and all three topics are supported by SCeNT.
Qualification of the University of Tübingen
Core research topics at Tübingen University related to SCeNT cover neuroscience and infectious diseases, cell biochemistry and pharmacogenomics. The Hertie-Institut für Klinische Hirnforschung (HIH; www.hih-tuebingen.de) is a very active nucleus for neurological research, diagnosis and therapy of patients, and for training of physicians. The HIH is part of the Excellence Cluster Zentrum für Integrative Neurowissenschaften (CIN; www.cin.uni-tuebingen.de) and founding member of the Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE). Several investigators of our applied RTG are HIH members. SCeNT will be complemented by several enterprises including SFB 685: Immunotherapy: Molecular Basis and Clinical Application, FOR 2314: Therapeutic Windows in Tumor Therapy, FOR 2060: cGMP signaling, and KFO274: Thrombocytes.
Stem cell research at UKT is embedded in the research platform 2 “medical technology”. The environs of Tübingen are an international hot-spot for research and development in different medical technologies. This has facilitated co-operations between the enterprises of health industry and research groups at the UKT. Translational research is a focus of the Naturwissenschaftliches und Medizinisches Institut (NMI; www.nmi.de/en/). It took lead or participated in several major grants provided by the BMBF dealing with cellular therapy, stem cells research and tissue engineering (BioProfile, ReGiNA). The UKT and some of the SCeNT PIs are also members of the recent BioHyMed consortium of the BMWi in the ZIM program (BioRegio STERN).
Supported by the State of Baden-Württemberg the Universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen have founded the Center for Medical Technology (IZST) offering a bachelor and master program. The IZST reinforces the collaboration between academia and the health industry, assists in acquisition of grants and projects, and enables students to gain experience by internships in companies (Inter-University Center for Medical Technologies Stuttgart – Tübingen). The Fraunhofer Institutes in Stuttgart take part in these enterprises. Across the different departments and disciplines involved in this proposal, SCeNT will on one hand benefit from the structures and organizations mentioned above (HIH, CIN, DZNE, QBiC, SFBs, FORs and KFOs etc.) and at the same time extend specifically their research programs by promoting the stem cell box as a common tool for further research in different biomedical areas. It is evident from the QBiC in Tübingen that a technological hub will not only inspire academia and interdisciplinary research at the University, UKT and their associated enterprises (e.g., NMI). SCeNT is a truly interdisciplinary institution and offers a wide spectrum of research opportunities. Therefore, it will also be very attractive to gather gifted and eager students in Tübingen, facilitate new co-operations with the two universities in Stuttgart, as well as the universities for applied research in the region (e.g., Esslingen, Villingen-Schwenningen) offering classes in different but very related fields. Moreover, the health industry and companies involved in medical technology will benefit from the knowledge provided by the stem cell tool box as SCeNT will significantly strengthen basic and applied research in the neurosciences, regenerative medicine and therapeutic approaches, as well as in bioinformatics and systems biology.