Virtual anniversary conference to celebrate 15 years of CRTD

The Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at the TU Dresden celebrated its 15^th anniversary. The online anniversary conference brought together 30 speakers and over 200 registered participants from all over the world.

The celebration of the 15^th anniversary of the founding of CRTD took place in the virtual space. This was the safest solution for bringing everyone together during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A celebratory on-site event will take place in September.

Two days, six thematic panels, and 30 speakers
The six thematic sessions reflected the research foci at the CRTD: retina, neuroscience, diabetes, bone, regeneration, and hematology/stem cell. The sessions were filled with fascinating research results presented by the members of CRTD’s scientific advisory board, international speakers as well as CRTD research group leaders. The conference had a relaxed and familial atmosphere. Several of the speakers are long-time colleagues and collaborators.

© CRTD

In between the panels, the participants joined virtual poster sessions, where PhD students and postdocs presented their most recent results. Additionally, every day featured flash talks as well as online seminars given by the conference sponsors.

15 years of regeneration research
The CRTD anniversary conference was opened by Prof. Federico Calegari, the CRTD managing director and research group leader. In his speech, Prof. Calegari looked back at the 15 years of CRTD development and highlighted the milestones.

© TUD/Magdalena Gonciarz

“CRTD prospers because of its exceptional employees – people dedicated to science and the mission of understanding the stem cell biology of regeneration towards development of new therapies. CRTD also thrives as part of the Dresden Life Science campus providing fruitful collaborations with the DRESDEN-concept partners,” said Prof. Calegari. “We’re looking ahead with an excitement to the next decades of successful scientific projects!”

About the CRTD
The CRTD was founded in 2006 as a research center of the German Research Foundation (DFG) with a mission to gain fundamental understanding of stem cell biology and tissue regeneration and to use this knowledge to develop better models for diseases, as well as lay the groundwork for new diagnostics and therapies for human health.

The research center is located in Dresden Johannstadt, in close proximity to the university clinic. This aligns with the mission of the CRTD and the fact that the research center links the bench to the clinic, i.e., scientists to clinicians. Over the years, the CRTD has had the opportunity to contribute its expertise in stem cells, gene-editing, and regeneration towards the development of innovative therapies for metabolic, osteo-hematological, and neurological diseases.

The milestones in the 15 years of the CRTD:

• 2006 - the CRTD is founded as a research center of the German Research Foundation (DFG FZ 111)
• 2006 – the CRTD receives the title of Cluster of Excellence (EXC 168) by the Federal Excellence Initiative
• 2010 – start of the Master’s course Regenerative Biology and Medicine
• 2012 -  the CRTD is confirmed as a DFG Research Center and a Cluster of Excellence for further five years
• 2016 – the CRTD, together with the B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering and the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), becomes part of the central TU Dresden unit the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB)
• 2019 - the funding of CRTD is taken over by the TU Dresden and the Free State of Saxony