Research

The aims of the research at SYNMIKRO are a better understanding of the molecular, biochemical, cellular and ecological functions of microorganisms and the construction of synthetic microbial units.

So far, analyses of components and functions of microbial cells were mostly static. Using synthetic and analytical research approaches, the center aims at developing a quantitative, dynamic, theoretically modelled functional understanding.

The cooperation of biologists, biochemists, physicists, mathematicians, computational biologists and bioethicists within SYNMIKRO will offer new opportunities to increase our understanding of the molecular principles and the service capacity of microorganisms and to establish new fields of application.

In order to reach these goals, the research within SYNMIKRO is divided into six project areas: Synthetic Cells, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Molecular and Cellular Microbiology, Comparative Genomics, Microbial Ecology, and Bioethics. Within these six project areas, a total of 20 specific projects will operationalize and realize the overall goals.