RESEARCH OVERVIEW

At the beginning of the 21st century the first human genomes were
sequenced putting the entire blue print of the human organism in our hand.
Now, in the post-genome era, scientists need to make sense of that blue
print and understand how the components of the genome are defined, work
together, and are interacting with the environment. In this sense, the
Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics is on the cross roads of
molecular medicine and bioinformatics using novel tools and methods to
decipher molecular interactions in the context of diseases such as obesity,
diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases of
the gastro-intestinal tract, and cancer.

BIOINFORMATICS FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY & NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING

The aim of this research area is to create and use tools for computational genomics in order to identify
susceptibility genes and therapeutic targets for complex diseases. Specifically, we are developing software,
designing databases, and use sophisticated computational methods for combined analyses of genome sequences,
gene expression, lipidomic and proteomic data. In close collaboration with basic and clinical research partner
we are focusing on next generation sequencing and its application to autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel
diseases, obesity and cancer. We are developing integrated systems for analyzing next generation sequencing data.
This includes applications for the assembly and annotation of genomes, the analysis of RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data
and the characterization of metagenomic data sets. According to our licensing policy, the tools are available
free of charge to academic, government, and other nonprofit institutions for noncommercial, nonprofit internal
research purposes.

Mass spectrometry is among the most sensitive and specific analytical methods for the
analysis of bio molecules. Even in complex biological samples, molecules at the lower
femtomole region can be reliably detected. For this sensitive method, we develop algorithms,
software and databases to automate manual data evaluation procedures and provide means
for data analysis and management. In particular, we are in close collaborations with basic
and clinical research partners in the high throughput disciplines proteomics, lipidomics and
metabolomics. In turn, the benefit of these research fields is manifold; in recent years, they
established novel insights in obesity, cancer, infectious diseases and many other pathological
defects. Our tools are available free of charge to academia, government, and other nonprofit
institutions for noncommercial, nonprofit internal research purposes.