Friedrich Loeffler Institute

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), is the national research centre for animal health of Germany. The institute was founded in 1910 and named for its founder Friedrich Loeffler in 1952. The FLI is situated in Greifswald, on the Isle of Riems. Currently, the most modern animal health research facilities in the world are under construction for the FLI.

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute is directly subordinated to the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Its main subject is the thorough study of animal viral disease and other close subjects include molecular biology, virus diagnosis, immunology, and epidemiology. Federal laws of Germany make the FLI responsible for national and international control and research. The institute publishes its research, and cooperates with other national and international institutions and researchers.

Among the animal diseases under research are for instance foot and mouth disease, influenzavirus A, and avian influenza.

Currently, 330 people work for the FLI, and an additional 140 will be employed upon completion of the construction work. Until 2010, the 100th anniversary of the Institute, the FLI is expected to be the most up-to-date animal health research center in Europe. 260 Million Euros are spent by the Federal Government to built new laboratories and barns. Laboratories of the highest security level worldwide (L4) enable research activities on the most dangerous of viruses. Chancellor Angela Merkel will be present upon the start of construction works in October 2008.

Organisation

The FLI's president is Thomas C. Mettenleiter, who is also an extraordinarius at the University of Greifswald. The FLI consists of the following eleven institutions at seven different locations, some of which are to be relocated to Riems by 2010:

* Riems:
** Institute for Infektionsmedizin (IMED)
** Institute for Molecular Biology (IMB)
** Institute for Virus Diagnosis (IVD)
** Institut für neue und neuartige Tierseuchenerreger (INNT)
*Braunschweig
** Institute for Animal Food
*Celle:
** Institute for Animal Protection and Animal Husbandry
* Jena:
** Institute for Bacterial Infections and Zoonosis (IBIZ)
** Institute for Molecular Pathogenesis (IMP).
*Mariensee
**Institute for Farm Animal Genetics
* Tübingen:
** Institute for Immunologie
* Wusterhausen:
** Institute for Epidemiology (IfE)

External links

* [http://www.fli.bund.de www.fli.bund.de] Official website