General Information

Video

Unit 35b - SU Molecular Imaging and Marking

Research Focus

After we introduced the Flp-RMCE principle more than a decade ago, its application for the targeted integration of transgenes into cell lines and primary cells has been continuously expanded. Nowadays the technique is used for the predictable engineering of ES cells, and work on iPS cells will be initiated shortly. A highly prominent field of application has been opened up in the EUCOMM gene trap programme, whose ultimate aim is to tag and characterize the majority of genes in the mouse and human genomes. Prior experience of the functional organization of the type I interferon domain has been brought to bear in developing chromosome-based vectors. Among these, the design and exploitation of a minicircle (consisting of an actively transcribed gene and a scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR)) serves as a minimal model. It is unique in that it represents the first non-viral replicating episome free of prokaryotic vector sequences and selection markers (pFAR principle).

Collaborations

• C. Baum, A. Schambach, Hannover Medical School, SFB738, R.-J. Yáñez-Muñoz, G. Dickson, K. Foster, RHUL, London, CLINIGENE Nonviral Vector Platform, ‘Pseudotransduktion von Minicircles auf der Grundlage lentiviraler (IN-modifizierer) Systeme’ 
• U. Martin, T. Müller, Hannover Medical School, REBIRTH, Extending established lenti-shuttle systems to enable the transfer of expression cassettes also into minicircles or parental plasmids
• Z. Ivic, MDC Berlin, Construction of a transposon-containing expressing minicircle
• T. Cathomen, Charité Berlin/Hannover Medical School, D. Segal, UC Davis, Combining an established, specific Zn-Finger (ZnF) nuclease with our RMCE technology to develop novel and highly efficient ‘tag-and-exchange’ procedures 
• M. Grez, Georg Speyer Haus Ffm, Performing S/MARanalyses on integration sites of MLV-derived retroviral (RV-) vectors in patients 
• C. Benham, UC Davis, Genome-wide prediction, verification and modification of S/MAR elements

Further Research Projects

• DFG-SFB 738 ‘Innovative Transplantate’: Reversible cell modification using pseudoretroviral and epiretroviral transduction 
• CliniGene Network of Excellence (European Commission FP6 Research Program, contract LSHBCT- 2006-018933) (‘Nonviral Vector Platform’)

Teaching

• After 27 years of teaching the main courses in Biochemistry at the TU Braunschweig (until 2008) Juergen Bode started in 2008 lectures and tutorials on ‘Principles of Cell Engineering 2 und 3’ at the MHH together with Christopher Baum. These courses are part of the Ph.D. programme ‘Regenerative Sciences’.

Equipment and Service Facilities

[Please find a list of all available equipment here]

Publications

[Please find the publications of this workgroup here]

Staff