The universities of Giessen, Dresden and Heidelberg co-operate in the SFB/TRR 79 (Collaborative Research Centre / Transregio 79) titled “Materials for tissue regeneration within systemically altered bone”. Furthermore the German Cancer Research Centre (Heidelberg), the Leibniz Institutes for Solid State and Materials Research and for Polymer Research (Dresden) and also the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (Dresden) participate. The overall control is held by the Justus Liebig University (JLU) of Giessen (spokesperson: Univ.-Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. Reinhard Schnettler, director of the clinic and polyclinic for trauma surgery at the JLU.

It is the mission of this interdisciplinary research group to develop, to examine and to test new bone substitute materials and implant materials for systemically altered bones.  In the centre of attention are two diseases, whereby each of them results in a significantly heightened risk of bone fracture. Osteoporosis, which is a widespread bone degeneration disease predominantly occurring with old age, and also multiple myeloma, a malignant tumour disease, which results in localised destruction of bone tissue.

Modern trauma surgery and orthopaedics can indeed avail of a variety of bone substitute materials and also of durable implants. However, those are not attuned to the specific conditions of systemic symptoms, which lead to a significant worsening of bone fracture healing and bone defect healing. Therefore the research group’s mission will be to develop innovative solutions for such forms of bone defects and to explore those solutions in suitable cell culture models and animal models. The project is laid out for 12 years and the results shall be transferred then into clinical applications.

Because of the complexity of the issue this can only be successfully and consistently explored within an interdisciplinary approach of a synergistically operating research group of critical mass (Transregio) while concurrently shaping main emphases. The main areas of activity at the Giessen site will be the development of suitable animal models and the test of the bio-materials which need to be developed from scratch at the site in Dresden. As an exemplary malignant symptom the multiple myeloma will be the field of attention in Heidelberg.

The SFB/TRR 79 organically fit into the three universities’ research emphases and strategic development plans and allows the occupancy of a top position within the international research community and also a translation of the gained knowledge through ongoing implementation of an interdisciplinary focus on materials science. Furthermore the SFB/TRR 79 acts as an ideal instrument to provide up-and-coming scientists a perspective within top level research.

Goal of Collaborative Research Centre / TRR 79