GRK 795:  Regulatory Circuits in Cellular Systems: Fundamentals and Biotechnological Applications

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: from 2002 to 2005
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 273483

The aim of the research training group is filling a gap between the basic understanding of biological principles and the application of biotechnological processes in industry. Basic regulatory circuits governing the cellular function of biotechnologically relevant organisms e.g. higher and lower plants as well as bacteria shall be studied and the basic knowledge generated throughout the research projects shall be evaluated for potential biotechnological applications. Projects are the production of secondary metabolites in fungi, e.g. penicillin, the construction by metabolic engineering of bacterial strains for the overproduction of primary or secondary metabolites, the engineering of stress tolerance and disease resistance of plants, combined with improved productivity and shelf life, the biocatalytic synthesis of enantiopure fine chemicals, the collection of sun energy in biosystems leading to hydrogen production and the characterization of heavy metal ion pumps to be used for bioremediation.The Ph.D. students shall work with modern cutting edge methods and shall enlarge their knowledge and skills during a mandatory research stay at the partner university. In addition the research training group offers several training courses in modern methods of basic and applied research, but also in general topics such as time management, project management, or dynamic presentation. Besides seminars and excursions to biotec companies there are meetings of both partner universities and international symposia as well as masterclasses with international guest lecturers for exchanging results and emphasizing the own knowledge.

• DFG Programme: International Research Training Groups
• International Connection: Netherlands
• Applicant Institution: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• IRTG-Partner Institution: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen; Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Matthias Rögner
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Egbert J. Boekema; Professor Dr. Lubbert Dijkhuizen; Professor Dr. Bauke W. Dijkstra; Professor Dr. Alfred Driessen; Professor Dr. Thomas Happe; Professor Dr. Jacques Hille; Professor Dr. Karl Erich Jaeger; Professor Dr. Dick B. Janssen; Professor Dr. Oscar P. Kuipers; Professor Dr. Ulrich Kück; Dr. M.H.K. Linskens; Privatdozent Dr. Mathias Lübben; Professor Dr. Helmut Erich Meyer; Professor Dr. Axel Schölmerich; Professor Dr. Marten Veenhuis