Industrial Investment Council and Freie Universität Berlin Announce Establishment of the NFCR Center for RNA Cancer Research

National Foundation for Cancer Research
Wednesday, 31 January 2001

The Industrial Investment Council and the Freie Universität Berlin today announced the establishment of a new National Foundation for Cancer Research Center in Berlin. The Center, made possible by collaboration between scientists at the Freie Universitat Berlin and The RNA Network, is funded by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) , and will focus on cancer related RNA derived research directed by Professor Dr. Volker A. Erdmann, an international leader and pioneer in the field of RNA research and Chairman of RiNA, e.v..

The NFCR Center for RNA Cancer Research at Berlin's Freie Universität is one of an international network of NFCR Centers designed to foster synergistic interactions between scientists at major research universities around the world. "Unlike traditional grants which too often restrict and confine researchers," says Franklin C. Salisbury, Jr., president of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, "NFCR support for this Center for RNA Cancer Research offers a flexible funding mechanism that will enable Professor Erdmann and his team to do the bold and blue-sky research that might well lead to breakthroughs and new treatments for cancer."

The Berlin center will be linked to the other NFCR Centers around the world which include the NFCR Center for Computational Drug Design at Oxford University, directed by W. Graham Richards, D.Sc.; the NFCR Center for Genomics and Nutrition at the University of California Berkeley, co-directed by Bruce N. Ames, Ph.D. and Martyn T. Smith, Ph.D; the NFCR Center for Protein Chemistry at Yale University, co-directed by Alanna Schepartz, Ph.D. and Donald M. Crothers, Ph.D. and the NFCR Center for Molecular Oncology at the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology in Beijing directed by Jian-Dong Jiang, M.D., Ph.D.,

The Berlin center will be a particularly significant addition to the NFCR network as RNA research is playing an increasingly important role in providing tools furthering the field of genetic research, providing answers that can lead to cutting edge medical breakthroughs.

"That the NFCR chose to establish this center at Berlin's Freie Universität bears testimony to the quality of the science taking place within the region," says Lorie Karnath, senior vice president Industrial Investment Council. "The RNA Network was and remains a unique concept heralded before its time due to the forward thinking of the Freie Universität's science team."

Dr. Christoph von Rohr, chairman of the Industrial Investment Council of Berlin says, "The Industrial Investment Council was happy to provide the catalyst that led to the establishment of the Center, benefiting not only science in Germany but fostering science on the global level via this acclaimed international network."

All of the NFCR centers are in the process of being interactively linked through the Internet. The concept represents a unique opportunity to utilize the powerful reach of the Internet and the World Wide Web in order to synergistically amass a stellar set of scientists in complementary disciplines who together should be able to make real inroads into the overwhelmingly important problems of cancer prevention, cancer diagnosis, and cancer treatment.

"We are exceptionally honored to be chosen for the new NFCR center," says Dr. Volker A. Erdmann, Chairman of RiNA e.v. and director of the new NFCR center. "The flexible funding support and the ability to collaborate our efforts and experience with the high caliber activities of the other NFCR centers will help to spur new creative ideas, hopefully yielding synergistic results."

The National Foundation for Cancer Research is a premier cancer-related charity fully dedicated to advancing basic cancer research in the laboratory. Formed in 1973 to support research related to the prevention, earlier detection, better treatment, and cure of cancer, NFCR encourages and facilitates collaboration and the sharing of ideas and results among scientists by providing funding to more than 30 individual laboratories and 6 NFCR research centers. By supporting the best ideas of the best minds, and by facilitating collaboration among scientists, advances in one field can contribute to discoveries in others. Since its founding NFCR has provided more than $170 million to fund discovery-oriented research that has played a key role in many current breakthroughs in the prevention, diagnosis and new treatments of all types of cancer.

The RNA Network was founded in 1998 as a joint venture between the Institute of Biochemistry at the Freie Universität of Berlin and the professional association RiNA e.v., which had been formed to administer and coordinate RNA-based projects in the Berlin area. Dr. Volker A. Erdmann a professor at the Institute and a founder of RiNA, was named and continues to serve as chairman to the Network. The RNA Network is financially supported by the Berlin Government through the Senator for Economics and the Senator for Sciences and Culture. Additional financial support comes from the Federal Ministry of Sciences and Technology as well as via industry partners.

The Industrial Investment Council (IIC) was established in 1996 to assist in facilitating foreign investment in eastern Germany. The IIC works with companies seeking an international presence and helps them in evaluating eastern Germany as a business location. The IIC will support a company, on a no cost-basis, with everything from market studies to site selection, grant subsidy applications and cooperation opportunities. To enhance these efforts in the life sciences sector, the IIC initiated a series of U.S./German International Scientific Symposiums geared towards scientific exchange between the two countries. These symposiums were instrumental in NFCR's decision to open a Center at the Freie Universität of Berlin.

For more information, or to contact National Foundation for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.researchforacure.com