(Ph.: MGC student representatives - Science Day, October 2019)

The six key research areas represented in the PhD program are oncology, neuroscience, immunology/infection, biomedical imaging, cardiovascular research, and molecular medicine. Students enrolled in the PhD program “Medical Life Science and Technology” have the opportunity to carry out their research project in one of the research groups affiliated with the faculty of medicine at TUM. Our faculty members are outstanding scientists and offer PhD projects - ranging from in vitro to in vivo, and to clinical research - in a stimulating research environment with cutting-edge technologies. The faculty members also provide the PhD students access to numerous excellent research consortia in the Munich area, which bring together a wide range of experimental expertise and know-how, to achieve a deeper understanding of complex biological processes, and of mechanisms of disease. The research consortia include the prestigious Collaborative Research Centres (SFB), funded by the German Research Foundation, and the Clusters of the Excellence Initiative as well as the German Centers of Health Research (DZG).

The faculty members are listed here.

Collaborative Research Centres (SFB):

TRR-267: Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the main cause of death worldwide and there is high need for a better understanding of molecular disease mechanisms and improved therapy. Non-coding RNA molecules have come into focus of cardiovascular research, as they control key processes in the cardiovascular system and as successful manipulation in disease models in vivo underscores their therapeutic potential. More information here.

SFB 1335: Although immune cells are in principle capable of recognizing and destroying malignant cells, deviated immune signals can also directly promote initiation and development of cancer by creating tumor promoting inflammatory environments, and by suppressing natural antitumor immune responses. Furthermore, immune cells themselves can be targets of malignant transformation, and human lymphomas and leukemias are frequently driven by mutations influencing immune receptor signaling pathways. The CRC 1335 investigates how these aberrant immune signals drive and support cancer to ultimately pave the way for the development of novel strategies that target aberrant immune signals for cancer therapy. More information here.

SFB 824: The SFB 824 (Imaging for Selection, Monitoring and Individualization of Cancer Therapies) represents an interdisciplinary consortium which aims at the development of novel imaging technologies for the selection and monitoring of cancer therapy as important support for personalized medicine. More information here.

TRR-274: Injuries to the central nervous system (CNS) can have varying outcomes, from irreversible destruction to partial recovery of the affected tissue. The aim of our CRC is to determine immunological, glial and neuronal checkpoints, in order to understand what drives such a diverging response to CNS injury and determines the best possible recovery of the tissue. Utilizing different injury and disease models we will examine cellular and molecular interactions and changes that will determine the factors leading to CNS recovery and/or tissue damage, with the final goal to develop new treatment options. More information here.

SFB 1321: Pancreatic cancer is one of the biggest challenges for oncologists and scientists: It belongs to those forms of cancer that are very aggressive and difficult to treat. Every year around 450,000 people around the world receive the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Survival in this cancer is still the lowest among all cancers: The overall 5-year survival rate is less than 8%. This has remained almost unchanged over the last 30 years, despite tremendous efforts in preclinical and clinical science. Pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the next decade. Our collaborative research center is studying biological characteristics of this cancer. We believe that only a profound mechanistic understanding of pancreatic cancer and its extreme and unique characteristics will lead to a sustained improvement of the prognosis for affected patients. Based on this clinical orientation we are determined to improve the therapy options for this specific form of cancer. More information here.

SFB 1371: The intestinal microbiome plays a fundamental role in the regulation of human health and diseases. Nevertheless, and beyond recent enthusiasm, the mechanistic understanding of the complex microbiome-host interactions are still in its infancy, and the search for disease-specific microbiome signatures with prognostic and therapeutic value is incomplete. The conceptual goal of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1371 initiative is to understand the functional relevance of microbiome signatures and to determine their precise contribution in a disease-specific manner. We chose clinical endpoints that are associated with well-documented changes in the intestinal microbiome, and unravel key mechanisms linked to aberrant immune processing (inflammation) and tissue adaptation (cancer). More information here.

German Centers of Health Research (DZG):

German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), German Center for Lung Research (DZL)

Clusters of the Excellence Initiative:

Munich Cluster for System Neurology (SyNergy), Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM)