2 new DFG research units at the University of Freiburg

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has set up eight new research units. Two of them are at the University of Freiburg, one of them with BIOSS.

Improving understanding of bladder cancer

The research unit “UcarE – Urothelial Carcinoma Epigenetics” aims to investigate the biological mechanisms that underlie bladder cancer. The unit’s spokesman is Prof Dr Ian Frew of the Faculty of Medicine and the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies of the University of Freiburg. Seven groups in all are taking part in this project. They are researching at the University of Freiburg, RWTH Aachen University and the University of Tübingen. Among other things, the unit’s members would like to set up a biobank that gathers and holds three-dimensional cell cultures of tumours and data from molecular and genetic analyses of them. Using these as a foundation, therapies will be developed that are personally tailored to individual bladder cancer patients.

DFG research units enable scientists to dedicate themselves to current and pressing questions in their area of expertise and allow them to establish innovative approaches to their work. The units can receive financial support for up to eight years. The DFG is currently supporting 190 research units, 12 clinical research units, and 19 centres for advanced studies in humanities and social sciences. The eight new units are receiving a total of around 35.5 million euros.