Patients Benefit from Germany’s Unique Research Structures
Federal Research Minister Dr. Annette Schavan officially presents the six German Centers for Health Research. The new structures are to create optimum conditions for combating the most common diseases. The German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research is fully committed to the battle against cancer.
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“A core task of cancer research is to constantly examine the findings of basic research in order to discover new approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer,” says Professor Otmar D. Wiestler, Spokesman of the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) and Chairman of the Management Board of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. The more than 160 eminent scientists and their teams working at the eight DKTK sites in future will be fully committed to this “translational” mindset.
Dr. Annette Schavan, Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research, officially presented all the new German Centers for Health Research (DZG) in Berlin earlier today. “We’re writing a new chapter in health research for the benefit of patients in Germany,” said Schavan. The Centers will create optimum conditions for research into the most common diseases such as diabetes, infectious diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease. “The Centers are the core of the Federal Government’s new ‘Health Research Framework Program’,” the Minister said.
“It all hinges on close cooperation between the players,” said Schavan, explaining that high-level cooperation would make the findings of research available to patients faster than before. “Smooth transfer from bench to bedside requires close cooperation,” she said. The Centers for Health Research will help break down the barriers between preclinical and clinical research so that “disciplinary and institutional boundaries will no longer play a role.” The Centers will contribute to closer integration of university and non-university research, without restricting freedom of research at the various institutions.
Two German Centers for Health Research, namely the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), have been in operation since 2009. Now four new Centers are being opened: the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), and the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK).
The Centers will bring together the best research scientists from more than 120 university and non-university research institutions at 39 locations. What typifies these Centers is the practical relevance of their work, including the close involvement of industry. The German Centers for Health Research have already attracted significant international attention. “The Centers in this form are unique and have the potential to catapult Germany to the vanguard of health research in Europe and perhaps even worldwide,” said Schavan.
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research will channel about 700 million euros into the establishment of the German Centers for Health Research by 2015. “Improved disease prevention and treatment not only increase the patients’ quality of life and life expectancy; in the long run, they can also ease the financial burden on individual patients and on the healthcare system as a whole,” the Minister said.
Further information on the German Centers for Health Research can be found under http://www.bmbf.de/de/gesundheitszentren.php
The German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK)
Successful cancer research would be inconceivable without an intensive exchange of views across disciplinary boundaries. That is why it is often conducted at large centers, which in the USA can have upwards of 10,000 employees. The German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research follows the lead of such large-scale research centers, though without abandoning the federal structures of research in Germany. Its twenty institutions will work together at partnering eight sites.
Seven programs to combat cancer
“A core task of cancer research is to constantly examine the findings of basic research in order to discover new approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer," says Professor Otmar D. Wiestler, Spokesman of the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) and Chairman of the Management Board of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. The more than 160 eminent scientists and their teams working at the eight DKTK sites in future will be fully committed to this “translational” mindset.
To energize this commitment, seven translational research programs involving several sites at once have been defined: Signaling Pathways of Carcinogenesis, the Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer, Tumor Immunology, Stem Cells and Cancer, Imaging and Radiation Therapy, Therapy Resistance, and Cancer Prevention and Early Detection.
Joint platforms pool resources
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The existence of several research platforms will facilitate cooperation across sites and programs. “One of the DKTK’s paramount objectives,” says Wiestler, “is to generate a permanent flow of projects from basic research into clinical trials.” The exchange of information will be facilitated by a Clinical Communication Platform. This will serve to recruit patients for large-scale clinical trials along with the development of a biobank and a clinical cancer registry. But it will also act as an information hub for cancer research. The Platform will thus prevent double-tracking in the research projects.
There will also be platforms of a more technical nature to harmonize methods that have to be used at all the Centers. This will enhance the comparability of the data obtained in the DKTK. Furthermore, the DKTK will draft joint policies that will enable scientists at all sites to use methods that are not available everywhere. These include equipment for the production of antibodies, high-throughput genome screening technologies, and large IT centers for bioinformatics.
What kind of research will the DKTK do?
-Diagnostics:
The DKTK will develop instruments to establish complete DNA sequencing as a basic investigative procedure, starting with patients with brain, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. This will enable researchers to analyze which signaling pathways in the tissue of each individual patient are disrupted, which in turn will enable them to select targeted therapy options.
-Radiotherapy:
Proton and heavy-ion therapy is a new radiotherapeutic approach to cancer treatment that has recently become available in Germany. “This approach has certain properties that differ fundamentally from the photon radiation used in the past,” says Wiestler, explaining that the new method will be systematically evaluated in the DKTK, because “we aim to be the world leader in this field.”
-Tumor stem cells:
In many types of cancer, relapses can occur even years after the initial disease. One reason for this is the existence of tumor stem cells which survive the initial therapy and remain dormant in the body. DKTK researchers have made these tumor stem cells their object of study. Using leukemia as an example, they are seeking ways of “waking up” the dormant tumor stem cells to make them more susceptible to therapy.
-Immunotherapy:
The body’s immune system not only serves to ward off infections, but in principle can also prevent the spread of cancer. In order to activate the immune system to combat cancer, scientists are experimenting with tumor vaccinations that trigger a specific immune response to the tumor. One approach being evaluated by the DKTK is a T-cell vaccination for use in renal cancer.
-Prevention:
One of the main focuses of cancer prevention is motivating people to make greater use of screening examinations than they have done in the past. One approach being used in the prevention of colorectal cancer involves directly addressing people who are known to be particularly at risk.
Attractive prospects for young scientists
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Cancer research can only be successful if various disciplines act in concert. Training the next generation of scientists is therefore a task of the utmost importance. “What is especially crucial,” says Wiestler, “is to attract young physicians with clinical experience to work in cancer research.” With this group of young scientists in mind, the DKTK plans to establish a School of Oncology. Meanwhile, efforts are being stepped up to attract more researchers with a background in the natural sciences to translational research, including through the establishment of a scholarship scheme.