Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Researchers reveal how glycolysis drives early embryonic cell decisions

A new research field combining artificial intelligence and biomedicine is starting in Dresden

Movements and rearrangements of cells play a key role in shaping tissue

Dresden researchers connect imaging and genetic data to gain insights into the development of the pancreas

On September 4, 2023, Minister-President Michael Kretschmer and Max Planck President Patrick Cramer hosted a ceremonial event at the Kulturpalast in Dresden commemorating the 30-year success story of the Max Planck Society in Leipzig and Dresden. 

Meritxell Huch has led her own scientific department at the Max Planck Society since last year, making her one of the youngest directors in the organization’s history. However, the scientist was not born into her career.

For decades, few people were interested in the puncta that biologists observed when they examined cells under the microscope. Cliff Brangwynne and Anthony Hyman from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden were among the first researchers to study these mysterious phenomena in more detail.

Artists and architects of all eras have been inspired by symmetry in nature. This is hardly surprising, as symmetry is considered the epitome of beauty – and mirror symmetry is the absolute gold standard. Jochen Rink from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden is seeking to discover how organisms define the mirror plane and thereby fulfill the basic prerequisite for a symmetrical body structure. To do this he studies flatworms and their astonishing ability to regenerate missing body parts.

Many biomolecules move through cells like microscopic machines. Often, however, it isn’t known what forces these molecules generate or how fast the molecules act or move. That’s why Stephan Grill from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden decided to specialize in measuring molecular forces. He uses optical tweezers to pull gently on DNA strands. His method is shedding light on the proteins that read genetic information.

Eugene W. Myers never attended a biology lecture. Nevertheless, he made a career for himself in this field, and by developing a computer program, made a major contribution to decoding the human genome. The bioinformatician has recently become a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and at the Center for Systems Biology in Dresden.

Anne Grapin-Botton’s research group focuses on how single cells act communally to generate an organ. Together with colleagues from the Novo Nordisk Foundation at University of Copenhagen, she and her team used a special method to watch both the activity of the gene Neurogenin 3 and the protein it makes in human pancreas cells. The researchers developed a methodology that can link the dynamic behaviors of pancreatic cells observed in live imaging movies to all the genes they express. This will contribute to a better understanding of how the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas develop. 

The Nadler lab develops chemical probes that can be used to study the function of lipids or fats in cell biology. Using these tools, they are now able to address a number of fundamental questions in membrane biology: Why do biological membranes exhibit an asymmetric lipid distribution? How does the cell direct lipid molecules with extremely variable structural properties to the correct organelle membranes? How are lipids moved across membrane contact sites? How do lipids interact with proteins in cellular signaling cascades? 

Our research group at MPI-CBG focuses on tissue regeneration. Together with colleagues from Cambridge, our team has found that a regulatory cell type - mesenchymal cells - can activate or stop liver regeneration. This is achieved by the number of contacts these establish with the regenerating cells (epithelial cells). Our findings suggest that mistakes in the regeneration process, which can give rise to diseases, are caused by the wrong number of contacts between both cell populations. 

Our Lab is focused on mimicking cellular processes with synthetic systems. In collaboration with the MPI of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI) we have developed a minimal synthetic cell, a simpler system compared to biological cells. This tunable synthetic system presents new exciting possibilities in addressing fundamental questions in biology.

Which differences in the genome underlie differences in the characteristics of species is a central question in genetics and evolutionary biology. Our group develops computational methods to accurately detect functional differences in genomes. As our studies have  shown, gene loss is an important evolutionary mechanism. This research contributes to an understanding of how nature’s diversity evolved.