Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt am Main (DE)
Founded in 1914 with private funding and inspired by the legacy of the European Enlightenment, Goethe University (www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de) stands out as a pioneering “citizens’ university”—and the history of the university is one of openness and public participation. Today, Goethe University is one of the only universities in Germany that enjoys significant public funding alongside administrative autonomy and the ability to create a private endowment. The university was awarded 182,6 million euros of external funding, including funding under the state of Hesse Campaign for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE). With 520 Germany scholarships and a total of 937,000 euros in supporting donations, the university once more ranked top among German universities in this category.
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The Medical Faculty has four running Collaborative Research Centers, two Clusters of Excellence and many more scientific networks. All students enrolled at the Goethe University have full access to GRADE – The Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers. The Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Research Unit for Osteoarthritis in the Department of Orthopaedics (Friedrichsheim), at the University Hospital performs cutting-edge basic and clinical research in the field of orthopaedics.
Prof Frank Zaucke
Supervisor of DC4, Prof Zaucke is the is Head of Research at the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Research Unit for Osteoarthritis, Department of Orthopaedics (Friedrichsheim) at the Goethe University Frankfurt/Main in Germany. His main research interest is to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of extracellular matrix assembly and to define the contribution of extracellular matrices to tissue function and connective tissue pathologies with special regard to common and rare cartilage and bone diseases.
Dr Zsusa Jenei-Lanzl
Supervisor of DC5. Dr Jenei-Lanzl is a PostDoctoral researcher at the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Research Unit for Osteoarthritis and expert in cell biology and biochemical methods. Her research focuses on the contribution of the autonomic nervous system to osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). She investigates the effect of norepinephrine on various musculoskeletal tissues or cell types in vitro as well as the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system to joint degeneration in murine OA and IVDD models. She also initiated studies in order to analyze the autonomic status of patients suffering from OA or IVDD.