Research report 2005 - Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Genome-wide Screens as a systematic approach to study key mechanisms in biology

Authors
Buchholz, Frank; Kittler, Ralf; Putz, Gabriele; Pelletier, Laurence; Poser, Ina; Heninger, Anne-Kristin; Drechsel, David; Fischer, Steffi; Konstantinova, Irena; Habermann, Bianca; Grabner, Hannes; Yaspo, Marie-Laure; Himmelbauer, Heinz; Korn, Bernd; Neugebauer, Karla; Pisabarro, Maria Teresa
Departments

Buchholz: Normale und gestörte Blutbildung bei Säugetieren (Dr. Frank Buchholz)
MPI für molekulare Zellbiologie und Genetik, Dresden

Summary
Genom-wide screens are a major and significant part in modern biology. They provide a perfect tool to study the function of various genes with clinical relevance and in key mechanisms in the cell. The Max Planck Institute for molecular cell biology and genetics (MPI-CBG) has built up a Screening Facility that serves as a European screening resource for the research community. An esiRNA screen in human cells performed by the research group of Frank Buchholz has identified genes essential for cell division. Results like that have major clinical relevance, and a medical implication especially for cancer research, since malfunctions of the mechanisms underlying cell division are the cause for cancer. The MPI-CBG has found the right partners to build up this screening project – Dr. Ivan Baines, Director of Services and Facilities at the MPI-CBG, brought together expertise from the industry and excellent basic research to form a new model that is well-equipped to find answers to the very complex questions in modern biology.

For the full text, see the German version.

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