Federal Funding for World’s First Cell-Therapy Hospital

We recently reported on the world’s first center for cell-based medicine, a project by the prestigious Berlin Charité university hospital along with the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) r. After gaining the Berlin senate’s signature on a ‘memorandum of understanding’ in spring 2022, now another important biomedical research and development project is being launched in cooperation with Bayer: a center for translational research in the area of gene and cell therapy. The German federal government has assured co-financing of €44M. That means that preparation can go on in earnest in 2023 ready for building in the following years. Bayer has earmarked a site at Berlin’s Nordhafen. Often referred to as a ‘translation center’, the new center is intended to translate theoretical results of medical research into practical therapies that actually help patients. A startup incubator is also to be incorporated. Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey called the translational center, “A real asset for Berlin, for Germany as a research location, and for patients worldwide who will benefit from the therapeutic approaches developed there.”