The Deutsches Museum in Munich, one of the world's largest science and technology museums, is opening many modernized museum areas following a renovation. The theme island of the biotechnology company Amgen, with two sites in Munich, which has already been on display at the museum since 2009, has also been updated.
As a long-standing partner of the Deutsches Museum, Amgen's exhibits illustrate the medical benefits of biotechnology. New exhibition modules, including models, animations, graphics, videos and interactive elements, give visitors an insight into this key technology of the 21st century.
Exhibition explains how biopharmaceuticals work and their benefits
Such an exhibition offers a great opportunity to show how biopharmaceuticals work and their benefits, and also to share a fascination with biotechnology, said Manfred Heinzer, Geschäftsführer der Amgen GmbH. The first stop on Amgen's theme island explains the difference between synthetic chemical drugs, such as the classic headache tablet, and biopharmaceuticals, the best-known of which is insulin. The complex manufacturing processes of biopharmaceuticals, a key differentiator between the two categories of drugs, are also presented in an understandable way. Most of the Amgen exhibits explain the practical applications of biopharmaceuticals, for example, in cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Understanding the effects of disease through extended reality
Understanding the mechanisms of a disease at first - this is the core in drug development and also important for patients and their health behavior. The Amgen theme island also explains how disease patterns develop and how they can affect people's lives. The digital extended reality application "Insight Bone" illustrates in a very practical way what impact the bone disease osteoporosis can have on everyday life.
New technology as an example of innovation 'Made in Germany
A model and other animations are used to illustrate the innovative BiTE® (bispecific T cell engager) technology developed by Amgen, a new generation of immunotherapies against cancer. It will be vividly demonstrated how it activates the body's own T cells in the fight against cancer, enabling them to destroy cancer cells. "We are very pleased to be able to make the possibilities of medical biotechnology tangible using our immuno-oncological approach," explains Prof. Dr. Peter Kufer, Managing Director of Amgen Research (Munich) GmbH and developer of the technology.
Mission: to publicize innovative technologies for medicine
"As a pioneer in biotechnology, it is important for us to also inform the general public about the innovative technology and its potential in medicine," says Manfred Heinzer, CEO of Amgen GmbH. "A survey we conducted last year points to a major knowledge deficit among the general public: 97 percent of respondents are unfamiliar with the term biopharmaceuticals."