Starting Shot for the new "Centre for Structural Systems Biology"

In the future, infection researchers and physicists in the North of Germany jointly hunt for pathogenic germs: Scientifically coordinated by the HZI, the new "Centre for Structural Systems Biology" (CSSB) is being built on the DESY campus. The interdisciplinary centre including partners from various universities and research institutions from Hamburg, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein pursues the goal of tracking down attacks by pathogens in atomic detail. A total of 50 million Euro are allocated to this purpose. Pathogenic germs are tiny to begin with but even tinier are the tools by which they infect their hosts: They obtain access to our bodies by the interplay of molecules on their surface. Structural biologists decipher this interaction on an atomic level and investigate the general build of molecules and proteins. Not only does this enable the researchers to understand the interaction between pathogens and their hosts. They also discover target areas for new active substances, anti-infective agents and vaccinations. Conversely, system biologists research biological systems such as cells or pathogenic germs in their totality: Which processes simultaneously take place within an organism at a given point in time? The researchers collect and evaluate large quantities of data on metabolic processes or the interaction of proteins. The CSSB bridges the gap between structural biology and systems biology: Here, biologists, chemists, medical scientists, physicists and engineers will investigate the interaction of pathogens with their hosts. For this purpose, tools unique in Germany are at their disposal at DESY: PETRA III, the world-wide best storage ring X-ray radiation source, and FLASH, the world-wide only free-electron laser for vacuum ultraviolet and soft X-ray wavelengths. In addition, the European XFEL, a superlative X-ray laser, is currently under construction and the "Centre for Free-Electron Laser Science" (CFEL) is also being built on the DESY campus. These particle accelerator-based light sources produce intensive, short-wave radiation with special characteristics. This enables the researchers to probe biological samples in various ways, ranging from structural analysis of individual molecules to real-time visualisation of processes in living cells. In future, the interdisciplinary co-operation at the new CSSB research building will greatly facilitate the use of the highly modern radiation sources at DESY in investigating biological questions. For instance, divisions both from university and extramural research institutions work closely together at DESY in order to examine complex cellular processes by way of systems biology employing the "super microscopes" and to obtain a better understanding of them. "The CSSB demonstrates by way of example how physical large-scale facilities can be used for concrete applications in health research and how competencies and resources can be bundled across institutional boundaries", says Professor Dr Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. Mlynek welcomed the joint commitment on part of the federal government and the federal states, stating that not only did this promote health research within the Helmholtz Association but that it also contributed towards further distinguishing Germany as a research and innovation site on an international level. Planning the building is to commence immediately after signing the contract; commencement of building activity is planned for 2012.

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