NCT Heidelberg
vom 04.08.2020

Milestone in the expansion phase of the NCT Heidelberg reached

With the expansion of the NCT Heidelberg, the state of Baden-Württemberg is creating more space for translational cancer research and the treatment of oncological patients. Thanks to the financial support of the Baden-Württemberg government, the NCT Heidelberg will have more than 2,500 square metres of floor space available to it from 2022 onwards. The completion of the structural work is an important milestone in the expansion phase. Building owner is the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the German Cancer Aid (DKH).

"Last year, we were able to treat around 17,000 patients at the NCT Heidelberg. The number of patients and the intensive research activities are the reason why we need to expand our spatial capacities," said Dirk Jäger, Managing Director at the NCT Heidelberg and Head of Medical Oncology at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD).

According to the plans of the architects Behnisch, the NCT Heidelberg laboratory wing will be expanded to the north on all three levels. The ground floor of this extension will house a day clinic with ten places, in which phase 1 studies will be carried out. Two laboratory areas are located above it. In addition, a three-storey new building will be constructed between the clinical area of the two day hospitals and the street Im Neuenheimer Feld. Offices and seminar rooms will be located here

"The NCT is a trend-setting institution for the transfer of new research results from the laboratory to the clinic. With this expansion, we are ensuring that the NCT Heidelberg will continue to have an ideal infrastructure for patient-oriented top-level research," said Michael Baumann, Chairman of the DKFZ Board of Directors. "The NCT building combines all oncological activities on the Heidelberg campus. Here, translational researchers and oncological doctors come together in tumor boards across disciplines and develop innovative clinical studies that are relevant for patients.

The extension, which will be carried out without interrupting patient and research activities, will increase the floor space from 5,565 to 8,131 square metres. The total costs of the expansion of 20 million will be borne by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The furniture and medical and scientific equipment will be provided by the NCT Heidelberg, the DKFZ and the UKHD. The completion of the NCT extension is planned for early 2022.

"The spatial expansion of the NCT Heidelberg provides us with an ideal environment to rethink cancer medicine. For example, we are investigating how a molecular analysis of malignant tumours and their microenvironment can open up new clues for individual treatments. We will continue our intensive research in this and many other areas over the next few years," said Stefan Fröhling, Managing Director at the NCT Heidelberg and head of Translational Medical Oncology at the DKFZ.

"The NCT is a success story of the Heidelberg Medical Campus. The expansion of the building will further improve the environment for patients, staff and visitors and strengthen the possibilities of personalized cancer medicine. I am already looking forward to this," said Ingo Autenrieth, Chief Medical Dicrector at the UKHD.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NCT Heidelberg is refraining from the traditional celebration of a topping-out ceremony.

Images for the press release are available free of charge on the Internet at

https://www.nct-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/media/nct-heidelberg/news/Meldungen/Bilder/NCT_Baustelle_13.jpg
BU: With the completion of the shell construction work, an important milestone in the expansion phase of the NCT Heidelberg has been reached. Copyright: NCT Heidelberg / Jutta Jung

https://www.nct-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/media/nct-heidelberg/news/Meldungen/Bilder/Aussenperspektive_NCT.jpg 
BU: This is what the NCT Heidelberg will look like after the expansion. Copyright: Behnisch

https://www.nct-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/media/nct-heidelberg/news/Meldungen/Bilder/NCT_Baustelle_03.jpg
BU: Managing Director of the NCT Heidelberg (from left to right) Prof. Stefan Fröhling, Prof. Jürgen Debus, Prof. Peter Lichter, Prof. Dirk Jäger

Press contact:
Dr. Friederike Fellenberg
National Center for Tumor Diseases Heidelberg (NCT)
Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 460
69120 Heidelberg
Tel.: +49 6221 56-5930
Fax: +49 6221 56-5350
Email: friederike.fellenberg@nct-heidelberg.de
www.nct-heidelberg.de

Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Communications and Marketing
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
Tel.: +49 6221 42-2843
Fax: +49 6221 42-2968
Email: s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
www.dkfz.de

Doris Rübsam-Brodkorb
Heidelberg University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg
Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 672
69120 Heidelberg
Tel.: +49 6221 56-5052
Fax: +49 6221 56-4544
Email: doris.ruebsam-brodkorb@med.uni-heidelberg.de
www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de
 

National Center for Tumor Diseases Heidelberg (NCT)
The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and German Cancer Aid. The NCT's goal is to link promising approaches from cancer research with patient care from diagnosis to treatment, aftercare and prevention. This is true for diagnosis and treatment, follow-up care or prevention. The interdisciplinary tumor outpatient clinic is the central element of the NCT. Here, the patients benefit from an individual treatment plan prepared in interdisciplinary expert rounds, so-called tumor boards. Participation in clinical studies provides access to innovative therapies. The NCT thereby acts as a pioneering platform that translates novel research results from the laboratory into clinical practice. The NCT cooperates with self-help groups and supports them in their work. Since 2015, the NCT Heidelberg has maintained a partner site in Dresden. The Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ) was established in Heidelberg in 2017. The pediatric oncologists at KiTZ work together in parallel structures with the NCT Heidelberg.

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) with its more than 3,000 employees is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany. More than 1,300 scientists at the DKFZ investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors and search for new strategies to prevent people from developing cancer. They are developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to all questions on cancer.
Jointly with partners from the university hospitals, the DKFZ operates the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg and Dresden, and the Hopp Children's Tumour Center KiTZ in Heidelberg. In the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), one of the six German Centers for Health Research, the DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partner locations. NCT and DKTK sites combine excellent universtity medicine with the high-profile research of the DKFZ. They contribute to the endeavor of transferring promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improving the chances of cancer patients.
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD)
Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) is one of the most important medical centers in Germany; Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty is one of Europe's most prestigious biomedical research facilities. Their shared objective is the development of innovative diagnostics and treatments and their prompt implementation for the benefit of the patient. The hospital and faculty employ approximately 13,000 individuals and are involved in training and qualification. Every year approximately 65,000 patients are treated as inpatients and 56,000 as day patients in more than 50 specialized clinical departments with around 2,000 beds, with more than 1 million patients being treated as outpatients. Together with the German Cancer Research Center and German Cancer Aid, the Heidelberg University Hospital established The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg as the leading oncology center of excellence in Germany. The Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is at the forefront of medical training in Germany. At present 3,700 aspiring physicians and doctors are studying in Heidelberg.