BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim launch new crowdsourcing project to identify key regulatory mechanisms in innate immunity
Heidelberg, Germany, February 6th, 2017 – BioMed X announces the launch of a new global call in the fields of microbiology and immunology. Talented young scientists from the world’s top universities and research institutions are invited to submit innovative project proposals and apply for a research fellowship at the BioMed X Innovation Center in Heidelberg.
Strong evidence exists that pathogenic microorganisms have an influence on the human immune system. An understanding of the key molecular and cellular mechanisms of pathogen-host interactions could lead to new general concepts which may have a role in the treatment of a variety of human diseases associated with a de-regulated immune response such as chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease or cancer. BioMed X seeks to develop and implement a unique experimental strategy with the goal to explore how pathogenic microorganisms influence the human immune system. The findings will be used as a starting point for new therapeutic concepts. Following its unique crowdsourcing approach, BioMed X will establish a new immunology research group of talented young scientists from around the world at its innovation center on the life science campus of the University of Heidelberg, one of the strongest biomedical innovation hubs in Europe.
“We are very pleased to extend our collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim into the field of immunology”, said Christian Tidona, founder and Managing Director of BioMed X. “Adding the tenth research group within only four years since we started indicates that our new innovation model is well received by leading pharma companies.”
In 2015 BioMed X and Boehringer Ingelheim signed a framework agreement for early-stage preclinical biomedical research. Since then two research groups have been launched, the first one focusing on epigenetics and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the second one on brain microcircuits in psychiatric diseases.
About BioMed X Innovation Center
The BioMed X Innovation Center is an exciting new collaboration model at the interface between academia and industry. At the center, distinguished early career scientists recruited from all over the world jointly work on novel pre-clinical research projects in the fields of biomedicine, molecular biology, cell biology, diagnostics and consumer care. These interdisciplinary project teams conduct groundbreaking biomedical research in an open innovation lab facility on the campus of the University of Heidelberg, Germany. They are working under the guidance of experienced mentors from academia and industry while expanding their scientific network and receiving entrepreneurship and leadership training. Each team is typically sponsored by a corporate pharma or biotech partner of BioMed X. After a fully funded project term, successful projects are either internalized into the development pipeline of the respective pharma or biotech partner or transformed into an independent start-up company. BioMed X collaborates with pharma companies such as AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Roche.