{"id":30139,"date":"2018-07-10T17:56:20","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T15:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de\/?p=30139"},"modified":"2023-02-22T19:58:07","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T18:58:07","slug":"goethe-university-awarded-funds-for-new-cancer-research-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de\/en\/english\/goethe-university-awarded-funds-for-new-cancer-research-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Goethe University awarded funds for new cancer research institute"},"content":{"rendered":"

National and regional governments pledge total of around \u20ac 97 million for LOEWE Centre \u201cFrankfurt Cancer Institute\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goethe University has a new LOEWE Centre under its belt \u2013 together with its own research building that is planned for completion by 2023. As announced on 29 June, a good \u20ac 73.4 million are being made available for this purpose; the decision followed a recommendation by the German Council of Science and Humanities in April 2018. Hessen\u2019s State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts had officially announced just the day before that the Frankfurt Cancer Institute would be integrated as a LOEWE Centre in the state\u2019s scientific support programme. Around \u20ac 23.6 million in regional funding are available for operating costs in the first phase from 2019 to 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOEWE Centre \u201cFrankfurt Cancer Institute\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, it is possible to completely decode cancer genes within just a few days. However, to be able to forecast how well a patient will respond to treatment, genetic data are only useful to a limited degree because for this it is necessary to know the effect of mutations within the tumour cell and in turn what impact this will have on the surrounding tissue and the immune system. Exploring this complex process is the task of the LOEWE Centre \u201cFrankfurt Cancer Institute\u201d (LOEWE FCI), where basic researchers and clinicians will work closely together in interdisciplinary teams. Partners from the pharmaceutical industry are also involved. Particularly gratifying is the news that the Frankfurt Cancer Institute will receive a new building on Niederrad Campus paid for by the national government: \u20ac 73.4 million have now been approved. According to a press release by Hessen\u2019s State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, the national and regional governments are each contributing 50 % towards \u20ac 52.1 million of this sum; German Cancer Aid will donate \u20ac 20 million towards building costs and additional funds will come from other partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe two grants mean tremendous progress for university medicine in Frankfurt, especially for oncology. Translational cancer research at Goethe University has seen a very positive development in the last ten years. These efforts are now being rewarded by Hessen\u2019s state government and German Cancer Aid in the shape of the new LOEWE Centre and the new research building, for which we\u2019re very grateful. It raises our work to a new level,\u201d says Professor Florian Greten, Director of the Georg Speyer Haus and professor for tumour biology at the Faculty of Medicine of Goethe University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from Goethe University, also participating in the project are the Georg Speyer Haus (GSH), the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) and the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongratulations to our researchers on Niederrad Campus, who following the approval of the LOEWE jurors have now also been given the green light for their new building by the Joint Science Conference of the state ministry responsible here in Hessen and the federal government in Berlin,\u201d says Professor Birgitta Wolff, President of Goethe University. She is very pleased about the double success. \u201cThe Frankfurt Cancer Institute will perform a task that is very important for the future. It will contribute not only to our scientific understanding of cancer but also to its more targeted treatment. This requires staying power and an opportunity to bring together the corresponding disciplines on a long-term basis. We\u2019re very grateful to the national and regional governments for enabling us to establish the necessary framework. The funds for our own new research building are an important milestone that will give cancer research here in Frankfurt a tremendous boost. I\u2019m very happy that Hessen\u2019s state government initiated the LOEWE programme: It\u2019s an indispensable instrument for developing large-scale research programmes at our region\u2019s universities and keeping them running over a long period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding applications with good prospects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the positive evaluation of their preliminary proposals, a further three projects were invited to submit full proposals in the 12th round of funding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n