Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Based on our core competencies in chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacy, the research area Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is subdivided into the topics of infection research / structural biology, food chemistry, organic synthesis chemistry / medical chemistry, and theoretical and computer-aided (bio)chemistry. Scientists working in these areas cooperate closely with international colleagues and industry partners as well as with other research institutions in Hamburg such as the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), the Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (HPI), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), and the Research Center Borstel (FZB). Special opportunities for cooperation exist with the newly established Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) on the research campus in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, which focuses on basic research in the field of infection research. The work of scientists active in the research area Biochemistry and Molecular Biology leads to practical applications (infection research, drug design, bioassays) based on sound expertise in synthesis chemistry (natural substances, virustatics, antibiotics) and structure elucidation (structure and dynamics, ultrahigh-field NMR, X-ray structure analysis, electron microscopy). The interdisciplinary cooperation here in Hamburg provides the optimal basis for future collaborative projects. See the information on the individual research topics on the right for further details.