NCT/UCC Dresden: New building for innovative cancer research opens

Joint press release from

National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), Free State of Saxony, and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Building connects research with patient care / Operating room of the future opens up new possibilities in cancer surgery / Free State invested 22 million euros

Following a construction period lasting approximately three years, the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) will celebrate the opening ceremony of its new building today (Monday, September 21st) with the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer and the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Research, Thomas Rachel, in attendance. This marks the opening of a state-of-the-art building that brings scientists, doctors, and patients together under one roof at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden campus. With a unique research platform that includes an experimental operating room, state-of-the-art imaging and radiotherapy units, as well as molecular and cell biology laboratories, the new building offers optimal conditions for conducting clinically oriented cancer research at the highest international level. An interdisciplinary day clinic offers additional treatment units. A large percentage of patients being treated participate simultaneously in scientific studies.

The new building of the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) connects cancer research with patient treatment. The aim is to apply groundbreaking approaches in cancer research to the benefit of patients quickly. This goal is championed by NCT/UCC's sponsors: the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, the Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus of the TU Dresden, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The Free State of Saxony provided 22 million euros for construction of the building, with an additional ca. 3 million euros coming from the federal budget and private donations.

With four floors and over 3.000 square meters of floor space, the new Dresden building will house around 200 scientists and research physicians. One of the outstanding research areas is the "operating room of the future", in which instruments and equipment are digitally networked. This enables scientists to collect important data for the development of robotic and computer assisted systems for cancer surgery. The operating room is connected directly to state-of-the-art imaging and radiotherapy units. With their assistance, the aim is to improve radiation therapy within the framework of clinical studies, to increase the precision of minimally invasive cancer treatment, and to establish new radioactive probes for PET imaging. In molecular and cell biology laboratories, researchers are also investigating how to influence tumor development and growth.

The cloverleaf as a design feature

The central rooms of the research platform are laid out in the shape of a four-leaf clover. The cloverleaf can be found as a design feature at various locations in and around the building.

The day clinic area in the new building is directly adjacent to the day clinic in the portal building, creating 28 additional treatment units where medicinal therapies can be administered. As an essential feature, the new building also provides several communication areas, where interdisciplinary staff and patients can meet and exchange information.

Construction of the top floor confirmed

During the construction phase, the building was expanded to include an additional level, which will house an ONCO-INNOVATION-LAB. Similar to a think tank, this lab will enable teams in the fields of digital technologies and data sciences to work together to develop new strategies and technologies for treating cancer. A thank-you goes to the numerous donors and especially to the foundation of Beatrix and Heinz-Jürgen Preiss-Daimler for its donation of 600.000 euros, which laid the foundation for the realization of the upper floor. The DKFZ will provide an additional total of 2.5 million euros in funding for the NCT/UCC Dresden, which will be financed 90:10 by the federal government and the Free State of Saxony, as per the Helmholtz scale. As a result, the additional level can be completed by 2022.

With regard to the opening ceremony, Minister President Michael Kretschmer emphasizes: "Dresden has developed into an outstanding location for cancer research and cancer medicine. The NCT/UCC Dresden represents a milestone in the further expansion of the oncological research and treatment campus. Outstanding, dedicated scientists and state-of-the-art technology create the best conditions for further top-level research".

Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow adds: "Above all, it is the great joint commitment of all players that constitues the scientific excellence of this location. Science is making significant progress in the fight against cancer, in part thanks to the outstanding work being done here in Dresden".

The Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Thomas Rachel explains: "With the opening of this building, the distance from the laboratory to the hospital bed at the NCT will be even shorter. This will benefit all parties: Patients will be treated with the latest scientific knowledge and at the same time science will become more practical - in the truest sense of the word. 30 years after German reunification, Dresden has developed into a top location for cancer research and treatment. With the new NCT, Dresden provides a model for the development of personalized cancer treatment of the future and for other NCT locations that the BMBF will support".

"The new building gives the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden a very recognizable face to the outside world. The building expands the capacities of patient-oriented cancer research considerably on the campus of Dresden's university medicine. This will also benefit our patients directly. Within the scope of studies, they will benefit from the latest methods of diagnosis and therapy. In the future, these advances will benefit all cancer patients," says Prof. Michael Albrecht, Medical Director of Dresden University Hospital.

Prof. Michael Baumann, Chairman of the Board and Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center: "The goal of modern, personalized cancer medicine is to customize therapy and diagnostics to cancer patients much more individually than today's standards allow. The NCTs provide the necessary platform to accomplish this goal. In the new Dresden building, groundbreaking research will be achieved through close cooperation between physicians and scientists from university medicine, the DKFZ, and HZDR. The NCT location Dresden has close partnerships with many other top-class institutions. In combination with the network between the NCTs, this offers the opportunity to take a leading international role in clinical cancer research.

Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger, Rector of the TU Dresden: "We are pleased that the new building offers optimal research conditions for the young scientists trained at the TU Dresden. This enables excellent minds to work beyond disciplinary boundaries on the cancer treatment of tomorrow".

Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR): "The excellent imaging and radiation equipment in the new building provides us with the best conditions to further improve radiation therapy and to develop new radioactive drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. We are pleased to further advance the close cooperation of our Helmholtz colleagues with the German Cancer Research Center and with our local partners at the TU Dresden and the University Hospital within the excellent infrastructural conditions".

Press Contact:

Dr. Anna Kraft
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Dresden Press and public realtions work

Phone: +49 351 458-5548
anna.kraft@nct-dresden.de
www.nct-dresden.de