Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG)

We do pioneering basic research. 500 curiosity-driven scientists from over 50 countries ask: How do cells form tissues? Our research programs span multiple scales of magnitude, from molecular assemblies to organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organisms.

Cell Biology

The MPI-CBG was founded with the goal of bridging scales and bringing together cell and developmental biology. For this reason, we focused heavily on studying cell biological phenomena utilizing different model systems. We can only understand how cells form tissues, our fundamental question, through a deep knowledge of cell biology.
more

Physics of Life

In order to understand the organization of life into molecules, cells, and tissues the MPI-CBG, as part of a collaboration, is bringing physics and biology together to solve biological questions. This interdisciplinary effort merges fundamental physics, theory, and experiment together to truly explore how cells form tissues, the basic research question of the institute.
more

Stem Cells and Organoids

Stem cells and organoids, as a model system, allows us to push forward our research into how cells form tissues. Studying tissues using organoids and the reconstitution of complex biochemical systems allow the creation of a framework of cell and tissue organization. With organoids, human tissue biology has become accessible for study in a way that was not possible before.
more

Latest News

BRAIN LOGISTICS: Missing link explains mRNA delivery in brain cells

Teams from MPI Institutes in Dresden, Dortmund, Frankfurt am Main and Göttingen have joined forces to gain the first evidence of a protein complex…

Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award for Gene Myers

Highest alumni honor of the California Institute of Technology for MPI-CBG Director Emeritus 

New method for micromanipulation goes into practice

With FLUCS, the development of embryos can be controlled

Alternative Fuel for String-Shaped Motors in Cells

Researchers from Dresden and Bangalore discover a unique two-component molecular motor that uses a kind of renewable chemical energy to pull vesicles…

Girls’ Day at the Institute

Information Day for a career in science

New tool facilitates clinical interpretation of genetic information

Max Planck and Harvard research teams develop DeMAG, a new method shared as an open-source web server (demag.org) to help interpret mutations in…

CD-CODE – Database and Encyclopedia for membraneless liquid droplets

Dresden researchers develop CrowDsourcing COndensate Database and Encyclopedia (CD-CODE), a community-editable platform and database of biomolecular…

Outstanding Paper Prize 2022

Study from Max Planck Berlin and Dresden researchers recognized as most exciting work published in the journal “Development.”

Eye color genes are critical for retinal health

Researchers from Dresden investigated how four Drosophila genes, known to control eye color, are essential for health of retinal tissue.