With construction companies having finished securing the so-called Mittelrisalit - the protruding central part of the building - demolition work on the west wing of the historic Erlangen mental asylum (Heil- und Pflegeanstalt, Hupfla) is now starting. On the vacated site, the new Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM) is being built. Researchers from physics, mathematics, biology and medicine will use the building to search for new ways to treat diseases such as cancer, paraplegia or Covid-19. The laboratories and offices on five floors will provide space for about 180 employees. The Free State of Bavaria is investing around 57 million Euros in the project.

The city of Erlangen is planning to establish a learning and memorial site for the History and Ethics of Medicine in the remaining Mittelrisalit of the HuPfla. It will commemorate the victims of euthanasia crimes during National Socialism.