The Max PlanckInstitute of Experimental Medicine is located in Göttingen, Germany. It was founded as "Medizinische Forschungsanstalt der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft" in 1947, and integrated into the Max-Planck Society in 1948. The institute was renamed to its current name in 1965. It is one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society. Prof. Dr. Klaus-Armin Nave is currently the acting director of the institute. On July 8, 2020, both biomedical Max-Planck Institutes in Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry announced their merger in 2021. The merged institute may then get a new name.
Research
The research focus of the institute is on neuroscience. Research activities cover a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from basic molecular analyses of neuronal processes to clinical studies on novel therapies of neurological and psychiatric disorders in patients. The central aim of all these studies is to understand basic molecular and cellular processes in brain function, to analyze their pathological dysfunction in psychiatric and neurological diseases, and ultimately to develop novel therapies for these disorders.
Departments
Neurogenetics
The Department of Neurogenetics, led by Klaus-Armin Nave, uses transgenic techniques, natural and engineered mouse mutants and the tools of molecular and cellular biology to study neural development and the of neurodegenerative diseases. A major focus of their research is on neuron-glia interactions that result in the assembly of myelin in the nervous system. Neuronal processes exhibit signaling molecules that are recognized by Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes. These highly specialized glial cells wrap and electrically insulate axons in the peripheral and central nervous system, respectively. Myelin allows the fast propagation of electrical impulses, but glial cells are also required for axonal maintenance. This line of research helps us to understand the molecular mechanisms of human neurological diseases in which genetic mutations cause myelin loss and defects of motor and cognitive function.
The Department of Molecular Neurobiology, led by Nils Brose, focuses on molecular mechanisms of synapse development and function in the mammalian central nervous system. For that purpose, Molecular Neurobiology is combining protein biochemical, yeast genetic, cell biological, electrophysiological and morphological methods with mouse genetics to identify and characterize key molecules with functional roles in synaptogenesis, presynaptic neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic signal transduction pathways. The final aim of these studies is a detailed molecular understanding of synaptogenesis and synaptic transmission, which in turn will be useful for the design of therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric diseases that involve synaptic dysfunction.
