Medical Genomics Laboratory in Berlin-Buch Officially Opened

05-Jul-2006

In the presence of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, the Laboratory for Medical Genome Research was officially opened on Friday, June 30, 2006 on the Campus Berlin-Buch. The building was erected as a joint undertaking by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and the Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP). In doing so, the two institutions have created the prerequisite for bringing together different approaches in genome research, i.e. the systematic search for disease-related genes and the study of the function of genes and their products, the proteins. This research is crucial for the development of new treatment concepts.

The building, which was designed by the Berlin architect Volker Staab and constructed at a cost of about 19 million euros, was financed with 56 per cent (10.6 million euros) of funds coming from the European Funds for Regional Development (EFRD). The remaining circa 8.4 million euros were provided by the Federal Government of Germany with a grant of 6.5 million euros and the State of Berlin with 1.9 million euros. The building is named after the Russian geneticist Nikolai Wladimirovich Timoféeff-Ressovsky*, who worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in Berlin-Buch from 1930 to 1945. He is considered to be one of the founders of molecular genetics along with Max Delbrück, after whom the MDC was named. Prior to the symbolic handing over of the keys to the Scientific Directors of MDC and FMP, the sculpture of Timoféeff-Ressovsky, created by the Berlin sculptor Stefan Kaehne in 2006, was unveiled in front of the building. During the festivities, the MDC and the FMP also celebrated the 75th anniversary of medical-biological research in Berlin-Buch. The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin-Buch was officially opened on June 2, 1931 in the presence of Max Planck.

Prof. Walter Birchmeier, the MDC's Scientific Director, honoured the huge contributions of the Federal Government, the Land of Berlin, and the European Union made to for the Berlin-Buch Campus. "They have invested into this Campus about 237 Million Euros", he pointed out. "This has made it possible to transform this Campus into a highly modern, internationally competitive research place, as we can see today with the new Laboratory for Medical Genome Research".

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