Albrecht Kossel Institute for Neuroregeneration
Encyclopedia
The Albrecht Kossel Institute for Neuroregeneration is a medical research hospital located in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It was formed from the neurobiological laboratory of the hospital for neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

 at the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...

, and it operates under the auspices of The University Clinic of Rostock.

The Institute conducts research into rare congenital metabolic illnesses such as Fabry's disease
Fabry's disease
Fabry disease is a rare X-linked recessive lysosomal storage disease, which can cause a wide range of systemic symptoms...

 and Gaucher's disease
Gaucher's disease
Gaucher's disease is a genetic disease in which a fatty substance accumulates in cells and certain organs.Gaucher's disease is the most common of the lysosomal storage diseases. It is caused by a hereditary deficiency of the enzyme glucosylceramidase. The enzyme acts on the fatty acid...

. It enjoys worldwide recognition as a diagnostic and treatment center for rare illnesses. Its stated area of research is neuroregeneration, the regrowth or repair of nervous tissue
Nervous tissue
Nervous tissue is one of four major classes of vertebrate tissue.Nervous tissue is the main component of the nervous system - the brain, spinal cord, and nerves-which regulates and controls body functions...

s and cells
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....

.

The Institute is named for Albrecht Kossel
Albrecht Kossel
Ludwig Karl Martin Leonhard Albrecht Kossel was a German biochemist and pioneer in the study of genetics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1910 for his work in determining the chemical composition of nucleic acids, the genetic substance of biological cells.Kossel...

, noted German biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...

, 1910 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...

, and graduate of the university.

Sifap

In 2007, the Institute initiated Sifap
Sifap
Sifap is a Pan-European study dedicated to investigating the correlation of juvenile stroke and a genetic disorder known as Fabry's disease. It was initiated by University of Rostock, Germany. In recruiting 5,000 patients aged 18 to 55 it will be the largest study on stroke in the young...

, a Pan-Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an study dedicated to investigating the correlation of juvenile stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 and a genetic disorder
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....

 known as Fabry's disease
Fabry's disease
Fabry disease is a rare X-linked recessive lysosomal storage disease, which can cause a wide range of systemic symptoms...

. The Institute will engage in professional cooperation with international partners in the fields of economics, science and research. The expected results are an improved understanding into the nature of juvenile stroke, and improvement in its therapeutic treatment.

Education and Research

The Institute works in close cooperation with national and international universities in the context of scientific cooperatives. The institute participates in LEUKONET, the German Leukodystrophy
Leukodystrophy
Leukodystrophy refers to a group of disorders characterized by dysfunction of the white matter of the brain. The leukodystrophies are caused by imperfect growth or development of the myelin sheath, the fatty covering that acts as an insulator around nerve fibers...

 network, which is run by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The Institute participates in and promotes the EuroStemCell project, an initiative of the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development
Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development
The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, also called Framework Programmes or abbreviated FP1 through FP8, are funding programmes created by the European Union in order to support and encourage research in the European Research Area...

 by the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

. In 2008, it hosted the 5th International Stem Cell School in Regenerative Medicine, an international academic conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...

.

The Institute also participates in the Graduiertenkolleg, a means of providing advanced training to medical researchers.

The Institute is one of only a few medical facilities in Germany that is authorized by the government to conduct human embryonic stem cell research.

External links

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