Our mission

We decode the molecular mechanisms of biological information processing to drive proof-of-principle applications in information technology, biotechnology and medicine.

Every cell has to read its own genome, sense its surroundings and decide what to do next. We study how that decision is made, and what happens when it goes wrong. 

We work with zebrafish and medaka, two small vertebrates that develop in full view under the microscope, and combine genetics, genome editing, live imaging, chemical screening and bioinformatics. Our questions run from the regulatory DNA that switches genes on, through the clocks and hormones that tie an animal to its environment, to the cellular responses provoked by chemicals and nanomaterials. 
The institute also hosts resources the wider community depends on: the European Zebrafish Resource Center, one of two zebrafish stock centres worldwide, the MIKK panel of 80 inbred medaka lines, and a screening centre and imaging hub open to collaborators. 

News

IBCS-BIP & COS Launched 1st German Fish Model Research Meeting

Our institute members, Prof. Dr. Nicholas Simon Foulkes, Dr. Sepand Rastegar, Dr. Laetitia Préau and Dr. Rima Siauciunaite, drove the success of the first inaugural German Fish Model Research Meeting at Heidelberg September 2026. This was an unique gathering for fostering collaboration and sharing innovative ideas using various fish models such as zebrafish, cavefish, killifish, medaka etc ...

New Approach to Chemical Risk Assessment

Our latest milestone achieved by Drs. Thomas Dickmeis and Carsten Weiss caught the attention of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Read the feature on the KIT website.