Forum Innovative Therapies - FIT 2006
On October 5 and 6, more than 100 representatives from economy, science and politics discussed about infectious and inflammatory diseases at the occasion of the Forum Innovative Therapies - FIT 2006, an event jointly supported by Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Today the forum ended with a tribute to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ernst Th. Rietschel, who will retire from his position as Director of the Research Center Borstel, held by the Schleswig-Holstein Minister for Science and Economics, Dietrich Austermann.
On both days, the topic in the Hamburg Mozart-Säle was no classic music but innovative medicine. The international Forum Innovative Therapies - FIT 2006 took place for the second time. In direct reach to the Hamburg University, national and international experts met to discuss about the North German potential in Research and Development of therapies against Infectious Diseases and Host Defense, this year's main topic.
Infectious Diseases including HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria belong to the worldwide most life threatening diseases. Alone 8 Million people are infected with Tuberculosis every year; AIDS, Malaria as well as the SARS virus are still undamped. Inflammatory responses like allergies and further diseases of the immune system spread especially in the civilized world. The research for the cause and the subsequent development of effective therapeutic measures is decisively pushed by North German Universities and Institutes, including the University Medical Centers Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg Eppendorf, the Research Center Borstel, the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine and the Heinrich-Pette-Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology in Hamburg.
The aim of the meeting was to bring together basic researchers, clinicians, doctors and the biomedical industry to achieve a better and, most of all, faster transfer of research results into the clinic.
"The Forum has shown significantly how strong the North is in the field of Inflammation Research. All existing competences and resources have been bundled into an extraordinary network that has already developed into a landmark" emphasizes Dr. Kathrin Adlkofer, Managing Director of the North German Life Science Agency Norgenta. The agency supports and accompanies the forum to foster the development of research initiatives in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.
After two days of intensive discussions and a fruitful exchange the FIT ended with a tribute session for the long-standing director of the Research Center Borstel, Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ernst Th. Rietschel. The laudation was held by the Schleswig-Holstein Minister for Science and Economics, Dietrich Austermann, who emphasized Professor Rietschel's importance for the research landscape North Germany. The Research Center Borstel has developed under his cooperate direction together with his colleagues Prof. Schlaak and Prof. Flad to an institution with international awareness, to a Center that combines basic and applied research and thus facilitates the development of new diagnostics and therapies. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ernst Th. Rietschel has been member of the Borstel Directorate since 1980 and was also elected as president of the German Leibniz-Gesellschaft in 2005.
Further information:
Norgenta GmbH
Ina Akkerman
Falkenried 88, 20251 Hamburg
P +49.40.471 96 - 418
ina.akkerman@norgenta.de
Research Center Borstel
Dr. Bettina Brand
Parkallee 22, 23845 Borstel
P +49.4537.188 - 439
bbrand@fz-borstel.de
Pressestelle des Ministeriums für Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Verkehr des Landes Schleswig-Holstein
Harald Haase
Düsternbrooker Weg 94, 24105 Kiel
P +49.431.988 - 4420
pressestelle@wimi.landsh.de
