After just receiving almost 2 million dollars in funding to establish a digital ‘vaccine library’, Leipzig University’s Institute for Drug Development is celebrating its next windfall.

The European Union (via the Just Transition Fund) and the German state of Saxony are investing a total of 50 million Euros into a brand new ‘Research and Transfer Hub’ for drug development in Leipzig. It will be built on the grounds of Leipzig University’s Medical Center where it will be in close proximity to numerous other life science research institutes and companies.

Founded in 2020, the Institute for Drug Development is led by the renowned Alexander-von-Humboldt Professor Prof. Jens Meiler. He and his colleagues combine AI-based methods with experimental studies in order to accelerate and improve drug development. With the new hub expected to offer space for up to 260 researchers, Meiler and his team will get the opportunity to do even more cutting edge work. Their ultimate goal: To develop active pharmaceutical ingredients that can combat a range of current and potential health challenges.

“I am convinced that the processes and methods being developed here will significantly improve the way we address health threats in the future,” Saxony’s Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow said during a tour of the institute. “This will not only benefit patients, but also strengthen the life science and tech industries in the region.” The project to expand the Institute for Drug Development is part of SPIN2030. Its aim is to establish Saxony as a central powerhouse for scientific innovations that want to change peoples’ lives for the better.

Read more at www.uniklinikum-leipzig.de