Tandem Projects
To facilitate the transfer of basic findings from the biomedical field to clinical practice, the Max Planck Society has decided to provide additional funds in the years to come in these research areas to cover post doc grants, junior research groups and tandem projects. The ultimate goal is to support the cooperation between basic research stemming from Max Planck Institutes and external clinics specializing in patient oriented research.
Molecular activities in liver regeneration: bridging the scales between molecular dynamics and collective cell behavior
Duration: 2011-2013
Applicant: MPI for molecular Physiology (Dortmund)
Clinical partner: Medical Clinic of the Heinrich Heine University (Düsseldorf)
The latest research findings indicate that the hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in the liver have stem-cell properties and thus display a high potential for differentiation. Accordingly, they also play an important role in liver regeneration. A tandem project being carried out by the clinical research unit of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (Dortmund) in cooperation with the Medizinische Klinik of the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, aims to further pursue these insights and study the associated signalling activities directly in the regenerating liver tissue using innovative microscopy methods. The project aims to gain insights, in particular, into how signalling activities control the cellular phenotype in tissue morphogenesis.
The role of fibronectin in bone function duration
Duration: Until 2015
Prof. Fässler (MPI of Biochemistry) / Prof. Meuer und Dr. Nakchbandi (University Clinic Heidelberg)
The connective tissue holds the cells of all organisms together and gives the organs their structure. It also influences the behaviour of the cells that are anchored by it. Fibronectin is an important component of this tissue. This molecule alters the behaviour of the integrins which act as receptors on the surface of the cells and thus influence the functions of surrounding cells. This interaction between connective tissue and cells arises both in healthy tissue and in the context of various diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and liver fibrosis. Together with colleagues from Heidelberg University, Inaam Nakchbandi has already succeeded in proving that – in the absence of fibronectin – cancer spreads more slowly in the body. Moreover, the scientists were able to demonstrate that fibronectin impairs the development of liver fibrosis. This cooperative project between the Max Planck Society and Heidelberg University aims to link basic research with patient-oriented clinical research.
Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in the skin
Duration: 2007-2012
Prof. Fässler (Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry) / Prof. Krieg (University Hospital in Cologne)
The scientists involved in a clinical research project being carried out by the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry (Martinsried) and the Dermatological Clinic of University Hospital of Cologne, are investigating the intracellular paths that control the cell-cell and cell-cell matrix adhesion in normal tissue homeostasis and in the case of disease. The skin is used as a model system because, as a self-regenerating tissue, it displays dynamic changes both in cell-cell and cell-cell matrix adhesion and changes in the cell adhesion dynamic for numerous skin diseases, including human skin disorders.
Generation of a biological pace maker by genetically modified mesenchymal stroma cells
Duration: 2009-2012
Prof. Seeburg (MPI for Medical Research),
Clinical partner: Prof. Katus (University Clinic Heidelberg)
Under the heading of “Biological Pacemaker”, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (Heidelberg) and the Department of Internal Medicine of the Universitätsklinik Heidelberg (Krehl-Klinik) are pooling their expertise in a project involving clinical-patient-oriented research, molecular electrophysiology and stem cell research. The aim of this cooperative project is to develop a biological pacemaker using new experimental approaches. It is intended to regenerate the pacemaker function by using cellular cardiomyoplasty to enable the biological pacemaker to replace lost pacemaker cells.
