Project Details
Projekt
GRK 1104: From Cells to Organs: Molecular Mechanisms of Organogenesis
Subject Area
Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
Term
from 2005 to 2014
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 455540
Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control development of cells into organs is one of the key challenges of modern biomedical science, and is an essential requirement for the future application of stem cells for tissue regeneration. In the Research Training Group, basic scientists from the Biology Department of the University of Freiburg, from the Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology and from the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (IGBMC) in Strasbourg have joint forces with biomedical scientists from the Preclinical and Clinical Departments of the Freiburg University Hospital to establish a joint research programme on organogenesis and to create an innovative training programme for graduate students interested in that field.
The research programme aims at contributing to a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling specification of organ precursors and the control of organ specific morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Since intercellular communication is of key importance for all aspects and stages of organogenesis, an important focus of the programme is the investigation of signalling mechanisms and networks, and the identification and characterisation of their transcriptional target genes. Towards these aims a large spectrum of methods and approaches are used including molecular biology and all main techniques of modern developmental biology such as genetic approaches in Zebrafish, mouse and the worm C. elegans, organ culture and tissue engineering methods, modern 4D -imaging techniques and fluorescence microscopy, genomics, gene expression analysis, histological and biochemical methods and bioinformatics and systems biology. For these studies mouse, chicken, Zebrafish, the frog Xenopus and the worm C. elegans serve as animal models.
The Research Training Group offers doctoral students intensive mentoring and supervision and a broad and up to date training programme in methods and concepts of modern biomedical research. It is designed to promote their independence, and aims at an early integration of graduate students into the international scientific community. To achieve these goals students are supervised by interdisciplinary Thesis advisory committees , and participate in lecture courses, a regular graduate seminar, practical workshops, an invited seminar speaker programme, and retreats. In addition, students are encouraged to attend scientific meetings and to visit collaborating labs, and are expected to actively participate in the planning and design of their research projects and the study programme.
The research programme aims at contributing to a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling specification of organ precursors and the control of organ specific morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Since intercellular communication is of key importance for all aspects and stages of organogenesis, an important focus of the programme is the investigation of signalling mechanisms and networks, and the identification and characterisation of their transcriptional target genes. Towards these aims a large spectrum of methods and approaches are used including molecular biology and all main techniques of modern developmental biology such as genetic approaches in Zebrafish, mouse and the worm C. elegans, organ culture and tissue engineering methods, modern 4D -imaging techniques and fluorescence microscopy, genomics, gene expression analysis, histological and biochemical methods and bioinformatics and systems biology. For these studies mouse, chicken, Zebrafish, the frog Xenopus and the worm C. elegans serve as animal models.
The Research Training Group offers doctoral students intensive mentoring and supervision and a broad and up to date training programme in methods and concepts of modern biomedical research. It is designed to promote their independence, and aims at an early integration of graduate students into the international scientific community. To achieve these goals students are supervised by interdisciplinary Thesis advisory committees , and participate in lecture courses, a regular graduate seminar, practical workshops, an invited seminar speaker programme, and retreats. In addition, students are encouraged to attend scientific meetings and to visit collaborating labs, and are expected to actively participate in the planning and design of their research projects and the study programme.
DFG Programme
Research Training Groups
Applicant Institution
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Spokesperson
Professorin Dr. Annette Neubüser
