1 WHO WE ARE

Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes in living organisms — from single-celled organisms to humans. Every movement, every thought and the seemingly most natural processes within the body are based on chemistry. Biochemistry, therefore, also makes a decisive contribution to understanding life itself and its basic processes.

In addition to metabolism and signal transduction in the organism, biomolecules — their structure, function and interaction — are the main focus of biochemical research. In particular, a lot of attention is given to proteins. These biological macromolecules are found in every cell where they have extremely diverse, vital functions and serve as natural, highly complex “molecular machines”.

Like all 86 institutes of the Max Planck Society (MPG), our institute is dedicated to basic research. As Nobel laureate and the founder of quantum physics Max Planck (1858–1947) emphasized, “knowledge must precede application”. Not only did he serve as president of our predecessor organization, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (KWG), but he also became the namesake of the MPG.

Following in the footsteps of Max Planck and other great scientists who came before us, our aim is to get to the bottom of natural phenomena and better understand biochemical relationships. In so doing, we have created numerous advances with practical applications, especially for medical diagnostics and therapy.

To achieve this, an interdisciplinary approach is crucial: our institute is a state-of- the-art center for life sciences and primarily employs scientists trained in biology, chemistry, physics, medicine and computer science, as well as a variety of non-scientific professional groups.