Research Field Health
Health Research in the Helmholtz Association aims to unravel the complex causes of major chronic diseases and develop novel strategies for prevention, early diagnostics and effective therapies for the benefit of patients.
Goals and Roles
Due to increasing life expectancy and declining birth rates, the percentage of old people in the population continuously rises and poses ever growing challenges to our society and our health system. Chronic common and old age diseases such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, diabetes, lung diseases, degenerative diseases of the nervous system or chronic inflammatory diseases as well as them being influenced by environmental factors and life style continue to grow in relevance and, in addition to research on infectious diseases, stand at the centre of the Helmholtz health research.
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- Helmholtz Institutes for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) Scientists in the laboratory . Image: HIPS/HZI
Scientists from those Helmholtz Centres involved in the research field Health study causes and emergence of these often complex diseases and on this basis develop new strategies for early detection, prevention, diagnosis and therapy. In recent years, the participating centres have increasingly drawn on new forms of collaboration with strong partners from medical schools, universities, other research organisations and industry. To enable the fastest possible transfer of promisingapproaches from basic research into clinical application, the Helmholtz Health Centres currently are developing Translation Centres at their sites in close interaction with local partners from university medicine.
Powerful and sustainable structures for networking research competencies of extramural and university health research are being created for important disease fields. Thus 2009 saw the establishment of the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases e. V. (DZNE) with its core site in Bonn as well as the German Centre for Diabetes Research e.V. (DZD), members of which are the Helmholtz Zentrum München, university partners and institutes from the Leibniz Association. Further centres, amongst them the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research, coordinated by the German Cancer Research Centre DKFZ, will be put out to tender in 2010.
One of the future key tasks aims to advance German health research by integrating the entire expertise and competence at the Helmholtz Health Centres, university hospitals and other research organisations to create strong strategic partnerships. The biomedical knowledge gain for socially important disease fields is in the foreground and - bundled in consortiums or networks - will yield concrete clinical applications and thus strengthen the German health research with lasting effect and reposition it internationally.
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Some 450,000 people per year in Germany develop cancer. In spite of intensive research activity and numerous fundamentally new developments in this field, more than half the number of patients still dies from the consequences of the disease.
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Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent cause of death in Germany. People who have high blood pressure or diabetes or are overweight are at particular risk.
More details about Research Programme Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
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Function and Dysfunction of the Nervous System
Being able to grow old is not just a blessing. Unfortunately, older people are more likely to suffer from neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
More details about Research Programme Function and Dysfunction of the Nervous System
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From the common cold to SARS and AIDS: Infectious diseases are found all over the world and in many cases present a life-threatening risk. In fact, they are the world's No. 1 cause of death.
More details about Research Programme Infection and Immunity
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Chronic disorders arise due to a combination of individual disposition, environmental influences and lifestyle choices. But what exactly are the molecular and cellular mechanisms which underlie these disorders?
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Systemic Analysis of Multifactorial Diseases
Helmholtz scientists are analysing genetic and biomolecular mechanisms to find better ways of treating chronic ailments.
More details about Research Programme Systemic Analysis of Multifactorial Diseases
The programmes in the funding period 2009-2013
In the second period of Programme-oriented Funding beginning in 2009, research will build on three pillars: Excellent basic research, analysis of complex biological systems (systems biology) and translation of research findings into clinical application. The structure and goals of the Helmholtz Association’s Health field were jointly reassessed, focused and tailored to the work and objectives of the respectively leading Helmholtz research centre to a greater degree than has been the case so far.
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Some 450,000 people per year in Germany develop cancer. In spite of intensive research activity and numerous fundamentally new developments in this field, more than half the number of patients still dies from the consequences of the disease.
- .
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent cause of death in Germany. People who have high blood pressure or diabetes or are overweight are at particular risk.
More details about Research Programme Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
- .
Function and Dysfunction of the Nervous System
Being able to grow old is not just a blessing. Unfortunately, older people are more likely to suffer from neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
More details about Research Programme Function and Dysfunction of the Nervous System
- .
From the common cold to SARS and AIDS: Infectious diseases are found all over the world and in many cases present a life-threatening risk. In fact, they are the world's No. 1 cause of death.
More details about Research Programme Infection and Immunity
- .
Chronic disorders arise due to a combination of individual disposition, environmental influences and lifestyle choices. But what exactly are the molecular and cellular mechanisms which underlie these disorders?
- .
Systemic Analysis of Multifactorial Diseases
Helmholtz scientists are analysing genetic and biomolecular mechanisms to find better ways of treating chronic ailments.
More details about Research Programme Systemic Analysis of Multifactorial Diseases
Strategic Cross-Programme
To be able to respond as quickly as possible to new developments, a flexible system of cross-cutting activities was created to contribute to the further development of important resources and technologies. Here, the fields of epidemiology and translational research are given particular significance as regards research policy and strategy.
Epidemiological research aims at identifying both the genetic and the environmental risk factors so as to prevent diseases or to detect and treat these at an early stage. In order to create a unique resource for epidemiological research, the Helmholtz Health Research has initiated the development of a major prospective national Cohort Study in Germany. The following Centres participated in the initiative alongside university partners: German Cancer Research Centre, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Max Delbrück Center (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Forschungszentrum Jülich.
The Helmholtz Health Centres adopt a leading role in the field of translational research both nationally and internationally. With the development of local translation centres in cooperation with university hospitals, infrastructure platforms are currently beingcreated, which will decidedly accelerate the transfer of relevant findings from basic research into clinical applications. The formation of strategic alliances with partners from the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology and medical technology also considerably reinforces the expertise in this field.
The long-term collaboration of Helmholtz Health Centres with partners from university medicine and other research institutions will experience a new dimension with the impending establishment of German Centres of Health Research.
Insights into Research Field Health
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The Helmholtz Association aims to use ground-breaking research to tackle the great questions of our time. Here, we present projects currently being carried out by scientists at the Helmholtz Centres. The examples range from fundamental questions concerning the origin of matter to health research and the development of high performance functional materials.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler
Research field coordinator Health
German Cancer Research Centre
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
+49 6221 42-2850
o.wiestler (at) dkfz.de
www.dkfz.de
Dr. Phillip Hahn
Research Field Health
Helmholtz Association
+49 30 206329-15
phillip.hahn (at) helmholtz.de
