Goodbye LOEWE, Hello Frankfurt: Genomic Research on Biodiversity Continues

After seven successful years, the Hessian LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) is closing with impressive results and sustainable structures for the future.
The Centre has successfully fulfilled its mission to make genomic diversity accessible for both basic and applied research, such as species conservation and the discovery of natural products, achieving excellent scientific and practical outcomes. The continuation of biodiversity genomics research is ensured through strategic expansions like Senckenberg’s newly acquired „Anthropocene Biodiversity Loss“ program, which will provide €1.3 million annually starting in 2025. This funding will support three professorships as well as staff for laboratories and bioinformatics on a long-term basis.

In a unique collaboration, six Hessian institutions—the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Goethe University Frankfurt, Justus Liebig University Giessen, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (F-ITMP) and for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), as well as the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology—worked together at the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics to analyse genomic diversity as a basis for biodiversity research and innovative conservation efforts.

For the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art and Culture (HMWK), the achievements of the Biodiversity Genomics Centre confirm the funding decisions made in 2017 and 2021 as part of the LOEWE program. Timon Gremmels, Minister for Science and Research, Art and Culture, remarked: “The excellent genomic research at the LOEWE-TBG Centre, which emerged over seven years through close partnerships between major Hessian scientific institutions, enables socially relevant insights—such as understanding biodiversity loss and the potential of natural products. We therefore warmly welcome the continuation of this research area and network at the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research and Goethe University Frankfurt starting in 2025, and we are excited about the long-term opportunities this will create for Hessian and international biodiversity genomics.“

Thanks to LOEWE funding, we have been able to set up a central infrastructure with a structural importance, enabling genome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatic analysis at the highest level“, emphasized Prof. Dr. Michael Hiller, spokesperson of the Centre since 2023, adding: „With 16 professors, modern infrastructure units, and numerous associated research projects, TBG has developed into an internationally visible centre for biodiversity genomics over the past years. For this, we express our heartfelt thanks to the Hessian state government!”

Strategic expansions, such as the „Anthropocene Biodiversity Loss“ program secured by Senckenberg, will ensure the continuity of genomic biodiversity research. In addition to funding three professorships and personnel for laboratories and bioinformatics, the tenure-track process at Goethe University will establish a permanent professorship for Prof. Dr. Eric Helfrich. Moreover, third-party funding—which already accounts for more than 40 percent of the budget—and planned projects, such as a DFG Research Training Group on Translational Biodiversity Genomics,  will secure future research and collaboration.

„The highlights of our research so far—under the motto ‘document – protect – use’—include new insights into the threats polar bears face due to climate change, the evolutionary adaptations of hummingbirds and soil invertebrates, and the discovery of novel natural products, such as the venom of the book scorpion, which is effective against hospital pathogens,“ explained Prof. Dr. Miklós Bálint, co-spokesperson of LOEWE-TBG. „We also developed new bioinformatics methods for genome annotation and made significant contributions to understanding the carbon cycle through cellulose degradation. A project funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action even led to the development of two ISO standards for soil invertebrate biomonitoring,“ Bálint added. „Our focus has always been on the concrete application of research results—for example, in species conservation or the development of new medicines,“ emphasized Prof. Dr. Eric Helfrich, the second co-spokesperson of LOEWE-TBG.

With 576 scientific publications—many in renowned journals such as Science and Nature—62 theses, including 13 doctoral dissertations and two habilitations, and third-party funding amounting to €26.1 million, the Centre has achieved remarkable success. Prestigious grants, such as an ERC Synergy Grant for Prof. Dr. Michael Hiller, as well as an Emmy Noether Fellowship and an ERC Starting Grant for Prof. Dr. Eric Helfrich, highlight the Centre’s impact. Outstanding initiatives like the Soil Invertebrate Genome Initiative (SIGI), the MIBiG initiative, and the international Bat1K project demonstrate the leading role of TBG researchers.

The TBG scientists have also been active in science communication and international networking: Contributions to exhibitions and events at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt brought their research to a wide audience, supported by appearances on TV, radio, and podcasts, as well as an exhibition on the MS Wissenschaft. Several international conferences, such as the „Senckenberg Biodiversity Genomics Symposium“ and the „Quest for Orthologs“, were hosted by TBG. The „International Mollusc of the Year“ project has attracted significant global attention since 2021, with 49,000 votes cast worldwide and widespread media coverage.

„The LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics has established a stable and forward-looking foundation for genomic biodiversity research that will have a lasting impact at both scientific and applied levels,“summarized Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. „Research on natural products, for example, enables far-reaching innovations in drug discovery. Conservation efforts also benefit from this precise genomic approach. Genomics plays a central yet still underestimated role in developing effective and comprehensive solutions for biodiversity protection. The infrastructure and interdisciplinary network established by TBG provide ideal conditions for future research projects, particularly in times of global biodiversity crises.“