Medical Scientist Programme ‘InFlame’
Career advancement in medical research related to inflammatory processes for postdocs from the natural science
Many serious illnesses – including infections, cancer and neurological disorders – are characterised by inflammatory reactions. These contribute significantly to how serious the illness is. For many inflammatory reactions there are currently no effective treatments; all that remains is the treatment of symptoms. Researching into these processes requires a combination of scientific knowledge, expertise and modern investigative methods. The Kolleg aims not only to train scientists, who have a doctorate and are engaged in basic research, involved in translational research, but also to support their scientific careers, and create a basis for developing effective methods of treating inflammatory diseases. Translational research involves the transfer of new insights from basic research from the lab into clinical application. With its medical focus on inflammations and infections, Münster’s research environment offers the best conditions for this endeavour.
The Medical Scientist Programme InFlame supports talented postdocs from natural science disciplines who are conducting research in the interdisciplinary field of the dynamics of inflammatory reactions by providing structured research and career training opportunities. The aim is to involve the participants in translational research, to support their career paths in academia and to strengthen the link between basic research and patient-oriented research. Currently, there are eleven postdocs from biology, chemistry and computer science working on four-year research projects within our programme.
In addition to program spokesperson Prof. Petra Dersch, the following people from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster are involved in the project: Prof. Dr. Andrea Rentmeister (Chemistry), Prof. Dr. Benjamin Risse (Computer Science), Prof. Dr. Johannes Roth (Medicine), Prof. Dr. Kerstin Steinbrink (Medicine), Prof. Dr. Michael Schäfers (Medicine), Prof. Dr. Heinz Wiendl (Medicine), Prof. Dr. Alexander Zarbock (Medicine), and associated partners Prof. Dr. Ralf Adams and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Vestweber (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine) and Prof. Dr. Stephan Ludwig (Medicine-Biology).
The programme receives funding from the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation and is financially supported by the Faculty of Medicine and the University of Münster.