Alopecia Areata Germany e. V. 
Therapy and research
Tasks of the Institute for Human Genetics “Genetic mechanism of Alopecia Areata”. Summary of a lecture by PD Dr. Med. S. Redler, Bonn.
Our project is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Association) and for many years it has been supported by Alopecia Areata Germany (AAD registered association).
More than 2,000 patients are now taking part in our study, which makes it the world’s largest community of patients in this field. We are delighted to have AAD as our committed partner, who has helped us from the very beginning on our way to the great goal of identifying the causes of Alopecia Areata. Every year the AAD offers the opportunity to inform all participants about our study, to present our own scientific findings and to include further interested parties in our research study.
Basics
Tasks of an Institute for Human Genetics
Human genetics acts as a subject bridging the gap between clinical disciplines and different basic subjects in the fields of natural sciences and medicine. Human genetics plays an important role in the investigation of disease causes. The subject can be based on an unusually powerful explanatory theory. Diseases from quite different disciplines often have similarities or similar genetic mechanisms. In research, this peculiarity of human genetics has proved to be extremely fruitful. In addition, the Institute for Human Genetics assumes various functions in the field of health care, such as genetic counseling, consulting services in the university hospital and other clinics, molecular genetic diagnostics for a number of hereditary diseases, and cytogenetic diagnostics (e.g. chromosome analyzes).
The research projects overlap in part with tasks to be solved in the healthcare sector. This deliberate overlap has great advantages both for research and for healthcare. Teaching and further education are another important task of the institute and includes human genetic education for physicians, natural scientists, medical students and students of Biology, Molecular Biomedicine and Neurosciences.