First joint life science experiment at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI)

The life sciences are characterised by cooperation between different disciplines. At THI, the spectrum ranges from biological and medical issues to technical applications, digital methods, and management topics.

To bring these perspectives together, the Digital Medicine Laboratory of the Faculty of Computer Science invited students from all life science courses to participate in a joint DNA experiment for the first time. Students and lecturers from the Computational Life Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, and Life Science Management study courses took part.

Under the guidance of Professor Ludwig Maximilian Lausser and Professor Kathrin Tissot-Daguette, the participants isolated DNA from strawberries. For many, it was their first practical work in a wet lab. At the same time, the experiment provided an opportunity to engage in dialogue with fellow students from other disciplines and learn about different approaches to scientific issues.

"All life sciences study courses are interdisciplinary, and our students will later work in mixed groups at the interfaces between biology, medicine, and the various technical disciplines," says Professor Ludwig Maximilian Lausser, academic advisor for Computational Life Sciences and spokesperson for the Digital Medicine Laboratory. "This makes it all the more important for them to familiarise themselves with related disciplines and think outside the box."

The Digital Medicine Laboratory specialises in practical courses offered in Computational Life Sciences and Medical Informatics. In particular, it supports the Computational Life Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, and Life Science Management study courses and teaches biological and medical principles as well as digital methods and technical procedures for analysing them.

The laboratory plays a special role within the THI: it is the only wet laboratory at the university where internships in microbiology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology can be carried out. Students work on projects from the lab bench to biomedical data analysis and AI-supported modelling and simulation.