Present research at IBB is done mainly along two lines:
- Methodology und fundamental studies in systems and synthetic biology to understand and design biomolecular and cellular processes;
- Enabling technologies and tools such as automated global screening and optimization of biomolecules and cells, new bioreactors for electrofermentation and CO2 bioconversion.
They are integrated for developing new bioproducts or more efficient bioprocesses and biosystems in industrial and medical biotechnologies.

Modelling and Design
Modeling is used as a fundamental tool for understanding and designing biomolecules and cell factories. In particular, a multicsale modeling approach from molecular dynamcis to kinetics of reactions is implemented for the design and evolution of biomolecular sensors, regulatory proteins, enzyme reaction cascades and metabolic pathways. Cells are designed as smart robots for biocomputing and in vivo high-throughput screening.
Experimental: Build and Test
As a key step of the Design-Build-Test cycle, experimental studies range from evaluating designed biomolecules, pathways and microorganisms at molecular level to bioprocess optimization at different scales of bioreactors (up to 300 L) and miniplant for integrated biosynthesis and product purification. Both microbial and mammalian cells and cultivation systems are studied in the context of systems and synthetic biology and process development.
Applications
We develop new bioproduction systems with high yield and productivity for (1) chemicals and fuels such as 1,3-propanediol, caproic acid, n-butanol and biogas; (2) fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals such as amino acids, microbial lipids and recombinant proteins. Waste materials and C1 (e.g. CO2) carbons are more and more in focus as substrates. We collaborate with industrial partners in different ways, such as contract research and development, consulting and feasibility study.
List of projects
This page lists all our current projects with links to individual descriptive reports and/or results summaries (PDF).
Please also refer to the general project overview site.
Attention: all information presented here is protected by copyright.
Biomolecular Engineering & Synthetic Biology
- BMBF: Multizym 2020+: Multiskalige Modellierung und Modifikation von Multienzymkomplexen als Basistechnologie für zellfreie Reaktionskaskaden
- TUHH/DAAD: Production of L-tryptophan and derivatives
- TUHH: Rational design of riboswitch-based biosensors with expanded response range
- Poster
- Engineering of riboswitch for metabolic flux control and industrial strain development
- TUHH: Reengineering substrate specificity of E. coli glutamate dehydrogenase using a position-based prediction method
- TUHH: Creation of novel allosteric regulation of proteins for synthetic biology based on a new concept of thermodynamic model
- TUHH: An Ultrasensitive Multiple I/O System for Target Identification, Evaluation and Evolution of Molecular Designs in Systems Metabolic Engineering
- DFG/SPE: Multiskalige modellgestützte Untersuchungen der Formation von katalytisch aktiven Clustern und Agglomeraten großer Multienzymkomplexe
Systems Biology and Metabolic Engineering
- BMBF: e:biofilm: Fighting biofilms of Streptococci by a novel biofilm inhibitor: from bench to dental products
- BMBF: New bioprocess for microbial oil from crude glycerol and cellulosic sugars (BIO4OIL)
- TUHH: Systems Biology and Metabolic engineering of Clostridium pasteurianum
Microbial Systems
- EU: Novel BIOrefinery platform methodology for a driven production of CHEMicals from low-grade biomass (BIOCHEM)
- TUHH: Growth of Clostridium pasteurianum in bio-electrochemical H-cell reactor
- TUHH: Development of New Methods in Fast Sampling and in Sample Processing for Microbial Metabolomics
- EU (EFRE): Bio-Profi - Modellgestützte Bioprozessentwicklung zur Herstellung von natürlichen Milcholigosacchariden für medizinische Anwendnungen
Cell Culture Technology
- DFG: Neue Ansätze zur populationsbasierten kinetischen Untersuchung und Modellierung von Hochzelldichte-Zellkulturen
- Technologien für Zell- und Gewebekulturen
- DFG: Charakterisierung der Zellwachstumsaktivität von Gewebezellen in 3D-Scaffolds mit integrierten Sensoren
Accomplished projects
Following is a list of previously accomplished projects with links to individual descriptive reports and/or results summaries (PDF).
- BMBF: Komparti - Kompartimentierung als Basistechnologie für neuartige multienzymatische Bioproduktionsverfahren
- SynBio: Fundamentals for synthetic biological systems
- BMBF: Ganzzell-Biokatalyse von Glycanen mittels Glycosyltransferasen und Cofaktoren
- DFG: Entwicklung und mikrofluidische Charakterisierung eines dynamisch kultivierten Vollhautmodells
- DFG: Ingenieurtechnische Aspekte zum Tissue Engineering von hyalinem Knorpelgewebe (Fortsetzung)
- BMBF: Tools zur Prozessentwicklung für Fermentationen unter ungewöhnlichen Bedingungen (ProTool II - Fortsetzungsprojekt)
- EU FP7: Propanergy - Integrated Bioconversion of Glycerol into Value-added Products at Pilot Plant Scale
- ZIM: StemTec - Glandular Stem Cells for Therapeutic Applications
- DFG: Optimization of transient gene expression processes by quantitative analysis and
kinetic modeling - DFG: Development and Mathematical Modeling of a Bioconversion Process Involving
Microbial Community - BMBF: SysCompart: New technologies and methods for analysing and modelling dynamics of eukaryotic metabolism involved in compartmentation
- Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
- General introduction
- Workpackage: New technologies and methods for analyzing and modeling dynamics
of eukaryotic metabolism involved in compartmentation- Integration neuer Technologien am Bioreaktor und Separation von
Mitochondrien für metabolische Untersuchungen an CHO-Zellen - Immunoaffinitätsbasierte mikrofluidische Separation von Mitochondrien
aus Zelllysat - Numerical modeling of microfluidic systems and microscale phenomena
- Entwicklung mikrofluidischer Systeme für die Stoffwechseluntersuchung
tierischer Zellen
- Integration neuer Technologien am Bioreaktor und Separation von
- Workpackage: Spatiotemporal modelling of selected enzymes and metabolic
pathways
- BMBF: SysLogics - Systems Biology of Cell Culture for Biologics
- Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
- General introduction
- Cell Ensemble Modeling and Analysis of Synchronized Cell Cultures
- Integrierte „Omics“ Datenanalyse für Systembiologie
- Synchronization of eukaryotic cells for Systems Biology Research
- Workpackage: Dynamic modeling of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in
mammalian cells
- BMBF: BioInSys - Development of Biofilm Inhibitors Using a Systems Biology Approach
- Project Description (German) / Projektbeschreibung und Literatur
- StrepReg and StrepCyc Databases of Streptococcus
- General introduction
- Workpackage: Sequencing, comparative genomics and data integration
- Workpackage: Reverse engineering for reconstruction of regulatory network
from functional genomic data - Workpackage: Integrated and dynamic modeling of networks
- Workpackage: Proteomic and metabolic analyses
- BMBF/TUHH: Microtechnology and System Integration for Metabolomic Analysis of
Mammalian Cells - TUHH: Process development for production of Acrolein and 3-HPA from biofuel byproducts
- TUHH/Industry: Application of genomic, proteomic and metabolomic strategies on
Paenibacillus polymyxa for enhanced R,R-2,3-butanediol production - TUHH: Development of New Methods for Fast Sampling and Sample Processing for Microbial
Metabolomics - TUHH: Microbial Production of 3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde and 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid
- TUHH/DFG: Technology Development for Applied Research on the Metabolism of
Host-adapted Bacterial Pathogens - TUHH: Structural synthetic biology for industrial strain development: the case of
amino acid production - TUHH: Examination of the metabolites in biogas reactor using distillage from an
industrial bioethanol plant