Germany's top research institute, the Max Planck Society (MPG), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) officially opened their first joint center focused on synthetic biochemistry on April 18.
Hosted and operated by the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of CAS and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the center marks a collaboration between the two institutions in this cutting-edge field.
CAS and the MPG have maintained a cooperative partnership since 1974, with numerous successful joint programs produced over the decades. The formal agreement to establish the center was signed on April 13, aiming to build a world-class platform for academic and industrial cooperation in synthetic biochemistry.
The center will focus on tapping the potential of microorganism-derived natural products for medicine, plant protection, and other fields. It will leverage Shenzhen's advanced synthetic biology infrastructure, which supports automated cultivation, high-throughput analysis, and genetic engineering of microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and fungi, as well as metabolite characterization and molecular structure research.
Liu Chenli, Director of SIAT and Co-Director of the center, said that the center will foster bilateral collaboration, advance major scientific initiatives, and support the development of early-career researchers. "It is envisioned as a world-class collaborative platform where scientists can work together on innovative research to address shared challenges in synthetic biology and biomanufacturing."
Professor Patrick Cramer, President of the MPG, hopes the center will become a model of Sino-German scientific cooperation.
The center builds on prior collaborations, including the 2025 CAS–MPG Summer School, and the recent commemoration of the 50th anniversary of CAS–Max Planck collaboration. The new cooperation strengthens Shenzhen's status as a global innovation hub, coinciding with the run-up to the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be hosted by the city.
Reporter | Cai Minling
Photo | SIAT
Revised by Huang Qini
