Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
Research at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research has, ever since its founding in 1927 as a Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, benefited from the work of notable scientists and excellent science on the border between physiology, physics, chemistry and biology. The institute was opened on May 27, 1930, during the annual general meeting of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft in Heidelberg.
A new direction in the 2010s
In its nearly 100-year history, the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research has undergone several fundamental reorientations, with the appointments of Joachim Spatz and Stefan Hell in 2016 and Kai Johnsson in 2017. Since then, the central focus of research has been to observe and manipulate in real time the immensely complex dynamics of interactions between macromolecules in living cells—whether healthy or diseased.
Three departments with unique expertise
The three departments at the institute contribute to these research tasks with their unique expertise in fields that complement each other very well: Stefan Hell’s department focuses on optical nanoscopy, Kai Johnsson’s department is dedicated to the design of new reporter molecules, and the department led by Joachim Spatz—who has served as the institute’s executive director since mid-2024—focuses on cellular materials science and biophysics. Additional contributions come from the research of the emeritus group led by Ilme Schlichtung as well as several other research groups.
Tools for biomedical research
The research focuses on developing new tools for biomedical research that lead to new findings, insights, and medical advances. In this way, the Institute’s research continues to uphold the vision of its founder, Ludolf von Krehl: to promote medical research through close collaboration among biologists, physicists, and chemists under one roof.
