In 1987 Hans Lehrach and Günther Zehetner founded the Reference Library / Primary Database at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London. The RLDB distributed macroarrays generated at the ICRF to research groups worldwide. The macroarrays consisted of clones of genomic and cDNAlibraries transferred to 22 × 22 cm nylon filters with the help of robots which have been developed by Zehetner at the ICRF. Experimental results done with the standardized materials were reported back by researches and collected in the Primary Database. In early 1995 the RLDB was moved to Berlin to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, where it continued its work. In the summer of 1995, the Resource Centre was established as part of the German Human Genome Project by Hans Lehrach, Günther Zehetner and Annemarie Poustka. As Resource Center/Primary Database it took over the work of the RLDB. It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in order to provide the materials free of charge to the members of the DHGP, while they were available to other researchers at cost prize. The RZPD became the largest database for genetic clones worldwide and was associated with many of the major national and international gene and genome research projects. The RZPD was one of only two distributors in Europe for IMAGE cDNA clones and also constructed its own plasmid, cosmid, YAC and cDNA libraries. Each clone was stored in a well of a 96 or 384 well microtiter plate, which were kept, while not used for spotting, in deep freezers at -80 °C. On 1 July 2000 the RZPD was converted into a Non-Profit-Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung. This company with limited liability was supported by three of the most important research companies in Germany: the Max Planck Society, the German Cancer Research Center and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. As scientific company members served Hans Lehrach, Annemarie Poustka, Jens Reich Matthias Uhlen and Harald zur Hausen. On 31 July 2007 the non-profit company was disbanded. A large part of the existing services was taken over by two new companies. ImaGenes and ATLAS Biolabs GmbH, which was co-founded by Lehrach with the former department heads of the RZPD, Uwe Radelof und Bernd Drescher.
Services
The scope of services was constantly expanded and included the provision of genomic cell clones and cDNA databases, cell cultures, microarrays, expression profiles, Affymetrix services and PCR offers. Data collected in the Primary Database were made available to compare experimental results by researches using the globally standardized material provided by the center.
Locations
The RLDB office in London was located in the main ICRF building at Lincoln's Inn Fields, Holborn and later moved to bigger premises in the adjacent Royal College of Surgeons building. In Berlin the RZPD was first located at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin-Dahlem and then moved to a nearby site at the Harnack road before the center relocated to its final location at the former building of the Empress Auguste Viktoria Infant Home in Heubnerweg in Berlin-Charlottenburg. The Neo-baroque building was constructed in the years 1907–1909 under the leadership of architect and Berlin City Commissioner for City PlanningLudwig Hoffmann established, while the planning was significantly influenced by the architect Alfred Messel. The small Heidelberg component of the center was located within the DKFZ.
