Website of the Biotechnology Center of the TU Dresden

Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the TU Dresden

The Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the Technische Universität Dresden is a unique interdisciplinary center focusing on research and teaching in molecular bio-engineering. The BIOTEC hosts top international research groups working on genomics, proteomics, biophysics, cellular machines, molecular genetics, tissue engineering, and bioinformatics. 

At the moment, there are five professors and seven junior research groups with internationally renowned scientists working at the BIOTEC:

• Developmental Genetics (Prof. Dr. Michael Brand, Germany)

• Cellular Machines, (Prof. Dr. Jochen Guck, Germany)

• Proteomics, (Prof. Dr. Bernard Hoflack, France)

• Bioinformatics, (Prof. Dr. Michael Schroeder, Germany)

• Genomics, (Prof. Dr. Francis Stewart, Australia)

• Genetic Engineering of Stem Cells (Dr. Konstantinos Anastassiadis, Greece)

• Cellular Networks & Systems Biology (Dr. Andreas Beyer, Germany)

• Tissue Engineering, ( Dr. Denis Corbeil, Canada)

• Proteolysis in Cell Fate Decisions (Dr. Jörg Mansfeld, Germany)
  

• Structural Bioinformatics, (Dr. Maria Teresa Pisabarro, Spain)

• Nanomechanics, (Dr. Erik Schäffer, Germany)

• DNA Motors (Dr. Ralf Seidel, Germany)

The BIOTEC has about 230 members from over 35 countries, including Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. These researchers have diverse backgrounds, covering biology, medicine, physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering. The BIOTEC offers excellent lab facilities and infrastructure, as well as close links to companies residing in the same building. Located right next to the BIOTEC is the research building of the DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) / Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden. The Center for Molecular Bioengineering B CUBE (ZIK B CUBE), is also located close-by. Contact with the nearby Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and the TU faculties are also maintained by the BIOTEC. Faculty members of the BIOTEC teach in the Dresden International School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering for PhD students (DIGS-BB), in two international Masters Courses in Molecular Bioengineering and Nanobiophysics, and in different TU Dresden disciplines involving biology, physics and chemistry.

The center was founded in 2000 as a central scientific unit of the Technische Universität Dresden. The BIOTEC is  an essential part of implementing the Biotechnology Initiative of the Free State of Saxony within the TU Dresden. The main goal in establishing and developing this center was to link the revolutionary change within molecular and cell biology to Dresden's traditionally strong background in engineering. Dresden's aspired innovation advantages as a location for developing state-of-the-art biotechnology are already visible in some parts. The BIOTEC plays a central role in the  "Molecular Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine" profile of the TU Dresden, fostering developments in the new field of Biotechnology/Biomedicine.

The technology platform of the BIOTEC is at the heart of the center and is a central tool for implementing efficient technology transfer. The allocation of modern devices, technologies, and services, both for research groups and collaborators, is an important prerequisite for achieving this goal. Hence, the main purpose of the technology platform is not to generate revenue, but rather to increase the efficiency of technology transfer and to improve the utilization of top quality equipment.

The BIOTEC is located within the BioInnovation Center in Dresden, which has provided an atmosphere essential for its development. In accordance with its motto   "Science and Economy under one roof", the BioInnovation Center offers a unique opportunity for knowledge and technology transfer between the research center and start-ups working on biotechnology and related fields of cutting-edge technology.

The fast developing area of Molecular Bioengineering reqires a new generation of scientists, who don't know any interdisciplinary hurdles anymore. The support of young researchers is therefore crucial to the BIOTEC.

The start of the International Masters' program „Molecular Bioengineering“ in the winter term 2002/2003 was a right step in this direction. In the winter term 2007/2008, the International Masters' program "Nanobiophysics" was established and broadened the biotechnological education. Another International Masters' program "Regenerative Biology and Medicine" started together with the DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) / Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden in the winter term 2010 / 2011.

In addition to these Masters' programs, the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB)  offers  together with the International Max-Planck Research School for Molecular Cell Biology and Bioengineering a PhD program for the world-wide best candidates.

Another important step is the setup and development of scientific, independent working,a nd interdisciplinary junior groups that are located in the BIOTEC and are integrated in the research area „Molecular Bioengineering“.

Jochen Guck - Humboldt-Professorship „Cellular machines" (Biophysics) at the Biotechnology Center of the TU Dresden (Film in German)