Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla joins IMB’s Scientific Advisory Board
The Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) is pleased to announce that Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla will be joining its Scientific Advisory Board. Maria-Elena is the Director of the Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells at Helmholtz Munich and Chair of Stem Cell Biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Her expertise is in understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell fate and cellular identity, specifically focusing on how cells are reprogrammed during early embryonic development.
Maria-Elena leads a team of researchers at Helmholtz Munich investigating how gene regulation is reset in the early embryo. This step is essential so that embryonic cells can return to a highly flexible state known as totipotency, in which they can develop into any cell type in the body. To do this, she and her team study how DNA is organised and controlled in the early mouse embryo and in stem cells, focusing especially on the epigenetic mechanisms that control the three-dimensional structure of the genome, DNA replication and transcription.
She is also interested in examining mobile stretches of DNA in the genome called transposable elements (also known as “jumping genes”) to understand how they influence genomic function and help drive cellular reprogramming. Her work has led to key contributions advancing our understanding of how chromatin remodelling is regulated in early mouse development and its functional impact on cell potency and reprogramming.
Maria-Elena is passionate about promoting the next generation of scientific leaders. She is also dedicated to bringing science closer to society and promoting ethical, legal and societal standards in science to encourage responsible research. We warmly welcome Maria-Elena to our Scientific Advisory Board and look forward to receiving her advice and guidance.
Further details
Further information can be found at www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/ies/research-groups/torres-padilla-lab
About the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH
The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a centre of excellence in the life sciences that was established in 2011 on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Research at IMB focuses on the cutting-edge fields of epigenetics, genome stability, ageing and RNA biology. The institute is a prime example of successful collaboration between a private foundation and government: The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has committed 154 million euros to be disbursed from 2009 until 2027 to cover the operating costs of research at IMB. The State of Rhineland-Palatinate has provided approximately 50 million euros for the construction of a state-of-the-art building and is giving a further 52 million in core funding from 2020 until 2027. For more information about IMB, please visit: www.imb.de.
Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to promoting 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 Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its funding programmes Exploration Grants, Plus 3, and Rise up!, the Foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers. It also endows the prestigious Heinrich Wieland Prize and awards for emerging scientists. Additionally, it funds institutional projects combining AI and biomedicine, such as the AITHYRA institute in Vienna and a new research unit at the Center for Systems Biology in Dresden (BioAI Dresden). Other supported institutions include the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, both in Germany.
Press contact for further information
Dr Ralf Dahm, Director of Scientific Management
Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6131 39 21455, Email: press(at)imb.de