© dpa
The Federal Minister of Research spoke at the opening of the centers.
© dpa
Construction of the two facilities took place from 2021 to 2025.
Two new research centers at Charité and the Technical University of Berlin (TU) are expected to pave the way for new medical treatments - including for diseases that have previously been considered incurable.
The facilities known as "Der Simulierte Mensch" (Si-M) and "Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies" (Becat) opened today. They are located on the Charité's Virchow-Klinikum campus in Wedding.
According to Ina Czyborra, Senator for Science, Health and Care, these institutions are ushering in a fundamental transformation in how medicine is conceived, developed, and made accessible to people. Furthermore, a concrete promise is being made to the public. "We will be able to treat diseases that are still considered incurable today," said the SPD politician. Among those delivering opening remarks were Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU), the new TU President Fatma Deniz and the Chairman of the Board of Charité, Heyo K. Kroemer. Bär said that Germany aims to be at the forefront of the development of new therapies worldwide. "Our vision for the medicine of the future is clear: to make the incurable curable." Kroemer spoke of a significant step forward for the entire field of biomedicine in Berlin.
At the Si-M, scientists aim to conduct research on realistic models of human biology, ranging from molecular processes to complex tissues and organ functions. According to Charité and TU, the integration of engineering expertise will enable the development of models that provide a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms and open up new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
In the future, the laboratories at Becat will develop so-called "living" drugs. These are based on genes, cells and tissues. The facility creates "the conditions for the development, production, and clinical application of innovative therapies, particularly in the field of cell and gene therapy," said Kroemer. Construction of the two facilities took place from 2021 to 2025. The construction costs of more than 40.9 million euros for the Si-M and 37.9 million euros for the Becat were accordingly covered by the federal and state governments.