Helmholtz Initiative on Systems Biology
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The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres is launching an initiative on systems biology; the project will receive up to 24 million euros from the Initiative and Networking Fund until 2011.
The initiative will create a network comprising Helmholtz Centres, universities and other external partners, who will invest similar sums from their own funds. The long-term goal of the initiative is to shed light on the causes of complex disorders and diseases and develop new approaches for treating them.
The inter-institutional and interdisciplinary initiative aims to elucidate cellular processes systemically to provide a better understanding of how, for example, cancer or diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems develop.
"As it involves close cooperation with universities, the initiative will strengthen the position of systems biology not only within the Helmholtz Association, but also in Germany as a whole. Over the long term, the results will benefit the diagnosis, prevention and therapy of many widespread diseases", says the Helmholtz Association's President, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek.
Systems biology is a fairly young discipline that seeks to understand biological processes in their entirety. "The aim is to build a comprehensive picture of the processes on all levels, from genome to proteome, from organelles to the total organism", explains Prof. Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler, Helmholtz Vice-President for Health and Chairman of the Management Board and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ). Systems biology largely relies on mathematical models and computer simulations to gain insight into biological processes.
The initiative plans to support research on a wide range of specific topics. Focuses include:
- Signal transmission processes in cancer cells
- The molecular bases of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases
- The influence of toxins on cell metabolism
- The role of non-coding RNA in regulatory networks
- Neuronal structure and function in the brain; modelling of brain functions
The network will provide training opportunities for young scientists and technology platforms for all participating partners. Prof. Dr. Roland Eils, head of the Theoretical Bioinformatics Division at the DKFZ, will head the initiative, which will include the following Helmholtz Centres in addition to university and other partners: the German Cancer Research Centre, the GSF - National Research Centre for Environment and Health, the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, Research Centre Julich, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ.
The systems biology initiative is one of the measures adopted by the Helmholtz Association within the scope of the Pact for Research and Innovation to promote excellence in research and increase networking with universities.
