Physics directed towards the medicine of tomorrow: Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin was officially opened
The three-day celebrations to mark the opening of the new Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen culminated in a ceremony on September 20th, 2024, attended by around 120 invited guests. Addresses from bavarian politicians, as well as a symbolic handing over of the keys, marked the official handover of the interdisciplinary research center to the scientists. Two Nobel Prize winners were among the speakers at the ceremony, which was preceded by a two-day scientific symposium at which internationally renowned speakers discussed the latest developments in cutting-edge research at the interface of physics and medicine.
With the founding of the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM), the participating institutes – the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the University Hospital Erlangen (UKER) – herald in a new era in research culture. The traditional boundaries between the fields of physics and medicine are to be broken down further and physics is to play an integral role in the understanding of life in collaborative basic research.
In his welcome address, Prof. Jochen Guck, spokesperson of the MPZPM and Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), emphasizes that the goal of the scientists at the MPZPM is to conduct pioneering research. Driven by interdisciplinary physics, they intend to provide a new impetus for medicine. “Our focus is not on the molecular aspects of biology and medicine, as it currently is in many other places. Nor is our focus on medical physics – the development of increasingly sophisticated instruments such as MRI or PET for the study of diseases present in patients. Our explicit focus is the fundamental role played by the physical properties of cells and tissues, along with their physical interactions, in the processes of life and disease.”
In accordance with the foundational principle of the Max Planck Society (MPG) – knowledge must precede application – Bavarian Minister President Dr. Markus Söder emphasizes the importance of basic research to the development of the Free State of Bavaria. “I firmly believe that it is also in the interest of an economic plan – and Erlangen is a great example – that research and innovation are the decisive keys to the future for globally active companies,” says Söder with conviction. “Science, basic research and applied research are the foundations of a successful economic location and the true answer in the global context involving China and the USA. That is why Bavaria is at the fore, that is why money is well invested here.”
The MPZPM provides optimal conditions for basic research at the highest international level. The location of the new research center has been carefully chosen and is of great importance. The building was erected in the middle of the UKER campus, in the immediate vicinity of its four Translational Research Centers. Daily direct exchange between scientists and clinicians, and direct access to patient samples with links to current clinical issues are unique worldwide.
Hubert Aiwanger, Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, emphasizes: “This is where basic scientific research meets medical practice. This close interaction is an invaluable advantage, particularly for the patients affected. I am thrilled that we can support the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of tumor diseases and inflammation. I would like to thank all the researchers and doctors who work every day at the new Max Planck Center for the health of their fellow human beings.” He emphasizes that health is the greatest good and that he therefore believes that the 60 million euros in funding from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs are well invested in the new MPZPM.
Markus Blume, Minister of State for Science and the Arts and State Chairman of the Joint Science Conference, agrees. “With the Max Planck Society, the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and the University Hospital Erlangen, outstanding scientific heavyweights are coming together here. Three partners, two disciplines, one goal: cutting-edge medical research for the benefit of mankind. The MPZPM is a unique research campus at the interface of physics and medicine. This will enable completely new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for cancer and other serious diseases.” He adds: “Because things are already going so well here, I would like to see a second Max Planck Institute in Erlangen!”
The festive program
The ceremony is opened by Prof. Jochen Guck. After welcoming numerous prominent personalities from politics, science, business and culture, he thanks Prof. Vahid Sandoghdar, the man behind the MPZPM, for his vision, leadership, initiative and perseverance: “Without you, none of us would be here today.”
The first highlight of the day is the keynote speech by Nobel Prize winner Prof. Randy Schekman, Berkeley, California.
In the morning’s scientific program, the five heads of the MPZPM's permanent research groups, four of them Humboldt Professors, present their research and visions.
In the subsequent panel discussion, external experts shed light on the question of whether physics can contribute conceptual approaches to advanced medicine. Under the moderation of Prof. Kristian Franze, Director of the Institute of Medical Physics and Microtissue Engineering at FAU's Faculty of Medicine, they discussed the question of whether medicine needs physics and scrutinized the realizability of the concept of the MPZPM.
The panel of experts includes: Prof. Anja Boßerhoff, Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the FAU’s Faculty of Medicine and member of the Scientific Commission; Prof. Karin Jacobs, Chair of Soft Matter Physics at Saarland University and Vice President of the German Research Foundation; Prof. Joachim Hornegger, President of the FAU; Prof. Markus F. Neurath, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the FAU; and Prof. Randy Schekman, University of California, Berkeley, 2012 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine. Anja Boßerhoff states: “We need all the interfaces we can find to answer the fundamental questions. We need more interdisciplinary research.” Karin Jacobs adds: “Whenever one crosses disciplines, entirely new things can happen”. Markus Neurath is convinced that: “Personalized medicine is a key issue in clinics, as diseases behave differently among patients. We therefore need to look inside tissues. This is the next step forward and the center will aid us in this”.
"Over the past 100 years, science has fragmented into increasingly specialized disciplines. We at the MPZPM now want to reconnect physics more closely to medical research – a strikingly avant-garde undertaking!" With these words, Prof. Vahid Sandoghdar, Managing Director at MPL, begins the afternoon. This is followed by a piece of music composed especially for the occasion by Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, performed by cellists Oliver Herbert and LiLa, of the Kronberg Academy and words of welcome by representatives of politics, the Max Planck Society and the University Hospital Erlangen: Dr. Markus Söder, Hubert Aiwanger, Markus Blume, Prof. Joachim Hornegger, Dr. Florian Janik (Lord Mayor of the City of Erlangen), Prof. Claudia Felser (Vice President of the MPG) and Prof. Heinrich Iro (Medical Director of the University Hospital Erlangen).
In a video message, the President of the MPG, Prof. Patrick Cramer, reminds the audience of the serious guilt that science had incurred during the Nazi era at the site of the MPZPM. He thanks the FAU for investigating the crimes of that time thoroughly through a research project.
The official opening concludes with a keynote speech by the second Nobel Prize winner, Prof. Stefan Hell, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Natural Sciences, Göttingen.
About the MPZPM
The MPZPM is an interdisciplinary, joint research center of the MPL, the UKER and the FAU. Research at the MPZPM focuses on fundamental questions in medicine from a completely new physical perspective. The aim is to use this perspective to contribute new findings to the understanding of living systems, biological processes and their pathological changes and to establish new diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
The MPZPM was conceived in 2013 and received approval from the committees of the Max Planck Society in 2014. Thanks to special funding from the Free State of Bavaria amounting to 60 million euros, the cooperation agreement was signed in 2017.
The modern functional building in the middle of the University Hospital campus, with a direct connection to the translation centers and five full floors, houses flexible laboratory concepts and offices for around 180 researchers and employees of the science service. The MPZPM offers central technical service facilities for in vivo studies, lab-on-chip systems and modern microscopy techniques.
The operational concept enables experiments to be carried out in the optical laboratories with maximal control of the ambient conditions, both in terms of temperature stability and vibration stability. The MPZPM is directly connected to the MPL via a fiber optic cable reserved especially for the institute. This not only enables extremely high data transmission rates, but also allows the fiber optic cable to be used directly for optical experiments. 75 solar modules are installed on the roof of the center, providing a peak output of 52 kilowatts. Through the use of renewable energies and the simultaneous reduction of CO2 emissions via a sophisticated approach to saving energy during cooling generation and distribution, the MPZPM is making a concrete contribution to the MPG's efforts to achieve more climate-neutral research operations.
The MPZPM will house the research groups of Professors Kristian Franze (Neuronal Mechanics), Jochen Guck (Cell Physics), Benoît Ladoux (Tissue biomechanics), Vahid Sandoghdar (Nano-biophotonics) and Vasily Zaburdaev (Immunophysics).
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