Project presentation Center for Translational Medicine

(Vienna, March 13, 2023) The project presentation for the Center for Translational Medicine took place today as part of the “Day of the Medical University of Vienna” in the presence of Science Minister Martin Polaschek, Vienna City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker, MedUni Vienna Rector Markus Müller and Vienna General Hospital -Director Herwig Wetzlinger. At the MedUni Campus AKH in Vienna’s 9th district, the federal government and the city of Vienna will jointly create the structural requirements for bridging basic research and clinical application on more than 14,000 m² by 2025. The new center follows the principle of translational medicine (“From the laboratory to the bedside and back to the laboratory”) and is aimed at making new scientific findings available for patient care as quickly as possible.

Minister of Education, Science and Research Martin Polaschek: “Science and research have a positive influence on our lives every day. What begins in research ends up with us sooner or later – be it at home, at school or at the sick bed. The Center for Translational Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna spans this arc from scientific findings, verification through research to application in our lives. At the MedUni Campus AKH we are now working together to create the structural conditions to spatially connect basic research and clinical application. The results enable modern and targeted treatment methods for patients and thus provide the basis for future healthcare in Austria.”

Peter Hacker, City Councilor for Social Affairs, Health and Sport of the City of Vienna: “From the laboratory to the sickbed and back to the laboratory again – where could this guiding principle of translational medicine be better realized than on the grounds of the Vienna General Hospital, the largest hospital in Austria with its special position within of the healthcare system in Vienna and throughout Austria. It therefore made sense to locate this place of exchange between basic research and applied medicine here. Bringing research results to patients as quickly as possible in the form of new or improved diagnosis and treatment options is an essential part of the city of Vienna’s health policy. The Center for Translational Medicine in collaboration between the federal government, the City of Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital not only strengthens Vienna as a science location, but above all patients benefit far beyond the scope of the Vienna General Hospital.”

“The laying of the foundation stone of the MedUni Campus Mariannengasse and the start of construction of the Eric Kandel Institute – Center for Precision Medicine were followed today by the presentation of another major future project at MedUni Vienna this year,” emphasized Markus Müller, Rector of the Medical University of Vienna. “The Center for Translational Medicine is the structural implementation of the principle ‘from bench to bedside and back again’, which MedUni Vienna is already successfully following in many areas. So that research results can be used even more quickly in the care of patients in the future, the new infrastructure will create optimal conditions for the translation from science to application. The new center is another important contribution to strengthening the innovation metropolis of Vienna and further developing high-quality healthcare for the population.”

“The expansion of the research areas is an important part of the framework construction agreement that was concluded between the federal government and the city of Vienna and enables the modernization of the joint location of the Vienna General Hospital and MedUni Vienna. The close proximity of the new research center to patient care at the Vienna General Hospital promotes the core of translational medicine ‘from bench to bedside and back’ and enables basic research to reach patients as quickly as possible and, conversely, the experiences and knowledge from it The clinic goes back to the center, into the research and development of diagnostics and therapies. This project guarantees that patient care at the University Hospital AKH Vienna continues to be of the best possible quality Herwig WetzlingerDirector of the University Hospital AKH Vienna.

About the Center for Translational Medicine
The new center follows the concept of translational medicine “from bench to bedside and back again”. On the one hand, this means that new findings from basic research are used as quickly as possible in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. On the other hand, the researchers take into account the experience and knowledge from patient care at the Vienna General Hospital in their scientific research. To ensure that this can succeed under optimal conditions, the building is designed as a place for exchange.

Above all, researchers should in future have access to modern infrastructure for their research work on the approximately 14,000 m2 of usable space. In addition to laboratory space, there will not only be a GMP facility for cell therapy, radiopharmacy and biologicals, core facilities, an animal facility with preclinical imaging and a biobank, but also a clinical center for phase I and II studies including test subjects: indoor station.

The strategic, translational orientation of the new building as a hub between laboratory, clinic and teaching is underlined by its location: The Center for Translational Medicine will be built in the axis between the University Hospital AKH Vienna and the MedUni Campus Mariannengasse, another current MedUni Vienna construction project , where previously scattered preclinical facilities are brought together and a modern learning environment is created for students. The architectural connection with the Eric Kandel Institute – Center for Precision Medicine, whose construction began just a few weeks ago, illustrates another goal of the Center for Translational Medicine: to further advance the possibilities of tailor-made, personalized medicine.

The Center for Translational Medicine is scheduled to be completed by 2025. The total investment amount of around 120 million euros will be borne by the federal government and the city of Vienna.

About the “Day of the Medical University of Vienna”
As a medical faculty at the University of Vienna, MedUni Vienna was a founding member of the Alma Mater Rudolphina on March 12, 1365 and was already a widely recognized authority on health issues in the Middle Ages. Every year around the founding day, MedUni Vienna celebrates “Medical University of Vienna Day”. This year the commemorations will take place on March 13th. Information: tagder.meduniwien.ac.at