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Nr. 62 / 2022

25. November 2022 : Cutting-edge research in biology impresses again: DFG approves Collaborative Research Center with 11.5 million euros

With its research strength in biology, Osnabrück University has once again achieved an important third-party funding success. The proposal submitted by scientists from the Universities of Osnabrück and Münster for the Collaborative Research Center 1557 "Functional Plasticity Encoded by Cellular Membrane Networks" (SFB 1557 for short) was selected for funding by the SFB Senate Committee of the German Research Foundation. Osnabrück University will receive more than 11.5 million euros in funding for the first four-year term. 

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© SFB 1557

The team of scientists is pleased about the new SFB.

"We are delighted with this tremendous success," said University President Prof. Dr. Susanne Menzel-Riedl. "The fact that biology has once again been able to acquire a prestigious Collaborative Research Center for the university is a joint success of the personalities involved and equally the result of our constant efforts to further strengthen biology. We have every reason to celebrate!"

The SFB 1557 is the fourth consecutive Collaborative Research Center in Osnabrück biology. Lower Saxony's Minister of Science Falko Mohrs congratulates: "Biology at Osnabrück University is strong in research and successful. It enjoys a high reputation both internationally and nationally. The state has been supporting Osnabrück biology for many years in expanding its competencies. My appreciation to Professor Ungermann - but also to the many young scientists involved in the new Collaborative Research Center."

The team led by SFB spokesperson Prof. Dr. Christian Ungermann, professor of biochemistry, aims to gain a better understanding of how cells adapt their membranes to changing conditions and thus dynamically control vital metabolic processes.

"We want to understand how the functioning of proteins is influenced by membrane properties and, in turn, how cells can control and change their membrane properties," explains Prof. Ungermann. "Of particular interest is the analysis of functional plasticity, i.e. the adaptation of membranes to new conditions such as oxidative stress or starvation, which is essential for the survival of organisms."

The researchers draw on state-of-the-art methods of fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry, as well as a cryo-electron microscope available since 2021, for their basic biochemical questions. The Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics Osnabrück (CellNanOs) at the Westerberg campus is the hub of Osnabrück's cutting-edge SFB research.

Prof. Ungermann: "A decisive advantage of the SFB 1557 is the close collaboration of research groups with different biological model systems and methodological expertise. This will enable us to discover new, universally valid principles of cellular membrane organization and elucidate their fundamental importance for organisms."

The new SFB 1557 will initially be funded for four years starting in January 2023 and will have a maximum duration of 12 years.