Four scientists from our institute – Patrick Cramer, Stefan Hell, Klaus-Armin Nave, and Johannes Söding – are on Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researchers 2025” list, placing them among the most cited scientists in their fields worldwide.
more
The CHAPEROME project, now awarded an ERC Synergy Grant, aims to uncover how molecular folding helpers – known as chaperones – work together with the translation machinery to keep cells functional and adaptable.
more
In a large interdisciplinary collaboration, researchers led by Noa Lipstein and Nils Brose have discovered a new developmental disorder that can be traced back to variations in the UNC13A gene.
more
Our institute’s art exhibition series Kunst am Fassberg returns after three years. From October 23 to November 24, abstract artist Birgit Egen will be exhibiting her work in an exhibition entitled FARBCODE.
more
Leishmania pathogens require the protein TKUL to maintain infection in host cells. TKUL combines two enzymes in one molecule. This structural peculiarity could be used for novel therapies.
more
The director and her team filmed the entire ovulation process in mouse follicles in real-time for the first time. For this decisive success in her field, she has been awarded the 2025 Science Breakthrough by the Falling Walls Foundation in the Life Sciences category. The jury selected her as the winner from 240 nominations.
more
Ubiquitin determines the fate of many proteins: It decides whether they remain active or are broken down, and which functions they perform. Acting as molecular tagging machines, ubiquitin ligases are indispensable in this process. They attach the small protein ubiquitin to the target proteins to be controlled. Researchers at the institute have now discovered that the human ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 can also tag externally added drug-like molecules.
more
The Lasker Foundation honors Dirk Görlich and the US-American Steven McKnight for “discoveries that exposed the structures and functions of protein sequences of low complexity, revealing new principles of intracellular transport and cellular organization”, the foundation announced. The prize is widely regarded as America’s preeminent biomedical research award and endowed with 250,000 US dollars.
more
More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus every year. The virus can pose a serious threat to newborns and people with weakened immune systems. Researchers in Hamburg and Göttingen have now generated a mini-antibody that neutralizes a protein essential for the infection.
more
Four Trainee Awards for our institute: Jannick Flottmann, Frederike Thiele, Yannick Trolldenier, and Sarah Zamzow receive the Max Planck Society’s award, worth 750 euros, for their outstanding achievements, personal development, and commitment. (in German)more
Cai Dieball, scientist at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences, and Björn Müller, researcher at the MPI for Solar System Research have been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal by the Max Planck Society for outstanding achievements in their dissertations.
more
The University of Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences have been successful in the competition for Germany’s most highly endowed research prize: Chemist Reinhard Maurer, nominated by the university and our institute, has been awarded a Humboldt Professorship. more
A team led by Bert de Groot has now applied molecular dynamics simulations to visualize how potassium ions pass through a potassium ion channel at atomic resolution for the first time. The simulations could help to better understand how ion channels are regulated or how potential drugs act on them.
more
The spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, launched in January 2025, is developing novel therapeutics to improve the quality of human egg cells. The compounds are intended to help women remain fertile for a longer time and to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
more
Researchers Victor Macarrón-Palacios, Elisa D‘Este, and Manfred Kilimann at the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg and our institute have discovered that the protein paralemmin-1 plays a key role in the organization of the membrane-associated periodic skeleton in nerve cells.
more
In a large interdisciplinary collaboration, researchers led by Noa Lipstein and Nils Brose have discovered a new developmental disorder that can be traced back to variations in the UNC13A gene.
more
Leishmania pathogens require the protein TKUL to maintain infection in host cells. TKUL combines two enzymes in one molecule. This structural peculiarity could be used for novel therapies.
more
Ubiquitin determines the fate of many proteins: It decides whether they remain active or are broken down, and which functions they perform. Acting as molecular tagging machines, ubiquitin ligases are indispensable in this process. They attach the small protein ubiquitin to the target proteins to be controlled. Researchers at the institute have now discovered that the human ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 can also tag externally added drug-like molecules.
more
More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus every year. The virus can pose a serious threat to newborns and people with weakened immune systems. Researchers in Hamburg and Göttingen have now generated a mini-antibody that neutralizes a protein essential for the infection.
more
A team led by Bert de Groot has now applied molecular dynamics simulations to visualize how potassium ions pass through a potassium ion channel at atomic resolution for the first time. The simulations could help to better understand how ion channels are regulated or how potential drugs act on them.
more
The spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, launched in January 2025, is developing novel therapeutics to improve the quality of human egg cells. The compounds are intended to help women remain fertile for a longer time and to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
more
Researchers Victor Macarrón-Palacios, Elisa D‘Este, and Manfred Kilimann at the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg and our institute have discovered that the protein paralemmin-1 plays a key role in the organization of the membrane-associated periodic skeleton in nerve cells.
more
Researchers led by Peter Lenart and Monica Gobran have discovered a previously unknown function of the protein kinase Plk1: It regulates the timely onset of cell division. When the protein is inhibited, cells start dividing many hours later. The new findings may help to improve approaches for cancer therapies.
more
A team led by Hauke Hillen has shown how the genetic material of the Nipah virus replicates in infected cells. The virus can cause fatal encephalitis in humans. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team was able to visualize the three-dimensional structure of the viral “copying machine”. more
A woman's egg cells are already formed in her body before she is born. However, with increasing age, DNA damage accumulates in the cells. Researchers have revealed why the cell’s own repair mechanisms do not fix this damage.
more
A Göttingen research team has discovered a molecular “spring” that opens ion channels in the sensory hair cells of the ear. Their findings shed new light on our understanding of the sense of hearing and the function of ion channels.
more
A team of researchers led by Stefan Hell has increased the resolution in fluorescence microscopy by a factor of 30 without switching fluorescent molecules sequentially into a fluorescent and a non-fluorescent state. By using an illumination beam with a zero-intensity stripe (node) in the beam they were able to separate constantly emitting molecules down to distances of a few nanometers.
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Researchers have succeeded in visualizing the entire process of ovulation in mouse follicles in real-time for the first time. The new live imaging technique allows to study ovulation with high spatial and temporal resolution and opens up new possibilities in fertility research.
more
A team led by Steffen Sahl and Stefan Hell from the MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg has succeeded in using the MINFLUX microscopy method to measure distances within biomolecules down to 1 nanometer, with Ångström precision.more
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. Researchers have now shown: It is not only nerve cells that produce the protein beta-amyloid, which clumps together to form harmful plaques in the brain of patients, damaging nerve cells. Glial cells also produce the protein and contribute to plaque formation.more
Our institute’s art exhibition series Kunst am Fassberg returns after three years. From October 23 to November 24, abstract artist Birgit Egen will be exhibiting her work in an exhibition entitled FARBCODE.
more
The spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, launched in January 2025, is developing novel therapeutics to improve the quality of human egg cells. The compounds are intended to help women remain fertile for a longer time and to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
more
Nine renowned scientists will present their new non-fiction books on current topics such as artificial intelligence and climate change in Göttingen’s Paulinerkirche from October 18 to 27 as part of this year’s scientific lecture seriesat the Göttinger Literaturherbst. (in German)more
Guests from politics, industry, and science joined the institute to celebrate the construction of the new tower 7 at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. (in German)more
The new building will provide space for three departments and replace tower 6, which is in need of refurbishment. Preparatory work is currently underway to set up the construction site. The actual construction phase should start in November 2024 and be completed by July 2027. The state of Lower Saxony supports the new building with 34 million euros from zukunft.niedersachsen. The total costs will be about 40 million euros.
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From October 27 to November 5, renowned researchers and authors will report on their exciting findings in astronomy, biology, the humanities, and social sciences in the scientifc lecture series Wissenschaftsreihe beim Göttinger Literaturherbst. The lectures in the Paulinerkirche in Göttingen begin at 7 pm. (in German)
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For the fourth time, scientists from the four Max Planck Institutes in Göttingen will visit secondary schools in the city on January 26. There, they report on their daily work and provide unique insights into current research topics. (in German)
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The former Managing Director of the caesar Research Center (since 2022 MPI for the Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar) will continue to research on how living cells process signals in Göttingen with an emeritus group. His team wants to understand how cells perceive stimuli and respond physiologically. (in German)
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The exhibition “Glanzlichter” (“Highlights”) promises a reunion with the artists who have presented their works in the series Kunst am Fassberg over the past 20 years. The opening ceremony takes place on Saturday, October 22 at 4 pm. (in German)more
From October 28 to November 6, internationally renowned researchers and authors will report in the scientifc lecture serious Wissenschaftsreihe beim Göttinger Literaturherbst on current challenges of our time − such as the development of vaccines, the shaping of the energy transition, migration, and environmental protection. The lectures in the Göttingen Paulinerkirche begin at 7 pm. (in German)
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On January 1, 2022, the former Max Planck Institutes (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry and for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen merged to form our new institute. Last Friday, we celebrated the foundation with high-ranking guests from politics, industry, and science. (in German)
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The Society’s Senate unanimously appointed the Managing Director of our institute as new President-elect for the term of office from 2023 to 2029. He will take over the role in June 2023 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Max Planck Society in Göttingen.
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The Max Planck Institutes for Biophysical Chemistry and Experimental Medicine have merged as of January 1, 2022. The new Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences will cover a much broader spectrum of research, thus promoting disciplinary diversity and collaboration. With a total of 16 departments and more than 25 research groups, the new MPI will be the largest institute in the Max Planck Society. more
Four scientists from our institute – Patrick Cramer, Stefan Hell, Klaus-Armin Nave, and Johannes Söding – are on Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researchers 2025” list, placing them among the most cited scientists in their fields worldwide.
more
The CHAPEROME project, now awarded an ERC Synergy Grant, aims to uncover how molecular folding helpers – known as chaperones – work together with the translation machinery to keep cells functional and adaptable.
more
The director and her team filmed the entire ovulation process in mouse follicles in real-time for the first time. For this decisive success in her field, she has been awarded the 2025 Science Breakthrough by the Falling Walls Foundation in the Life Sciences category. The jury selected her as the winner from 240 nominations.
more
The Lasker Foundation honors Dirk Görlich and the US-American Steven McKnight for “discoveries that exposed the structures and functions of protein sequences of low complexity, revealing new principles of intracellular transport and cellular organization”, the foundation announced. The prize is widely regarded as America’s preeminent biomedical research award and endowed with 250,000 US dollars.
more
Four Trainee Awards for our institute: Jannick Flottmann, Frederike Thiele, Yannick Trolldenier, and Sarah Zamzow receive the Max Planck Society’s award, worth 750 euros, for their outstanding achievements, personal development, and commitment. (in German)more
Cai Dieball, scientist at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences, and Björn Müller, researcher at the MPI for Solar System Research have been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal by the Max Planck Society for outstanding achievements in their dissertations.
more
The University of Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences have been successful in the competition for Germany’s most highly endowed research prize: Chemist Reinhard Maurer, nominated by the university and our institute, has been awarded a Humboldt Professorship. more
Prime Minister Stephan Weil presents the award to the physicist for his achievements and contributions in the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). (in German)more
Stefan Hell receives the highest award from the state of Lower Saxony for his many years of scientific achievements and his outstanding contribution to the research landscape in Lower Saxony. (in German)more
Frauke Alves and her team at NanoDrug Delivery GmbH have won the Lower Saxony Innovation Award in the category “Knowledge and Technology Transfer”. The spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, the University Medical Center Göttingen, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology develops so-called nanoparticles that transport drugs precisely into tumor tissue, for example. (in German)more
Alec Wodtke, Liv Hornekær, Varun Verma, and Peter Saalfrank receive a Synergy Grant from the European Research Council worth 12 million euros over six years for their research project IRASTRO.
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Ida Marie Astad Jentoft and Panagiotis Poulis from our institute and Yuto Bekki from the MPI for Solar System Research receive the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding achievements in their dissertations. Jentoft is also honored with the Otto Hahn Award.more
Markus Zweckstetter, research group leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Göttingen and at our institute, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant. He will use the approximately 2.5 million euros to research the biomolecular mechanisms involved in Alzheimer’s disease. (Press release by the DZNE)more
The Louis-Jeantet Foundation honors our Director for discovering a new kind of biological matter that acts as a highly selective barrier to control central transport pathways in the cell. He has made groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the processes by which macromolecules are transported into and out of the cell nucleus, the foundation said.
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