The Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics (IZBI) is an interfaculty research unit of the Leipzig University. We promote research in selected fields of bioinformatics and systems biology and supports interdisciplinary projects with demands in bioinformatics data analysis and modelling.
As one of five DFG bioinformatics centres nationwide, the IZBI was founded in 2002 as a central institution of the University of Leipzig to establish bioinformatics research on selected, cutting-edge topics at Leipzig University. The IZBI has been and continues to be significantly involved in a number of profile-forming research directions at the university, including projects on molecular medicine/cancer genomics, machine learning in the context of molecular markers, data science in biology and medicine, as well as theoretical modelling for the prediction of disease progression and molecular mechanisms.
Our centre forms a productive research space between computer science/ mathematics, medicine/ pharmacy and biology. It is a sought-after and recognised partner in interdisciplinary research consortia (Leipzig, Germany and Europe) with a large number of collaborations.
We are managed by a board of directors and possesses our own team of scientists, location and an administrative management (office). The infrastructure of the IZBI is financed proportionally from third-party and budget funds, the research projects from third-party funds. The structural positioning of the IZBI as an interfaculty institution has now proven itself for over 20 years.
MAJOR FIELDS OF RESEARCH
- Genetic Evolution to analyse genetic diversity and to use this knowledge for discerning the evolutionary relationships among species
- Molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in healthy and diseased humans and upon ageing. Here we focus on transcriptional, epigenetic and genetic mechanisms and on diseases such as cancer, civilization and infectious diseases
- Differentiation of cells and tissue development
- Development and application methods for the analysis of high throughput omics data, of algorithms for complex multidimensional phenotyping data and of systems biological modeling on molecular, cellular and tissue levels
AQUISITIONS
IZBI invites interested researchers to set up joint research projects with demands in bioinformatics expertise, e.g. to analyse and to interpret sequencing or microarray data generated in their laboratory. IZBI is financed mainly by third-party funded research projects. Therefore our cooperations require adequate funding, optimally in joint projects. For pilot studies we offer our support independent of external financing to establish cooperations on the longer run.
IZBI BOARD MEMBERS
- Prof. Dr. Peter Florian Stadler – Head of IZBI Board, Professorship for Bioinformatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Leipzig
- (Former Head of IZBI Board and Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Markus Löffler – Full Professor and Director of the Institue of Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig)
- Prof. Dr. Jens Meiler – Humboldt-Professor for Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biomedical Informatics, Director of the Institute for Drug Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig
- Prof. Dr. Jürgen Jost – Director of the Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences (MPI, MIS)
- Prof. Ph. D. Sayan Mukherjee – Humboldt-Professor for Artificial Intelligence at the University Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences Leipzig
- Prof. Dr. Mario Mörl – Head of Institute of Biochemestry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR
- Prof. Dr. Peter Florian Stadler – Head of IZBI Board, Professorship for Bioinformatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Leipzig