Falk Butter appointed as Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology

Establishment of a proteomics facility planned

19.03.2013

Dr. Falk Butter has been appointed as a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz. He uses advanced mass spectrometry and quantitative proteomics techniques to investigate epigenetic processes and will establish a proteomics facility at IMB. The use of mass spectrometry can reveal, in a high-throughput manner, exceptionally detailed information about the proteins within cells. This information ranges from the identity of the thousands of proteins within single biological samples to which proteins interact together and what modifications the proteins may have undergone.

Butter will use advanced mass spectrometry methods for a number of projects such as the study of proteins that interact with human DNA and RNA. This will include, for example, the effect of small nuclear polymorphisms on transcription factor binding and identifying proteins that bind long non-coding RNA. Furthermore, he will use quantitative proteomic methods to study the changes that take place in an organism's proteome over time.

With experience of working with a range of model organisms, Dr. Falk Butter will also collaborate extensively with IMB's existing Group Leaders to incorporate the use of advanced proteomics techniques into a number of novel projects.

Prior to joining IMB, Falk Butter worked in the laboratory of renowned proteomics expert Professor Matthias Mann at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich. Here he used quantitative and system-level approaches to study nucleic acid-protein interactions.

 

The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB)

The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a new center of excellence in the life sciences which was established in March 2011. Research at IMB concentrates on three cutting-edge areas: epigenetics, developmental biology, and DNA repair. The institute is a prime example of a successful collaboration between public authorities and a private foundation. The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has dedicated EUR 100 million for a period of ten years to cover the operating costs for research at IMB, while the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate provided approximately EUR 50 million for the construction of a state-of-the-art building.
For more information about IMB please visit: www.imb-mainz.de.

 

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931-1991), a member of the shareholder family of the company Boehringer Ingelheim. With the "PLUS 3" Perspectives Program and the Exploration Grants, the foundation supports independent group leaders, it endows the internationally renowned Heinrich Wieland Prize as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists. In addition, the foundation has endowed EUR 100 million over a period of ten years to finance the scientific running of the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
For more information about the foundation and its programs, please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de.