Bonn University

THE UNIVERSITY OF BONN, also known as Bonn University, is located in Bonn, Germany. It is a public research university with international collaborations, and is called in German Rheinische Friedrich—Wilhelms—Universität Bonn. It is one of Germany's largest universities, boasting famous intellectuals among its alumni, including Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx.

In 1818 Frederick William III of Prussia (Fried—rich Wilhelm in German) founded a new institution at Bonn to provide a university for the Rhineland area of Germany. The old university at Bonn had been founded in 1777 but was shut down during the French occupation of the Rhineland. Frederick William wanted to open a nonsectarian university with schools of both Roman Catholic and Protestant theology. Additionally, the university was given schools of law, medicine, and philosophy.

A major research institute at Bonn University today is the German Reference Center for Ethics in the Life Sciences, tailored after the Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) model of the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature. It was founded on January 1, 1999, and designed by the Institute for Science and Ethics (Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik).

Within the Faculty of Medicine, the Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, directed by Dr. Oliver Briistle, has four research groups focused on stem cells. The mission of the institute is to develop “novel stem cell—based therapies for diseases of the central nervous system.” For example, the Stem Cell Engineering Group, led by Dr. Frank Edenhofer, investigates the factors that determine whether a stem cell will self—renew or differentiate. Additionally, researchers in this [Page 42]group work to understand how to direct a stem cell population to differentiate into specific neural cell lines and thus harness stem cells for therapeutic uses.

At Bonn University, the Stem Cell Pathologies Group is investigating the link between stem cells and cancer

The Neural Regeneration Group, led by Dr. Harald Neumann, works to understand how microglia, or support cells in the brain, act as the brain's immune system; additional work focuses on guiding embryonic stem cell differentiation into microglia. This group was established in 2004. The Stem Cell Pathologies Group, led by Dr. Björn Scheffler, investigates the link between stem cells and cancer. Finally, the Neurodevelop—mental Genetics Group, led by Dr. Sandra Blaess, studies the genetic cues in differentiation stem cells, and how these cues may go awry in diseases of aging.

The Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology is a member of the European Consortium for Stem Cell Research (EuroStemCell) and the Stem Cell Network of North Rhine Westphalia Germany. It receives funding from public and private sources within Germany.