History
The foundation of the MPIMG
In the 1960s, the society and Germany saw the potential of the newly emerging field of molecular genetics and as a result, the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) was established in 1964 with the appointment of Heinz-Günther Wittmann and Heinz Schuster as directors followed shortly by the appointment of Thomas Trautner (1965).
The beginning - ribosomes, viruses, and bacteria
In the first decades, research at the MPIMG was focusing on DNA replication and gene regulation in bacteria, bacterial phages and fungi (Depts. Schuster and Trautner), as well as on the structure, function and evolution of ribosomes (Dept. Wittmann). In 1971, the three departments and four independent junior research groups moved into the new building at Ihnestraße, where the institute is still located.
Chemist Heinz Schuster (1927 – 1997) had been working on the structure, function and modification of nucleic acids since the mid-1950s and turned the attention of his department to DNA regulation and replication in phages. Among his research highlights is the discovery that multiple repressor binding sites in the phage P1 are necessary for its activity, which is one of the earliest examples of combinatorial gene control. Together with his colleague Martin Citron he discovered that a repressive factor in bacteriophages is actually anti-sense RNA and not a protein as assumed. This was one of the first ever reports on a non-coding RNA with regulatory function.
Heinz-Günther Wittmann was one of the pioneers of ribosome research. His department created a method for separating ribosomal proteins which was a significant advancement in the sequencing and identification of these proteins. Consequently, practically all r-proteins were sequenced in his department. Wittmann and his colleagues also spearheaded the naming convention for ribosomal proteins that is still used to this day. He recruited Ada Yonath, who was a group leader at the MPIMG from 1979 to 1984. Together they made significant progress toward his longstanding goal of elucidating the structure of the ribosome. A few years after his death in 1990 the first x-ray crystallography-derived atomic structures of ribosomes were obtained. Ada Yonath received a Nobel Prize in 2009 for her contributions to this achievement.
In the early days of Thomas Trautner’s department the scientists conducted transfection experiments to study the phenomen of gene conversion in phages and bacteria and could find important clues for the design and use of modern plasmids as DNA cloning vectors. His research later shifted to the emerging field of epigenetics, a topic that continues to resonate in our institute to this day. Specifically, his department focused on the structure and function of DNA methyltransferases. His lab was among the first to report that cytosine DNA methylation plays a role in gene control, among other notable findings. Thomas Trautner retired in 2000 and passed away in Berlin in 2023.
The 1990s – towards human genetics
After the the retirement of Heinz Schuster in 1995, and the untimely death of Heinz-Günther Wittmann, the appointments of Hans Lehrach and Hans-Hilger Ropers in 1994 brought about a major shift in the scientific orientation of the Institute.
Hans Lehrach and his department for vertebrate genomics aimed to analyze the structure and function of the human genome and the genomes of model organisms, thereby shifting the institute’s focus to human genetics. He was one of the first to initiate so-called “positional cloning” experiments in mice and humans and his department was a part of the team that identified the gene responsible for Huntingon’s disease. The Lehrach department participated in the Human Genome project and other significant genome sequencing efforts. Additionally, Hans Lechrach co-developed key technologies such as protein microarrays, protein interactome analyses, artificial yeast chromosomes, and RNAseq. He retired in 2014.
A medical doctor and first-generation Board-Certified Clinical Geneticist, Hans-Hilger Ropers had a long-standing interest in genetic disorders. His department for human molecular genetics focused on elucidating the etiology and pathogenesis of inherited diseases. In the early 1990s, he and his colleagues were among the first to use positional cloning strategies to systematically identify the molecular causes of Mendelian disorders. He pioneered the use of SNP arrays for large-scale autozygosity mapping in consanguineous ARID families. Another milestone in his research was his early adoption of next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques in 2007, which added a new dimension to the molecular elucidation of X-linked and autosomal inherited diseases. Lehrach retired in 2014.
The 2000s – developmental genetics, bioinformatics and gene regulation
In 2000, Martin Vingron was appointed head of the new Department of Computational Molecular Biology, establishing a strong foundation of bioinformatics at the institute. His department develops methods and collaborates on data analysis projects related to transcription factors and epigenetic-based gene regulation. The group analyzes genomic sequences to identify the regulatory effects of mutations. They also develop methods for constructing biological networks and use statistics and machine learning to analyze various datasets.
In 2003, Bernhard Herrmann was appointed director and head of the Department of Developmental Genetics at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His emeritus group focuses on developmental genetics, particularly the mechanisms by which stem cells give rise to various cell lineages and organize into functional three-dimensional structures and organs. Other research lines in his group deal with the molecular basis of transmission ratio distortion, a non-Mendelian inheritance phenomenon caused by the mouse t-haplotype.
Also in 2000, Stefan Mundlos, Professor of Genetics at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, was jointly appointed as head of the independent research group Development and Disease at the MPIMG. Since 2017, he has been an external scientific member of the institute and the Max Planck Society. These positions are held by exceptional researchers with strong ties to an MPI who strengthen our institute’s scientific network and foster collaborations. In addition to his longstanding interest in identifying the causes of rare genetic diseases, Stefan and his team study the fundamental mechanisms of gene regulation, 3D genomics, long-range chromatin interaction, and the function of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) using various model organisms.
Alexander Meissner was appointed director in 2017, further strengthening the tradition of epigenetics research established at the MPIMG. His department uses mice as models to study the genetics and epigenetics of early development. His diverse team of experimental and computational biologists uses genomic tools to study development and stem cells, with a particular focus on the role of epigenetic modifications. The team is interested in a wide range of questions, from how genetic programs control organ development to the epigenetic programs involved in cancer development.
The future – understanding and using genetics for the benefit of society
Currently, the institute has started a process adjusting the scientific focus. Our Institut is interested in mechanistic investigation of genome function and combines this approach with bioinformatics, genomic perturbation, and developmental, population, as well as disease biology. Overall our mission is to lead scientific and technological breakthroughs that transform the understanding and use of genetics for the benefit of society. To this end a major recruitment effort across all levels is underway and many lasting bridges across the larger scientific environment in Berlin and beyond are built.
In 2025, group leaders Zack Smith, Sedona Murphy, Raquel Fueyo, and Johannes Stein established their labs at the MPIMG.
Claudia Langenberg and Malte Spielmann were elected as further external scientific members of the Max Planck Society and the MPIMG in 2025.
Claudia Langenberg’s work focuses on integrating genetic, biological, and multi-omics data from large-scale population and clinical studies to characterize the genetic architecture of human metabolism and its impact on health and disease. Her work has been instrumental in translating these data into mechanistic insights across a range of diseases. She is currently Director of the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute and Professor of Medicine and Population Health at Queen Mary University of London. In addition, she holds a professorship in computational medicine in Berlin, further strengthening our ties to the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH).
Malte Spielmann is an internationally renowned scientist who previously served as Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck and Kiel, Germany. He has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of the role of non-coding and structural variants in human disease. His laboratory has generated extensive insights into the pleiotropic effects of mutations on embryogenesis and the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the genome by leveraging cutting-edge, high-throughput technologies during mouse embryonic development. In January 2026, Malte relocated to Berlin, where he became the chair of the Institute of Medical and Human Genetics at Charité and established his research group at the MPIMG.
Further reading
For further information, please take a look at the anniversary publication on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the MPIMG, research reports, and yearbook entries.
The Max Planck Society
The MPIMG is part of the Max Planck Society, one of Europe’s leading research organizations. The resources provided by the Max Planck Society allow us to dedicate more time to research, innovate and adapt, and create an environment in which we can take more risks. The vast network of research institutes provides ample opportunity for collaboration and professional growth.
Read more about the Max Planck Society
The Kaiser Wilhelm Society
The Max Planck Society is the successor to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, which was founded in Berlin in 1911. At the time the KWS was a hub of excellent research in Europe, where some of the most famous scientist of their time worked, for example Otto Hahn, Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg or most famously Albert Einstein, who was the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut of Physics from 1917 to 1933. Between 1915 and 1944, eight scientific members of the KWI received Nobel Prizes. After the Nazis seized power in 1933 many of the Jewish members of the KWI were sacked or fled Germany.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics (KWIA), which was established in Berlin in 1927, later became involved in the crimes of the Nazi regime. After the war, one its former departments, led by Hans Nachtsheim, was transferred to the newly founded Max Planck Society. It was renamed the MPI for Comparative Hereditary Biology and Hereditary Pathology (MPIEE) in 1953. Hans Nachtsheim, who was involved in human experiments from 1941 to 1945, became the first director of this MPI. After he retired in 1960, Fritz Kaudewitz became the institutes director until 1964.
When Heinz-Günther Wittmann and Heinz Schuster were recruited as directors in the 1960s a conscious decision was made to break with the past, and establish a new institute focused on the up-and-coming field of molecular genetics under the leadership of a new generation with a new name in 1964 – the MPIMG. After several years of working in the old MPIEE building the new institute and its employees finally moved into its current location at Ihnestraße, which was officially inaugurated in 1971.
As the the new leaders of the institute we try to transparently convey our history, however, from our records it is difficult to reconstruct all the continuities and details. We are clearly committed to never let such events to happen again and vow to create an open environment, where everyone is welcome, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity.