Eleven million euros for the Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund
- Research
The project has a total volume of eleven million euros over three years. It is funded by the state of NRW and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the NRW Research Infrastructures program. Through a synergistic infrastructure, the DDHD aims to bridge the critical innovation gap between basic academic research and industrial application. Since the process of drug development is extremely complex, an interdisciplinary cooperation of a multitude of scientific disciplines is necessary. The eight partners form a unique network in Dortmund.
The DDHD acts as an incubator for drug discovery research projects from all over NRW. In cooperation with the collecting society PROvendis, the results of the excellent drug research in the state are to be increasingly transferred into economic projects. Discoveries from basic academic research are to be successively developed into industry-ready lead structures. In concrete terms, innovative lead structures for drugs are to be optimized in such a way that they meet the high standards of the pharmaceutical industry in all areas. The molecular lead structures will be led back into research in order to be investigated in in-depth studies. If successful, the products will then be accepted by the pharmaceutical industry and developed to market maturity. Alternatively, individual projects can also be transferred to spin-offs and further developed there. The lead substances for the optimization of drugs come from universities and academic institutions throughout NRW.
Important contribution to strengthening Dortmund as a biotechnology location
“We are very pleased about this funding, which will enable us to build up a unique infrastructure and implement innovative projects,” said Professor Daniel Rauh, coordinator of the DDHD and Professor of Chemical Biology and Medical Chemistry at TU Dortmund University. “As an integrative initiative, the DDHD stands for the scientific competence field ‘Biomedicine and Drug Research’ of the Dortmund Master Plan Science. It makes an important contribution to strengthening Dortmund as a biotechnology location and North Rhine-Westphalia as a location for innovation. Together with complementary projects such as the ‘Medical Chemistry in Dortmund’ project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the DDHD underlines the nationwide importance of Dortmund as a location for early drug research.”
“The DDHD initiative will further strengthen the translational activities in Dortmund and the pioneering role of the location in early drug research,” added Dr. Bert Klebl, scientific director and managing director of the LDC. “We see the grant as confirmation and support for interdisciplinary cooperation between the various academic and industrial partners on site and in the state of NRW”.
Contact for inquieries:
Prof. Daniel Rauh
Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry
Phone: 0231-755 7080