17.05.2010
One third of new DFG research groups in Baden-Württemberg
The German Research Foundation (DFG) passed a resolution at its spring conference to provide financial assistance for a total of nine more research groups. Three of the nine new groups will work at universities in Baden-Württemberg - in Heidelberg, Freiburg and Konstanz. All of these groups will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to highly urgent issues in current fields of basic research. In total, the DFG will provide almost 24 million euros for the nine new projects over the next three years.
The research group at the University of Heidelberg will make an important contribution to work on the causes of Alzheimer's by focusing on the "physiological functions of the APP gene family in the central nervous system". This work involves studying the function of the amyloid precursor protein/APP in the healthy brain. All that is known at the present time is that these proteins play a key role in the genesis of Alzheimer's. Scientists from other universities will also collaborate on this complex task.
Pharmacists, chemists, biologists and engineers working in Freiburg as part of the "Diversity of asymmetric thiamine catalysis" research group will analysis the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the action of "thiamin diphosphate-dependent enzymes". The members of this class of enzymes often act as better catalysts of chemical reactions than purely chemical methods. The project findings may lead to important industrial applications.
The "Nonlinear response to probe vitrification" research group at the University of Konstanz has set itself the task of studying glassy dynamics. One particular aspect of this work involves complex structural phenomena and transport phenomena in interaction with powerful external fields. The researchers aim to study the nonlinear behaviour of glass-forming systems under conditions which are far removed from equilibrium.
