Friedrich Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Faculty of Medicine

Degree Programme in Molecular Medicine

The University of Erlangen-Nürnberg

University of Erlangen-Nürnberg is a Bavarian state university. With its eleven faculties - nine of which are in Erlangen and two in Nürnberg -, with 250 chairs and a total staff of over 12,000, the University is the second largest in Bavaria and a major factor in research and teaching.
Erlangen (population: 100,000) is situated some 25 km north of Nürnberg, about 200 km north of Munich, and 180 km southeast of Frankfurt (Main). Direct fast train services (Intercity Express) are offered to Nürnberg, Munich, and Berlin. Nearest airport is Nürnberg (NUE, 20 km).

Molecular Medicine in Erlangen

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg is a major player in the field of interdisciplinary research in Molecular Medicine in Germany. Starting with the academic year 1999/2000, the Faculty of Medicine in Erlangen has implemented a four-year full-time degree programme in Molecular Medicine, leading to the 'Diploma' level qualification. The German 'Diploma' compares to the international Master of Science degree, and will permit admission to a three-year doctoral programme. The Diploma programme was converted to a 3-year Bachelor of Science programme and a consecutive 2-year Master of Science programme in 2007.

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Scope of Molecular Medicine: Research and Application 

With impressive advances in DNA diagnosis and protein expression, Molecular Medicine has deeply influenced research in clinical medicine. Currently, this development extends to general medicine and is more and more reshaping pharmaceutical industry. Molecular genetics methods have changed the diagnosis of hereditary diseases. As the combination of genetics and functional analysis of gene products will allow a deeper understanding of pathogenesis, Molecular Medicine will be even more important in the future. Nevertheless, many procedures in therapy have not kept pace with the developments in molecular diagnosis. Precise genetic analyses have been confronted by a still insufficient knowledge about the function and influence of pathological the gene products encoded. Thus, there is an urgent demand to carry new insights in molecular structure-actitivity relationships to the development of effective ttherapeutical procedures.

Erlangen: Medical Research Centers Focussing on Molecular Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg has grown into a German national centre for clinical-orientated molecular biology research. Besides the "Inter-disciplinary Centre for Clinical Research" (IZKF) funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg operates four of the special national research centres, the so-called 'Sonderforschungsbereiche' supported by the German Research Council, Deutsche Forschungsmeinschaft (DFG). Once obtained, funds supporting these interdisciplinary orientated research centres run for 12 years and are very substantial. In a nation-wide ranking of research funds recently published by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg's Faculty of Medicine was placed in a front position.

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Different Philosophies Meet in Molecular Medicine

Graduates of biochemistry, biology, chemistry, and physics are often much better prepared for the methodology of Molecular Medicine than medically qualified doctors. On the other hand, such graduates frequently lack the conceptual approach appropriate to Molecular Medicine: for example, mechanisms of pathogenesis, infectology, and pharmacology are not offered within the syllabus in biology and biochemistry. Moreover, philosophy and working patterns are very different in clinics and research laboratories: The problem-oriented and practical thinking of clinicians contrasts the abstract, reductionist and highly focused approach of experimental researchers. Physicians without any experience in research techniques often have difficulties understanding the basic experimental principles of their colleagues who graduated in natural sciences. The consequence is that Molecular Medicine finds itself in a dilemma: Molecular Medicine represents an overlap between medical and natural science disciplines, but has not been able to offer mutually recognised qualifications. That is exactly where full course of the Degree Programme in Molecular Medicine comes in.

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Aims and objectives for the Molecular Medicine programme  

The innovative degree programme in Molecular Medicine tries to combine the methodology of molecular biology with the contents and topics of experimental medicine. The University of Erlangen-Nürnberg has introduced this new study programme in Molecular Medicine in the academic year 1999/2000. The course will enable students to work academically and practically in medical research, laboratory diagnosis, and medical biotechnology. This programme will be offered as a three-year full-time programme, resulting in a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Medicine and a consecutive 2-year Master of Science programme. Graduates will be able to enter doctoral research after graduation. Each winter term, 40 Bachelor of Science students will be admitted.

Possible fields of occupational activities for graduates of Molecular Medicine include:

In addition to the fundamentals of chemistry, physics and statistics, the undergraduate phase covers anatomy, histology, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology and virology. At the end of the undergraduate phase, student will take an undergraduate exmination, which comprizes six oral examinations covering the various fields of study of this phase and will submit a written Bachelor thesis.

Graduate phase (Master of Science programme)
During the graduate phase, classes in Molecular Medicine will mostly be taught in English. Course work will largely focus on original research papers and projects. Ths following subjects will be covered:

• Molecular Pathology:
  Class work will cover general pathology, pathobiochemistry, pathophysiology and the molecular basis of disease. Practicals will introduce students into advanced laboratory methods in molecular diagnosis (including e.g., methodology in clinical chemistry, cell physiology methods, patch clamp techniques, indicator and radiology techniques).
  
  
• Molecular and cell biology:
  Structure of the cell, molecular regulation of cell functions, gene transfer, cell biology laboratory techniques covering cell culture, cloning, cell sorting, molecular morphology techniques such as in situ-hybridisations, confocal laser scanning microscopy, electromicroscopy.
  
  
• Bioanalysis / biotechnology:
  Methodology of laboratory analysis, biological chemical and physical basics.
  
  
• Bioinformatics:
  Algorithms of molecular biological and genetic data analysis, like BLAST, FASTA, structure of databases such as EBI, NCBI, OMIM.
  
  
• Experimental pharmacology:
  Systematic analysis of pharmacological and toxicological drugs, and molecular approaches to influencing cell functions.
  
  
• Molecular human genetics.
  
  
• Neurobiology:
  Molecular and cellular components of the nervous system, its physiology and pathology.
  
  
• Microbiology and Immunology:
  Systematic analysis of infectious diseases and the pathomechanisms involved, bacterio-logical and virological methods such as culture and cloning techniques. Normal and patho-logical mechanisms of immune reactions.
  
  
• Reproduction biology and laboratory animal science.
  
• History of science and ethics.

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How to apply for Molecular Medicine

In Erlangen, the academic year starts on third Monday in October. Regular admissions to the Molecular Medicine programme are possible only at the beginning of the academic year, and the application deadline is July 15. Additional information is available from the University.

For admission details, please visit the Admission Department's homepage.

For further details on studies at Erlangen, please visit the homepage of the university in English.

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Contact

For further information, please turn to:

Cord-Michael Becker, M.D.
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine,
Chairman, Institute for Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer-Center
University of Erlangen-Nürnberg
MolMed@biochem.uni-erlangen.de

Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Gündel
Informations- und Beratungszentrum für Studiengestaltung und Career Service (IBZ)
Schlossplatz 3 / Corner Halbmondstrasse 6-8, Raum 1.032
91054 Erlangen
Tel. +49 - (0) 9131 / 85-24051
Fax.+49 - (0) 9131 / 85-22131
juergen.guendel@zuv.uni-erlangen.de

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