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Sunset at the North Campus © Roland Baege​/​TU Dortmund
EXPANSION OF THE DRUG DELIVERY INNOVATION CENTER (DDIC)

More Space for Research in Pharmaceutical Technology

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Six people are standing with spades in their hands behind a small pile of heaped up earth. © INVITE GmbH
Spade at the ready to kick off the expansion of the Drug Delivery Innovation Center: (from left to right) Tonia Tonnes (INVITE), Werner Hoheisel (INVITE), Gerhard Schembecker (TU Dortmund University), Olaf Queckenberg (Bayer), Armin Knors (Bayer) and Ildikó Terebesi (INVITE).
In late 2017, TU Dortmund University joined forces with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the German companies Bayer AG, LB Bohle GmbH and Merck KGaA, as well as UCB S.A. from Belgium to found the Drug Delivery Innovation Center (DDIC). Since then, representatives from the world of science and industry have been working together in this open consortium to develop advanced manufacturing processes and delivery forms for state-of-the-art drugs. Now an expansion is set to create even more space for laboratories. Prof. Gerhard Schembecker from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at TU Dortmund University attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Leverkusen on 10 September.

“For three and a half years, the DDIC has been pooling research efforts in pharmaceutical technology and combining the skills of various key players,” says Prof. Gerhard Schembecker. “The expansion of our premises is a visible sign of the collaboration’s exceptional success and the network’s steady growth. The new building opens up unique opportunities for us as researchers to validate our ideas under real-life conditions and thus bring them one step closer to industrial application.” The expansion is being built at the INVITE research center on the Chempark site in Leverkusen, where the DDIC is based. It will cost around six million euros and create a further 1,200 square meters of laboratory and office space, which will allow for 25 additional workstations. Some of the new laboratories will be equipped for processing highly potent active ingredients up to a maximum concentration of OEL 4. The expansion is set be completed and the laboratories ready for operation by early 2023. The EU is funding the construction of this research infrastructure expansion with resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The DDIC is a precompetitive consortium that aims to advance the pharmaceutical sciences in the field of drug delivery along the entire value chain and promote multidisciplinary research networks. That is why additive and plant manufacturers are also integrated into the network alongside pharmaceutical companies. It is managed by INVITE GmbH, a public-private partnership between TU Dortmund University, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and Bayer AG. In addition to future-oriented research, the DDIC is also committed to promoting young scientists.

Fundamental research at TU Dortmund University

The Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at TU Dortmund University is heavily involved in the DDIC. Since modern pharmaceuticals often contain substances that are not easily soluble, the department can lay valuable groundwork for new production and delivery forms. It can also contribute its expertise in the field of production technology for pharmaceuticals. In addition to Prof. Gerhard Schembecker, Prof. Gabriele Sadowski, Dr. Christoph Brandenbusch and Prof. Markus Thommes (chairman of the scientific advisory board of the DDIC) also play a key role. The DDIC is the perfect complement to the diverse range of existing research institutes dedicated to drug discovery at TU Dortmund University – the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV, the Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), the Center for Integrated Drug Research (ZIW), and the affiliated Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (MPI).

Drug Delivery Innovation Center (DDIC)

 

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