CRTD-Building, main entrance

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The Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at the TU Dresden was founded 1st of January 2006 as research center of the German Research Association (DFG).  As Cluster of Excellence the CRTD was successful in both rounds of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments, the DFG and the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). In the first round the CRTD received as Cluster of Excellence since Nocember 2006 a yearly funding of 6 million Euro. On June 15, 2012, the CRTD was not only confirmed as Cluster of Excellence a seconf time but also for a third funding period as DFG research center.

Both awards confirm the strategy, consistently pursued since Janaury 2006, of a setup and development into a world-wide renowned research institute in biomedicine with excellent international scientists. Not only the 300 employees in hte core institute contributed towards that goal but also the over 90 members from seven different institutions in Dresden that belong to the interdisciplinary network of the CRTD. With the move into a new building, end of 2011, the CRTD has the necessary space where in the future about 400 employees from 35 nations will research, work, and teach.

Goal of the CRTD is to explores the capacity for regeneration of the human body and to develop novel regenerative therapies for so far incurable diseases. As the first German research institute, the CRTD puts adult stem cells into the scientific focus. The research areas concentrate on Hematology/Immunology, Diabetes, Neurodegenerative diseases, and Bone Regeneration. At the moment, there are four professors and nine research group leaders working at the CRTD. Their results from basic research can be fast transfered into clinical application due to the structure of the CRTD. In addition, CRTD professors train young researchers - in the International Master's Program in Regenerative Biology and Medicine“ and in the international PhD programs of the TU Dresden.

In the future five years, the CRTD wants to enhance the research with patient specific stem cells and in doing so standardize projects and processes in research and teaching. The research focus on neudegenerative diseases of the retina, like macular degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa will be expanded. The new funding period also includes the expansion of the technology platform, which is funded by the DFG. The technology platform is available for internal and external users and covers the area of microscopy as well as patient conform cell production, that professionally provides the development, production, and therapeutic application of novel cell and tissue therapies, tissue engineering products as well as their permission according to drug regulations. In that way, preclinical and clinical research groups that work translationally are interconnected and the expertise of different partners with state-of-the-art equipment on the Dresden campus is synergetically linked.

This major project, which is funded with over 40 million Euros will achieve in the coming years major scietific progress in the area of biomedicine and biotechnology and will in that way increase the international reputation of the TU Dresden.

Please watch the video below to get an impression of the CRTD. (source: DFG-Videoportal)

Stem Cell Research as Beacon of Hope

Website des CRTD
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