BioInterfaces: Molecular and Cellular Interactions at Functional Interfaces

The aim of biologists, chemists, physicists, IT specialists, engineers and mathematicians working together in the BioInterfaces programme, is to control living systems. Their primary focus is therefore on the smallest “living” units of a biological system - the cells, the cellular components, as well as the interfaces between cells, between cells and their environment, and between molecules, such as proteins in signal cascades. These interfaces are logical switch points that influence cell behaviour. Another focus of the programme is the control of bacteria forming biofilms on surfaces. The programme ranges from pure basic research right up to the development of application-oriented technologies and products, suitable for industry and medicine. New therapies for degenerative dysfunction of the muscles, the retina or the central nervous system as well as the development of bioactive surfaces for implants and bioreactors are enabled by these key technologies.