Frankfurt University, founded in 1914, is currently undertaking extensive new construction in preperation for its 100th anniversary. Its goal is to establish itself as one of Europe‘s most modern universities. While well known for its life sciences, drug research, neuroscience, cardiovascular medicine, heavy ion and solid state physics, its other disciplines such as law and finance, the humanities, and social sciences are also strong fields of research.
View into the Brain
“Life science“ is more than just a buzz word at Frankfurt. Most important research projects revolve around issues of life and health. Comprehensive studies are underway on the structure and function of macromolecular entities. These entities are an integral part of the respiratory chain for all living cells as well as for signal transmission chains, transport mechanisms, and DNA formation. The labs of the university provide equipment for biomolecular magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cryoelectron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectroscopy as well as advanced light microscopy.
The two new leading-edge magnetic resonance tomographs at Frankfurt‘s Brain Imaging Center have opened new horizons for basic research and clinical diagnostics. The center, which has drawn international acclaim, is a joint project between the University Hospital‘s Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroradiology, and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.
Safe Medicine Sooner
The Rhine-Main region has long been a center of pharmaceutical research and development. Almost the entire value chain for drug development is available, from basic research and preclinical evaluation to clinical development. In 2002, the Center for Drug Research, Development and Safety (ZAFES) was founded at Frankfurt University to take advantage of these resources. As a “Center of Excellence“ and core of a European pharma think tank cluster, its task is to consolidate knowledge from the separate worlds of academia, the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology, thereby enabling more rapid research and development of innovative drugs. Setting aside traditional boundaries between disciplines, the scientists are focused on three key research areas: pain, infection, and cancer.
Physics in Frankfurt
Physics in Frankfurt is based on a long and excellent tradition in teaching and research. Current research concentrates on the following fields: heavy ion and hadron physics focuses on the physics of strongly interacting matter at high densities, nuclear astrophysics as well as atomic and molecular physics, and corresponding technological development of accelerator and detector components. This research is carried out experimentally and in close cooperation with the nearby Institute for Heavy Ion Research (GSI), Darmstadt. Solid state physics has a major interest in the physics of strongly correlated electron systems including new molecule-based materials. The Frankfurt Bio physics Group deals with topics such as protein conformational dynamics and reaction control. The group is unique in applying spectroscopic techniques from femtoseconds to seconds.
Interdisciplinary Think Tank
Strong interaction and mutual support in all natural sciences is supplied by the cooperation with the Frankfurt Institute of Advanced Study (FIAS) with its interdisciplinary basic theoretical research activities.
For further information about research at Frankfurt University, please visit the following page.
