Understand What We Do
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From mammals to microorganisms such as bacteria or micro-algae, cells form the basis of all life. Cells consist of a multitude of different building blocks which are studied in biophysics. As a multidisciplinary field of research, biophysics combines biological, physical and chemical questions: How are particular cellular building blocks structured, how do they function, how do they behave under different conditions, and how do they interact with each other?
All cells are surrounded by a protective envelope, the membrane, which separates the inside from the outside of the cell. This membrane is permeable only to a few small substances. At the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, we are mainly interested in protein molecules that are located in this membrane. Being a connection between the cell interior and the fluid surrounding the cells, these membrane proteins control the transport of substances and the transfer of information within living organisms. Therefore, they play an important role when investigating body functions and diseases, or developing new drugs.
Our research teams constantly provide exciting new insights into the structure and function of membrane proteins, which help us to better understand and treat diseases such as covid-19 or tuberculosis.
Read more on our research projects here soon!
What Is Basic Research?
At Max Planck Institute of Biophysics we are dedicated to basic research. What is basic research about? Take a look at this explainer:
