Research

The Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems - Functional Molecular Systems (IBCS-FMS) located at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Campus North, is an interdisciplinary institute combining biology, chemistry and informatics  with a strong focus on cell biology, organic chemistry, functional materials and innovation. Research at the institute tackles  various  topics ranging from combinatorial organic synthesis, cell biology and cell signaling, design to application of functional materials and interfaces and polymer synthesis. The five research groups are working in close collaboration, combining their expertise in a broad range of projects, including drug screening projects. More than 50  PhD students, postdocs and undergraduate students from different disciplines (biology, chemistry, informatics) are employed at the IBCS-FMS.

Parallel Organic Chemistry and Digitalised Sciences (Complat) (Prof. Dr. Stefan Bräse/Dr. Nicole Jung)
Our laboratory synthesises and investigates small molecules  and hosts the infrastructure Molecule Archive for compound preservation. The activities are supported by software development, chemoinformatics (Open source Electronic Lab Notebook, Repository) and projects in robotics/automatization.

Cellular Communication by Wnt Signaling (Dr. Gary Davidson)
Our work is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying receptor activation and signalling selectivity within the Wnt signalling network. 

Multifunctional Materials Systems (Prof. Dr. Pavel Levkin)
In our research group we design and fabricate biofunctional, and multifunctional responsive materials, interfaces and patterns with different properties, which are applied to solve diverse scientific problems. Among others we are developing the following novel methods (1) 3D printing of complex materials; (2) miniaturized high-throughput chemical synthesis; (3) gene-delivery systems; (4) in vitro systems for high throughput screenings for fundamental research (e.g. stem cell research) and personalized oncology; (5) developing and screening of physiologically relevant 3D cell culture models; and (6) parallel miniaturized single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics. 

Regulation of cell signaling in inflammation and cancer (Prof. Dr. Véronique Orian-Rousseau)
Our research group is investigating molecular mechanisms controlled by various cell surface receptors (CD44, Receptor Tyrosine Kinases, G-protein-coupled receptors,..) in diseases. We focus on cancer and in particular on gastrointestinal cancers. The contribution of cancer cells as well as of the tumor microenvironment and in particular cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is under scrutiny. Inflammation steps involved in the progression of liver diseases and cancer are of special interest. 
Part of our research is also directed towards leukemia (acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and on resistance mechanisms.

Applied Chemistry (Prof. Dr. Michael Meier)
We design and investigate highly defined polymer architectures for specific applications, such as data storage or drug delivery.

IBCS-FMS possesses an excellent research infrastructure including synthetic chemistry and biology (S1 and S2) laboratories, instrumentation required for high-end chemical and materials characterization as well as biological studies. For the full list of our instruments, please visit this page.