Pharma Center Bonn (PZB)

Drug research and development of new targeted therapies represent interdisciplinary processes. The Pharma Center Bonn (PZB) defines itself as a platform for scientific exchange and networking between all pharma researchers at the University of Bonn and non-university research institutions.

The PZB acts as an interface between fundamental and applied research (“from bench to bedside”). It aims at translating basic research into novel drugs and therapies.

Research includes

Basic research
Translational drug research
Clinical application / clinical studies

A central aspect of the PZB is the training of emerging scientists. Therefore, the PZB established the interdisciplinary graduate research school BIGS-DrugS (Bonn International Graduate School of Drug Sciences) at the University of Bonn.

News

Fat cells under false command

Too much fat can be unhealthy: how fat cells, so-called adipocytes, develop, is crucial for the function of the fat tissue. That is why a team led by researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn investigated the influence of primary cilia dysfunction on adipocyte precursor cells in a mouse model. They found that overactivation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway causes abnormal development into connective tissue-like cells instead of white fat cells. Their findings have now been published in The EMBO Journal.

Bayer AG Thesis Prize 2024

As in previous years, Bayer AG, in cooperation with the Pharma-Zentrum-Bonn and the Limes Institute, will again award three prizes for outstanding doctoral theses in the field of pharmaceutical research in 2024.

New Bioactive Compound for Difficult-to-Treat Allergies

Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic itching, asthma and migraine are in many cases hard-to-treat conditions. They have in common that they are triggered by an excessive immune response—which in severe cases can be life-threatening. A team of researchers led by the University of Bonn has now identified a promising bioactive compound that could effectively reduce symptoms and slash fatality risk. The compound blocks a receptor on certain defense cells, thus preventing a derailed immune response. The study findings have been published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.

How Immune Cells “Sniff Out” Pathogens

Immune cells are capable of detecting infections just like a sniffer dog, using special sensors known as Toll-like receptors, or TLRs for short. But what signals activate TLRs, and what is the relationship between the scale and nature of this activation and the substance being detected? In a recent study, researchers from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) used an innovative method to answer these questions. The approach that they took might help to speed up the search for drugs to combat infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes or dementia. Their findings have been published in the journal “Nature Communications.”

New PZB Member

By decision of the members of the PZB, Prof. Dagmar Wachten has been accepted as a new member of the PZB.

New PZB Member

By decision of the PZB members, Prof. Eva Bartok, Prof. Matthias Geyer und Prof. Radoslaw Novak have been accepted as a new members of the PZB.

Bayer AG Thesis Prize Award & BIGS DrugS Kick-Off Meeting

As is now a tradition, the PhD Award Ceremony took place as part of the BIGS DrugS Kick-Off Meeting on July 1.

Bayer AG Thesis Prize 2023

As in previous years, Bayer AG, in cooperation with the Pharma Center Bonn and the Limes Institute, awards three prizes for outstanding PhD theses in the field of pharmaceutical research in 2023.

Members

The members of the Pharma Center Bonn (PZB) are leading scientists at the University of Bonn. Their research covers all areas of pharmaceutical & life sciences.

The members of the PZB are affiliated with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (the Pharmaceutical Institute and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology), the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences (Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences) at the University of Bonn.

All departments of the Pharmaceutical Institute are part of the PZB:

Drug Regulatory Affairs
Clinical Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Biochemistry & Bioanalytics
Pharmaceutical Biology
Pharmaceutical & Cell Biological Chemistry
Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry
Pharmaceutical Technology
Pharmacology & Toxicology

Institutes and clinics of the Faculty of Medicine participating in the PZB:

Clinic and Polyclinic for Nuclear Medicine
Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Institute of Cellular Neuroscience
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology
Institute of Experimental Hematology and Transfusion Medicine
Institute of Human Genetics
Institute for Innate Immunity
Institute of Molecular Psychiatry
Institute of Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology / Biomedical Center
Institute of Physiology I
Institute of Structural Biology

Institute of the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences that participates in the PBZ:

Institute of Nutrition and Nutritional Sciences

In addition, scientists from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) are members of the PZB.

Projects

The establishment and promotion of joint research projects is a major mission of the PZB scientists.The PZB enables collaboration and creates an optimal research environment.

Projects

Contact us

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments about the Pharma Center Bonn, our researchers or their projects, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dr. Miriam Schlenk

mschlen1@uni-bonn.de

+49 73 60245

Brühler Str. 7

53119 Bonn