About the Authors

Svantje Tauber

Affiliations Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Institute of Immunology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

Katrin Paulsen

Affiliations Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Institute of Immunology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

Susanne Wolf

Affiliation Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Peggy Synwoldt

Affiliation Nycomed Germany Holding GmbH, Konstanz, Germany

Andreas Pahl

Affiliation Nycomed Germany Holding GmbH, Konstanz, Germany

Regine Schneider-Stock

Affiliations Institute of Pathology, Erlangen, Germany, Institute of Pathology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

Oliver Ullrich

oliver.ullrich@anatom.uzh.ch

Affiliations Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Institute of Immunology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany, Department of Machine Design, Engineering Design and Product Development, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany, Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Competing Interests

Nycomed GmbH is a partner of the graduate school “Research Training Group RTG 1331” (http://cms.uni-konstanz.de/rtg1331/introduction/general-profile-of-the-rtg-group/), funded by the German Research Foundation: The Research Training Group (RTG) is based on a collaboration between the University of Konstanz (UKN) and the research-driven pharmaceutical companies Nycomed and Boehringer-Ingelheim. The research program forges a link between basic molecular cell biology and the application and validation of model systems in biomedical research. A proven track-record in this translational approach is not only given by the partners from industry, but also by professors with a strong focus on cellular test systems in pharmacology-toxicology, and is further strengthened through a collaborative center on this topic (CAAT) together with Johns-Hopkins-University in Baltimore. The core academic groups with expertise in cell biology are also members of the new Graduate School Chemical Biology (KoRS-CB) supported by the German Exzellenzinitiative. The combined experience at the interface between basic and applied pharmaceutical research generates the profile of the graduate training program.” Therefore, the role of Nycomed GmbH is to support the scientific goals of the research program within its field of expertise and to contribute to the teaching program of the graduate school. Nycomed GmbH has no commercial interest in the (freely available compound) tested in this study. Peggy Synwoldt and Andreas Pahl are employed by Nycomed Germany Holding GmbH. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: ST OU RSS AP PS SW KP. Performed the experiments: ST PS KP SW. Analyzed the data: ST PS KP SW. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AP PS RSS SW KP. Wrote the paper: ST OU.