Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME

Welcome at the Fraunhofer IME. We conduct research in the field of applied life sciences from a molecular level to entire ecosystems and are your partner for contract research in the areas of pharmacy, medicine, chemistry, agriculture, as well as environmental and consumer protection. Our reseach and development portfolio is focussed on industry, small and medium enterprises and on the public sector.

The overarching goal of our research activities at Fraunhofer IME is the development and use of novel technologies for diagnosis and therapy of human and animal diseases as well as the protection of crop plants and food sources.

In a joint project, scientists of Continental, the Julius Kühn Institute, ESKUSA, and Fraunhofer IME strive to tap the potential of dandelion rubber for the rubber-processing industry. Material properties of dandelion rubber have previously been tested with success in tires and engine mounts of cars. Now, this sustainable raw material is used in commercial vehicles for the first time: Conti demonstrates prototypes of components and tires for trucks and buses at the International Motor Show IAA 2016 in Hanover.

South America is fighting a battle against tiger mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever, dengue fever, and the Zika virus. In Central Europe, wine and fruit growers fear another year of massive crop failures due to a type of vinegar fly known as the spotted-wing drosophila. Since no control methods exist so far, Fraunhofer IME researchers in Giessen are developing new species-specific strategies that keep pests under control – free of polluting toxins and at the same time species specific.

Mercury levels in bream (Abramis brama) collected from six European (EU) sampling sites from 2007 to 2013 exceeded the Water Framework Directive’s safety limit for fish in all but one site in 2012, a new study discovers. The findings presented in the Fraunhofer IME publication “Retrospective monitoring of mercury in fish from selected European freshwater and estuary sites“ suggest greater efforts need to be made to prevent or reduce mercury pollution. (Science for Environment Policy, European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service, edited by SCU; Newsletter Issue 456, 27 May 2016)

The SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) Europe 26th Annual Meeting was held in Nantes (France) from 22-26 May 2016 hosting scientists from Europe and overseas. Biologists and chemists from Fraunhofer IME contributed to the meeting with 30 oral presentations and posters (main authors from Fraunhofer IME are marked red in the overview).

Federal Ministers Hermann Gröhe (Health) and Johanna Wanka (Research) as well as State Secretary Rainer Sontowski (Ministry of Economy and Labour, have presented the results of the ”Pharmadialog” in Berlin, together with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, the scientific research community, and the trade union IG BCE. Professor Rainer Fischer, Senior Executive Director of the Fraunhofer IME, is an active advisory member of the federal think-tank, and helped to shape the current action plan. The aim is to ensure that patients always have quick access to high-quality and affordable medicines.

With the ”2016 JBS Readers Choice Award” of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, a team involving researchers of the HelmholtzZentrum München (HMGU) has now received a prestigious award for a scientific publication. Amongst the authors is Dr. Sheraz Gul of the Fraunhofer IME. The award honors the most popular article among the readership of the ”Journal of Biomolecular Screening”. The underlying manuscript”Identification of Small-Molecule Frequent Hitters from AlphaScreen High-Throughput Screens” was published in 2014 and is a result of collaboration between the HMGU, the University of Cologne, the European ScreeningPort (now Fraunhofer IME ScreeningPort) and others.

»Induced pluripotent stem cells«, called iPSCs, have an enormous potential for research, regenerative medicine, and development of new therapeutic agents. Now, the first European Bank for induced pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC), a public-private partnership project supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, has announced the public launch of its online catalog. Fraunhofer IME supports the rigorous quality control efforts and has teamed up with pharmaceutical companies, small & medium-sized enterprises and academic institutions to deliver a robust and reliable supply chain for iPS cell lines.

“Jugend forscht“ is Germany’s best-known mathematics and science competition for schoolchildren over ten years and teenagers. With high curiosity, 97 young researchers have brought their ideas to life for the regional competition of Hamburg Volkspark, a first round for the nation-wide contest. A jury assessed the 50 projects from the areas of professional life, biology, chemistry, geo and space sciences, mathematics / informatics, physics and technology. Now, the young researchers received their awards. Together with the Hamburger Sportverein (HSV), the Fraunhofer IME ScreeningPort acted as host for the young participants.