Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine
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| Abbreviation | MPIEM |
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| Predecessor | Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research |
| Formation | 1947 |
| Type | Scientific institute |
| Purpose | Research on experimental medicine in neuroscience |
| Headquarters | Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany |
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Key people
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Klaus-Armin Nave, managing director |
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Parent organization
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Max Planck Society |
| Website | (English) |
The Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Experimentelle Medizin) is located in Göttingen, Germany. It was founded as Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research in 1947, and was renamed in 1965. It is one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft). Prof. Dr. Klaus-Armin Nave is currently the acting director of the institute.
The research focus of the institute is on neuroscience. Research activities cover a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from basic molecular analyses of neuronal processes to clinical studies on novel therapies of neurological and psychiatric disorders in patients. The central aim of all these studies is to understand basic molecular and cellular processes in brain function, to analyze their pathological dysfunction in psychiatric and neurological diseases, and ultimately to develop novel therapies for these disorders.
The Department of Neurogenetics, led by Klaus-Armin Nave, uses transgenic techniques, natural and engineered mouse mutants and the tools of molecular and cellular biology to study neural development and the of neurodegenerative diseases. A major focus of their research is on neuron-glia interactions that result in the assembly of myelin in the nervous system. Neuronal processes (axons) exhibit signaling molecules that are recognized by Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes. These highly specialized glial cells wrap and electrically insulate axons in the peripheral and central nervous system, respectively. Myelin allows the fast propagation of electrical impulses, but glial cells are also required for axonal maintenance. This line of research helps us to understand the molecular mechanisms of human neurological diseases in which genetic mutations cause myelin loss and defects of motor and cognitive function.
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