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The structure of the center
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Overview
Biotechnology in Saxony
The Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine is an internationally
competitive center which promotes research and development
as well as teaching and advanced training in the areas Protein
Engineering & Bioanalytics, Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics
as well as Biomedical and Cell Engineering. Platform technologies
and methods in biotechnology, biomedicine and nanotechnology
are offered as services for academic institutions and industry.
Here, the BBZ strengthens and supports collaborations between
institutional and university research teams but also forms
a unique interface between academia and industry in Europe.
With expertise and competence, innovations are transferred
to industrial utilization. With a focus on red biotechnology
and following the motive “From the molecule to the patient”
the BBZ developes and offers chemical compounds, proteins
and other biomolecules, cells as well as tissues as instruments
and products for a wide variety of biotechnological and biomedical
applications. To this end, novel analytical methods and preparative
procedures are developed. The center collaborates closely
with the University Hospital and the Interdisciplinary Center
for Bioinformatics (IZBI) at the University of Leipzig. A
central office for management and acquisition supports the
networking between science and business. In the BIO CITY LEIPZIG
six academic research groups from the chemical, biological
and medical sciences work under one roof with innovative biotechnological
companies including many startups. 32 life science research
groups in the Leipzig area are currently members of the BBZ. |
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The academic and physical environment in biology,
biochemistry and chemistry has made Leipzig an attractive
place for high-calibre students. Since 1990 the Universität
Leipzig has tried hard to make this area of studies once again
a strong field of the sciences by re-establishing courses
in pharmacy, by expanding biochemistry, by creating a new
professorship in organic chemistry highlighting chemistry
of natural substances and bio-organic chemistry within the
faculty of chemistry and mineralogy. Since 1994 interdisciplinary
sharing of equipment has been undertaken by all the institutes
concerned. The faculty of biosciences, pharmacy and psychology
offers ten different courses of study as majors or minors.
This also includes the teaching methods of the subjects. In
the state of Saxony, biochemistry, pharmacy and teaching methods
in biology are only offered in Leipzig. Apart from the research
topic on the boundary of biochemistry and chemistry, “Molecular
design – development, characterization and testing of
molecules developed for the purpose of clarifying biological
problems”, key subjects within the discipline of biology
are:
Neurobiology
Cooperation with the Max Planck Institute of neuropsychological
research
Evolutionary biology
Cooperation with the Max Planck Institute of evolutionary
anthropology
BioInformatics
Cooperation with computer science and medical informatics
for establishing the Interdisciplinary Center for BioInformatics
(IZBI). |
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The faculty of mathematics and computer science
is pursuing a policy of applying the results of research and
teaching and they have been quite successful in attracting more
students of postgraduate international research calibre. Since
1996 a course of study in medical informatics has been offered,
since the year 2000 an additional course in bioinformatics.
In a Germany-wide competition of the DFG (the central public
funding organization for academic research in Germany) Leipzig
is the only site in Germany to have been awarded to build a
new Center of BioInformatics including a professorship in the
field at the institute of computer science. Further relevant
competence is in the fields of molecular-biological data banks,
image processing and biomathematics (cooperation with the Max
Planck Institute of mathematics in the natural sciences). |
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The faculty of physics and earth science has been
doing outstanding work in the field of magnetic resonance on
solid-phase materials. One of its junior research groups is
going to use the expertise for the structural analysis of immobilized
macromolecules, together with partners from the faculty of medicine.
Other groups are very competent in doing research into biomembrane,
the theoretical modelling of complex systems and the application
of nuclear probes and ionic radiation for biomedical investigation. |
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 Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine |
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A specific research focus on contagious diseases
and preventive medicine oriented on a molecular basis has recently
been developed in the faculty of veterinary medicine. Using
molecular genetic technologies it is possible to develop and
utilize animal disease models for the benefit of mankind. |
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The faculty of medicine has excelled in creating
the only clinical research center (IZKF) in the new German Laender
supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF). Since 1996 researchers have been working here on the
key issues of immunology/rheumatology, endocrinology/vascular
biology and neurosciences. In 1999 the Coordination Center for
Clinical Studies (KKSL) was established as well as the (ZET)
doctors’ network (Center for Therapeutic Studies, a registered
association) connecting more than 500 physicians. Such practice-related
structures for the clinical monitoring of diagnosis and therapeutics
should be highly interesting for biotechnological enterprises. |
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Medically oriented biology is thus going to be
a key feature for the greater Leipzig area, which has traditionally
only had a small number of industrial plants in the field. The
Universität Leipzig is supporting the free state of Saxony
and the city of Leipzig in their joint endeavour by developing
a specific profile of biotechnological competence in research
and teaching. |
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The Leipzig conception of biotechnology and biomedicine
comprises molecular cellular biology and bio-organic chemistry,
biochemistry and bio-analytics. In conjunction with bioinformatics
it is finding new ways of developing inventive processes and
products to be used in medicine in particular. This is made
possible by the structure of a “center” in which
existing high-performance working groups and six newly appointed
professors are closely cooperating to promote a rapid transfer
of knowledge into economic activities to be applied within BIO
CITY LEIPZIG. |
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BIO CITY LEIPZIG is located adjacent to the
former Leipzig trade fair grounds, opposite the Deutsche Bücherei
(the German national deposit library). Apart from housing
the six newly appointed professors and their staff who are
focusing on research into biotechnology and biomedicine, an
area of 15,000 square meters is being offered to biotech companies,
especially to small start-ups at attractive prices and with
a high level of technical equipment. Since ideas for newly
established firms come mainly from basic research, the University
– as the initiator – is offering the best possible
prerequisites for creating new jobs, especially for its own
graduates. By stimulating a scientific research atmosphere,
the Center will contribute to strengthening the Leipzig region
economically. A certain reorganization has taken place within
the faculties, resulting in the establishment of a number
of independent junior research groups that will one day end
up as spin-off companies within the Center. |
