Molecules against illnesses

The Zebra fish is pretty to look at; however, his beautiful patterns are of lesser interest to the scientists of the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg. Here, at the Spemann Graduate School, Sungmin Song analyzes the embryos of the agile fishes. He takes advantage of the fact that the development from germ cell to embryo does not take more than 24 hours. Furthermore, the fish is transparent for quite some time during this phase. Hereby, similarities to human growth can be seen. For instance, the Zebra fish also has a spinal column. The competence center “Fragile Skin” engages in trying to devise therapies for patients with a vulnerable skin or other skin diseases. The main research here is trying to unravel mechanisms leading to illness skin dysfunction. Dr. Johannes Kern is one of the graduates and works with mice; he develops cell-based therapies for patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa, the so called “Butterfly Children”. The Spemann Graduate School for Biology and Medicine offers an interdisciplinary program, international cooperation and a wide spectrum of expertise.