The HighTechCampus of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München in Großhadern/Martinsried will now be extended by a very visible (and in the moment rapidly growing) and important component: with the laying of the foundation stone for the Biomedical Center (BMC), which is also to house the LMU Center for Applied Cell Research (Cell Center), the campus is growing together not only as a complex of buildings but also in terms of content.
In the integrated “Center for Applied Cell Research” working groups will investigate the functioning of cells at molecular level. In future, integrated, interdisciplinary research projects at the Cell Center will be providing the necessary findings through studies on model organisms such as yeast, the fruit-fly, the clawed frog, zebrafish and mouse, and last but not least, human cells. Where necessary, there are centralised facilities available to offer services such as high-resolution microscopy and modern protein analysis.
After the completion of the Center, there will be close collaboration between pre-clinical working groups and clinical researchers that will accelerate the process of putting new findings into clinical practice. Their physical proximity will foster an intensive dialog and the rapid transfer of new findings between these two domains. There can be no doubt of the great potential for practical applications. The researchers will focus in particular on the conditions that lead to the disruption of the cells’ normal programming and ultimately to tissue degeneration, as well as on developing therapeutic approaches that can reverse or prevent the fate of these cells.
The costs of building the BMC and the Center for Applied Cell Research will amount to around € 125 million. A further € 19 million will be invested in equipping the buildings and large-scale facilities.
As Horst Seehofer, Bavaria’s Minister-President, said at the laying of the foundation stone, “The Biomedical Center is an excellent investment in the future of Bavaria as a research location, and is a prime example of Bavarian economic and science policy. This is how our developmental strategy, ‘Bavaria on the Move’ [‘Aufbruch Bayern’], can become reality.”
Dr. Georg Schütte, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Science, emphasised that the BMC at LMU was so far the largest building project supported by the German Federal Government to be undertaken in the area of research facilities: “By promoting excellent research facilities, the Federal Government wants to create conditions that will ensure German universities are able to compete successfully at international level. There is a great deal of charisma associated with the Munich Center.”
“The Biomedical Center is a landmark project for the life sciences and a central component of the HighTechCampus Martinsried. The dovetailing of medicine and science promises to produce excellent results,” said Dr. Wolfgang Heubisch, Bavarian Minister of Science, Research and the Arts.
“The LMU HighTechCampus is already one of the world’s foremost addresses for life-science research. We are very pleased that the emerging field of applied cell research will now find a new home in the Biomedical Center, as well”, said Professor Bernd Huber, President of LMU.
More on the BMC Building
Covering 18,000 m2 of floor space, the combination of BMC and LMU Cell Center will provide excellent conditions for basic research and teaching in the biomedical sciences. Its location on LMU’s HighTechCampus means that the BMC is already integrated into an excellent research infrastructure. Also in the immediate vicinity are LMU’s Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy with the Gene Center, the Faculty of Biology, the University Medical Center (Großhadern), the Max Planck Institutes of Biochemistry and Neurobiology, and the Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology. The BMC is located on the northern edge of the campus with its four elements forming a spacious green courtyard where researchers and students can meet.
The areas open to the public, as well as the lecture halls, seminar rooms and laboratories for practical classes are all located in the South Wing, which will have a transparent façade. On the ground floor, the cafeteria, foyer and main lecture hall will provide space for dialogue between researchers, students and members of the public. The ground floor is also where the library will be located. The ultramodern laboratories will be housed in the Northern and Eastern sections of the building and the Technical Center will be located on the roof. The BMC will accommodate 500 LMU research and teaching staff.