Profile Area
Profile Area

Cell Dynamics, Inflammation and Imaging

In the profile area “Cell Dynamics, Inflammation and Imaging”, physicians, biologists, chemists, pharmacists, mathematicians, computer scientists and physicists of the University of Münster work closely with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster. Their shared objective is to investigate which biochemical and biophysical properties influence cellular behaviour, how dynamic mechanisms in an organism maintain a healthy balance, and what happens during the course of illness. Particular attention is paid to processes in the vascular and lymphatic vascular systems and their importance for organic function. The researchers in this profile area not only investigate how intact cellular systems develop, but also how these same systems become infected. A key focus is on inflammatory responses of the immune system which can result in circulatory disorders, tissue damage, bacterial and viral infections, as well as auto-immune disorders or malignant illnesses. Imaging techniques – from microscopy to whole-body imaging – are the primary methods which are applied and further developed in this profile area. The latter involves the development of chemical processes and mathematical and IT methods which present new ways for making cellular processes visible and for analysing and modelling complex biomedical data. The close interdisciplinary exchange within the profile area will enable us to better understand biological processes, to transfer preclinical research findings on disease processes to clinical researchers and practitioners more efficiently, and to significantly advance the development of new, customised therapeutic options.

The close disciplinary interweave has not only produced numerous joint projects, but also created an excellent research infrastructure. The centrepiece is the Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre which is also home to the Multiscale Imaging Centre where a broad range of expertise in biomedical imaging and technology is bundled. Another key infrastructural component of the profile area is the Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE) comprising seven central and affiliated research institutes which represent the high-level fundamental scientific and methodical profile in the area of inflammation. The central translational counterpart to this is represented by the University’s research and treatment centre, the Translational Centre for Inflammation (TRACI) – also a key infrastructural component in this profile area. This internationally recognised expertise in pathogenic research is bundled at what will soon become the Medical Research Centre (MedForCe), currently under construction. Another research facility is being built in its direct vicinity, the Body and Brain Institute Münster (BBIM), devoted to illuminating the interactions between the body and the central nervous system, and identifying ways to therapeutically modulate these interactions.