The new research building of the German Center for Immunotherapy (DZI) is being constructed between the Translational Research Center (TRC I) at Schwabach and the Internal Medicine Center of the University Hospital Erlangen at Ulmenweg: the Center for Immunotherapy, Biophysics & Digital Medicine (CITABLE). In the presence of politicians, the ground-breaking ceremony has now taken place. The new center will provide more than 2,000 square meters of usable space, 1,000 square meters of technical space and more than 1,200 square meters of traffic space for the interdisciplinary research on inflammatory diseases and cancer.
In addition to high-tech laboratories, the building includes zones for meetings and breaks aimed at promoting communication between the scientific disciplines. What only existed on drawings up to now is soon set to become reality after the ground-breaking ceremony that took place on July 13, 2023. Markus Blume, Bavarian Minister of State for Science and the Arts, and Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of State for the Interior, Sports and Integration, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.
“We expect to begin building work this year and are already looking forward to moving into the building at the end of 2025,” said Prof. Dr. Markus F. Neurath, spokesperson of Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI). “Researchers from the fields of immunomedicine, biophysics and digital medicine will work together across all disciplines here. This close collaboration between these three fields is unique in Germany.”
The goal of all involved is to develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic methods for inflammatory diseases and cancer.
“And this will all take place in close proximity to the Center for Internal Medicine where we treat our patients on a daily basis,” emphasized Prof. Neurath. “This translation, the transfer of research findings from the laboratory to a clinical setting is decisive for us. Our patients, who are often seriously ill, are the first to benefit from the latest research findings.”
Within CITABLE (TRC II), a total of 2,014 square meters of floor space will be distributed between six floors, with another 1,072 square meters for technical service areas and 1,224 square meters for public spaces. In addition to high-tech laboratories, the building includes zones for meetings and breaks aimed at promoting communication between the scientific disciplines. The building will also contain offices and seminar rooms.
CITABLE is an essential part of FAU Campus Erlangen (North), which has been in planning as a unit since the design competition for the Translational Research Center in 2009. The building costs of around 63.4 million euros for CITABLE are being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Free State of Bavaria. The State Construction Office Erlangen-Nuremberg is responsible for construction of the new building for DZI.
The scientific campus of Erlangen has been continuously expanded in recent years. With the CITABLE and its walking distance to the Internal Medicine Center of the University Hospital Erlangen, this state-of-the-art research infrastructure moves even closer to the patients. With the new building, a unique interplay of different research fields for inflammatory diseases and cancer will be realized.