University of Freiburg Extends CRC/TRR 179 Research Project on Hepatitis Virus Infections

The German Research Foundation (DFG) continues to fund the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) CRC/TRR 179 “Causes and healing or chronification of infections with hepatitis viruses”.

A team led by Prof. Dr Robert Thimme, co-spokesperson of the CRC and Medical Director for the Department of Internal Medicine II (focus: gastroenterology, hepatology, endocrinology and infectiology) at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, is playing a leading role in the CRC/TRR 179, which has been funded by the DFG since 1 June 2016, with six sub-projects. Using the example of the various hepatitis viruses, the project is investigating the question of what determines whether infections heal in some patients but take a chronic course in most. The scientists also want to find out how this knowledge can be used for new therapeutic approaches – which is of great clinical importance in view of the more than 500,000 chronically infected people with hepatitis in Germany.

Funding of collaborative research centres

The aim of funding Collaborative Research Centres is to strengthen cutting-edge research at German universities. Collaborative Research Centres enable innovative, ambitious and long-term research projects to be carried out in a network and are thus intended to serve the development of priorities and structures at the applicant universities.