Research centres

With its Chair in Molecular Cell Therapy and Chair in Cell Techniques and Applied Stem Cell Biology, the Medical Faculty plays an important role in the Centre for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BBZ), whose members also include five other university lecturers and/or heads of research groups from the Medical Faculty or from Leipzig University Hospital. The BBZ is a central scientific unit of Leipzig University; it promotes research networking within the university, and taps into the interdisciplinary synergies which result. Excellent advances have been made in the field of biotechnology in cooperation with the relevant groups of specialists within a life sciences cluster at Leipzig University. Innovative fields which are knowledge and experience-intensive are rated very highly in Leipzig which is a centre of excellence in the field of biotechnology. In addition to the high standard of basic and applied research which is conducted there, it has been possible to establish a development and marketing platform at the BBZ which can compete at international level.

More information you can find on the website of BBZ.

The Helmholtz Institute for Metabolism, Obesity and Vascular Research​ was newly established in 2016 to study the aetiology and treatment options for so-called lifestyle diseases. The new institute will strengthen the key area of interdisciplinary research entitled ‘Civilisation diseases’ at University Medicine Leipzig, and is a joint project of the Helmholtz Centre in Munich (the German Research Centre for Environmental Health), the Medical Faculty of Leipzig University, and Leipzig University Hospital. Following the successful completion of the start-up phase, research activities are to commence at the HI-​MAG in 2020. The institute is funded by the Helmholtz Association and the Free State of Saxony.

Some sixty scientists and doctors at the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre (IFB) are studying morbid obesity and its secondary conditions, and treating affected patients. The range of issues under investigation at IFB AdiposityDiseases extends from research into psychosocial and genetic factors in obesity and the role of hormones, to approaches to the treatment and prevention of obesity in children, the links between dietary intake and brain activity, and surgical treatment options. The centre also studies and treats accompanying conditions such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, adipose tissue disorders, high blood pressure, and fatty liver. Basic and patient-related research and treatment are carried out across different disciplines under one roof, in close collaboration with the University Hospital. This means that new research findings can inform the treatment of obese patients all the sooner. At the same time, patient treatment raises new issues for scientists to explore. The centre receives funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

More information you can find on the website of IFB AdiposityDiseases.

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics is an interfaculty centre at Leipzig University which supports interdisciplinary projects requiring expertise in the fields of bioinformatics and systems biology. It brings together medical practitioners, life scientists and experts who have experience in analysing complex omics data and modelling temporal and spatial phenomena. Consistently with the research profile of Leipzig University, the IZBI focuses on the research areas of genetic evolution, gene regulation, cell and tissue differentiation, and the development of methods to evaluate complex omics data. The overriding goal is to clarify the molecular causes of conditions such as cancer and infections, as well as the way in which environment and lifestyle impact upon health and ageing.

More information you can find on the website of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics.

The Leipzig Research Centre for Civilisation Diseases (LIFE)​ has set out to investigate the causes and early detection of civilisation diseases using the example of the Leipzig population​. So far, around 10,000 adults, over 4,500 children, more than 1,000 pregnant women, and 8,000 people suffering from diseases have been interviewed and examined. As a result, more than one million human samples and 10 million data sets are ready for scientific analysis. Both the breadth of the examination programme and the inclusion of many age and patient groups are unique worldwide. Another important component of the LIFE Research Centre is the evaluation of the data and the storage of these in an extensive research database. The NaKo health study is currently running in parallel. For this, the Leipzig study centre is interviewing and examining 10,000 adults as part of the German-wide project. LIFE is funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) as well as by the Free State of Saxony as part of the State Excellence Initiative.​

The LIFE Child study aims to investigate healthy child development from pregnancy to early adulthood. As part of this study, the question of which factors positively or negatively influence child development is examined. Special attention is paid to modern diseases, which are on the rise worldwide. The risk of these diseases largely depends on the prevailing living conditions. Examples of modern diseases include obesity, allergies, myopia, depression, and hyperactivity.

Since the start of the study in 2011, the LIFE Child team has examined over 4,500 children and more than 1,000 pregnant women. Further information on the study can be found at the LIFE Child website​.​

The Center for Research on Musculoskeletal Systems (ZESBO)​ is a research laboratory that is part of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Traumatology and Plastic Surgery at Leipzig University in direct cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU). Within the framework of medical research, the ZESBO is responsible for the acquisition and processing of a wide range of scientific research projects in the field of orthopaedics and trauma surgery. This primarily includes answering biomechanical questions, either on experimental test stands developed in-house or by means of FE simulation, as well as conducting and evaluating clinical studies. The competences of the staff are broadly diversified. Engineers from various disciplines, as well as physicists and material scientists work very closely together with the doctors from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Traumatology and Plastic Surgery.​