CRCs to study immunotherapies and photocatalysis

Research

5/25/2021
Reading time 3 min.

Green light for trailblazing projects: The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved applications from TUM and partner institutions to fund two new Transregional Collaborative Research Centers (TRRs). TUM scientists will assume the speaker role in TRRs dedicated to photocatalysis and immunotherapies with lymphocytes. The DFG has also approved another new group with TUM involvement and granted extensions to five existing projects.

Two new DFG Collaborative Research Centers at TUM — Reasearch at TUM's Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene: the institute's director, Prof. Dirk Busch, is the speaker of a new Transregional Collaborative Research Center on therapies based on genetically modified immune cells.

The DFG Collaborative Research Centers are among the most important research funding programs in Germany. They support complex, interdisciplinary and long-term research initiatives. They are initially approved for four years and can receive funding for up to 12 years. A TRR (or 鈥渢ransregio鈥�) is a CRC with partners cooperating on a trans-regional basis.

TRR 325: Assembly Controlled Chemical Photocatalysis

The basic substances used in many everyday materials are produced with the aid of catalysts. Photocatalysis opens up the way to new approaches and products that would be virtually impossible with conventional processes. The goal of the TRR 鈥淐ontrolling chemical photocatalysis through molecular assemblies鈥� is to develop a new generation of photocatalytic systems for organic synthesis by controlling interactions between catalysts and reactive partners. The long-term objective is to help conserve more energy and resources in light-driven reactions. The speaker is , a professor of organic chemistry at TUM. The University of Regensburg is a co-applicant.

Before coming to Munich, Thorsten Bach spent time in Heidelberg, Los Angeles (USC), Marburg, Boston (Harvard) and M眉nster. He has held the Chair for Organic Chemistry I at TUM since 2000. He is a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

TRR 338: LETSIMMUN

Lymphocytes are a subgroup of the white blood cells. They include the T cells, for example. The TRR "LETSIMMUN - Lymphocyte Engineering for Therapeutic Synthetic Immunity" will investigate 鈥� among other questions 鈥� how genetically engineered lymphocytes might be used to fight infections, tumors or autoimmune diseases. The group wishes to help establish immunotherapies with modified lymphocytes as a medically safe and effective treatment for as many patients as possible. The speaker is , Professor of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene. Co-applicants are the LMU M眉nchen and the University of W眉rzburg.

Dirk Busch has been the director of the at TUM since 2009. He is a member of the Leopoldina German Academy of Sciences.

TRR 326: Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures (GAUS)

The CRC 鈥淕eometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures (GAUS)鈥� will work in the field of theoretical mathematics. The basic idea behind uniformization is to replace complicated geometric objects through simpler ones without changing the local structure. By translating the complexity into another 鈥渓anguage鈥�, the group wishes to open up new perspectives on the original objects and make them accessible for central geometric and arithmetic problems. Applicant universities are Frankfurt/Main, Darmstadt and Heidelberg. TUM is represented by Professor of Arithmetic Geometry.