Molecular Biotechnology (M.Sc.)

Classical biotechnology has mainly focused on the production process and related questions concerning technical processes (such as fermentation, separation etc.). In the age of genetic engineering and synthetic biology, however, it has become much simpler to optimize the biosynthetic performance of the cell itself. Further, it has also become possible to design and efficiently synthesize artificial biomolecules with enhanced or even new functions (protein design). This, in turn, has established links to the new research area of synthetic biology. As a result, the technical know-how and added value for a commercial enterprise no longer principally relate to the production process but, increasingly, to the structure and function of the biomolecule, as well as to the (purposefully manipulated) genetic features of the cell (or of the organism) being produced. This field of work therefore requires the interdisciplinary application of the methods of genetic engineering, protein chemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics.

The central focus in “molecular” biotechnology is on the biomolecules themselves and, more specifically, on the macromolecules – in addition to lipids and intermediate metabolic products (metabolites) – as well as the cells that synthesize these. Cells, whether microorganisms or cultivated animal or plant cells, are not only of interest as producers but also as objects of study.

You are required to pay an application fee of €2,000 in order to apply for this program.