About Us

We are an international team of scientists from more than 30 nations dedicated to investigating the basic physical and biochemical processes in the cells (physiology) at the molecular level. Our research is interdisciplinary: Altogether, we are around 150 researchers, including biologists, biochemists, chemists, physicists and theoreticians.
The spectrum of our topics encompasses the investigation of mechanisms that control cell growth, muscular movement, signal transduction, and the causes of cancer. We develop substances with which cellular processes in the organism can be targeted and influenced, and which may lead to the discovery of new drugs. 

Independent - We are an institute of the Max Planck Society. It is a non-profit organization and one of the leading German institutions in the field of basic research. Like each of its total of 83 institutes, we are free and independent in the selection and implementation of our research tasks. We have our own, self-managed budget, which can be supplemented by project funds from a third party. 

Publicly financed - A large part of our budget comes from public funds, half of which is supplied by the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. 

Non-profit - The main focus of our work is on basic research, i.e. on the pursuit of new knowledge in the service of society, without an industry or commercial orientation. 

Ambitious - The Max Planck Society places great emphasis on excellence: It only appoints top international researchers to its institutes. These determine their own research topics, benefit from the best working conditions and have a free hand in the selection of their staff. To ensure high quality and productivity over the long term, all institutes are regularly scientifically evaluated and advised by external experts. 

Effective - The results of our work are reflected each year in numerous scientific publications as well as in several patents. 

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