ABOUT US
We are the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG)
We do pioneering basic research. 500 curiosity-driven scientists from over 50 countries ask: How do cells form tissues? Our research programs span multiple scales of magnitude, from molecular assemblies to organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organisms.
HISTORY
The institute was officially founded in 1998, and in 1999 construction work began on the new institute building on the former tram depot on Pfotenhauerstraße. In 2001, the first research groups moved into the completed building. Today, around 500 scientists from all over the world work at the MPI-CBG on the question of how a complex organism can develop from a single cell.
The four founding directors already represented the international nature of the institute: Together the German neurobiologist Wieland Huttner, Anthony Hyman from Great Britain, Kai Simons from Finland and the Italian Marino Zerial built up the research location. In 2001, Australian Jonathon Howard was recruited from Seattle to complete the team. Ivan Baines from Great Britain built a central infrastructure to ensure that all research groups have access to the latest technologies and share resources wisely.
RESEARCH
Our mission – The fundamental scientific question asked at the MPI-CBG is: How do cells form tissues? To study this pivotal process, we investigate the molecular principles underlying cellular function and tissue morphogenesis. Our research program includes interdisciplinary approaches that span multiple scales of magnitude, from molecular assemblies, to organelles, cells, tissues, organs and organisms. These coordinated efforts have been bringing us closer to our ultimate goal, unraveling how organized tissue architectures emerge from complex interactions among individual molecules and cells.
Bridging scales, bridging disciplines
How cells form tissues has been the primary question driving research at the MPI-CBG since its inception. The common research principle of our groups at the MPI-CBG is to dissect fundamental cellular functions and identify their generalizability and uniqueness in development and evolution that result in diverse and distinct tissues and organisms. Our research program spans scales from molecules to organisms and continuously evolves new angles that reflect the vibrant and evolving landscape comprising our research groups. Importantly, the various research activities in the different research groups create a collaborative environment where interdisciplinary efforts come together to address common research questions.
Sharing Resources and Expertise
A key part of the MPI-CBG’s research strategy is to provide all researchers with state-of-the-art instrumentation and technology, assisted by experienced central scientific services and facilities. These facilities are also involved in the development and optimization of new technologies tailored to specific research projects.
From cells to organisms
The MPI-CBG was founded with the goal of bridging scales and bringing together cell and developmental biology. We focus on studying cell biological phenomena utilizing different animal and cell model systems. With organoids, human tissue biology has become accessible for study in a way that was not possible before. We can only understand how cells form tissues, our fundamental question, through a deep knowledge of cell biology.
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Physics and Mathematics
MPI-CBG is bringing physics, mathematics, computation and machine learning to solve biological questions. This interdisciplinary effort merges fundamental physics, mathematical theory, computer science and experiment together to truly explore how cells form tissues, the basic research question of the institute.
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Emergence in reconstituted systems
In addition to seeking to understand biology in living organisms, we exploit reconstituted systems where a few building blocks are brought together in vitro. The building blocks can be molecules or cells forming organoids. This enables to address the phenomena that emerge from building block interactions.
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