What are biological signals and why are they important?

Biological signals are a major way in which organisms encode and transmit information. They come in an astounding variety of forms, ranging from tiny molecules and metabolites, to large proteins and even physical stimuli. A constant and dynamic exchange of such biological signals takes place between and within the cells of all complex living organisms. This exchange is a defining feature of life and is required for coordination of cellular tasks, tissue formation and the adaptation to environmental conditions. Accordingly, a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of biological signal transmission and integration will be key to identify the causes of diseases, develop new drugs and therapies and engineer resilient and sustainable agriculture.

Understanding the molecular language of life

We speak of the molecular ‘language of life’ because the signalling processes we study are so fundamental to the life and survival of organisms. At CIBSS, we want to understand and learn to ‘communicate’ with this language. Our specific research focus is signal integration – the mechanisms by which the information in form of different biological signals is combined, processed, and contextualised i.e. sent, received and interpreted across spatial and temporal scales.

How do signals function across scales?

Tiny molecules can control the growth and functions of entire organs (spatial scale). Processes that may last fractions of a second can trigger lifelong changes (temporal scale). Through signalling, organisms are able to coordinate essential processes across biological scales. One of our central research approaches is to investigate how biological signals are transmitted and integrated across spatial and temporal scales in a variety of organisms.

How are signals integrated and how does this determine decisions?

Signals influence each other and have different meanings depending on the context. We investigate the way in which the biological context – for example, cell and organelle type, developmental stage or environment – influence how signals are interpreted and how decisions are made within biological systems. Our research also addresses important questions of how the environment – i.e. tissue context, metabolism, temperature differences, changing light conditions – influence signalling processes. New data science and artificial intelligence approaches in CIBSS are being developed to extract unprecedented insights into signal integration and contextualisation mechanisms from complex data. By understanding how signals are integrated and biological decisions (both good and bad) are made, we achieve a deeper understanding of biology, health and disease and open up new avenues to control biological decisions.

Communicating in the molecular ‘language of life’: precisely controlling biological signals and engineering them for innovation

Building on a growing fundamental understanding of signal integration, the research groups in CIBSS develop methods and instruments to precisely control biological signals.
By controlling the function of signals, it is possible not only to understand the molecular ‘language of life’, but also to ‘speak’ it. New tools from chemistry and synthetic biology developed by CIBSS researchers allow this kind of control-of-function. These tools allow us to control signalling with the use of light (optogenetics), engineered signalling proteins, or drugs. Our control-of-function approaches allow us to not only gain new insight into fundamental aspects of signal integration, but also serve as a basis for developing innovative solutions bringing societal benefit in health and agriculture. 

Ethical, legal and social aspects of signalling research

The discoveries and innovations delivered by CIBSS are of immense relevance and benefit to society. Equally, research into biological signalling can raise ethical, legal and social issues, particularly in the field of genetics and biotechnology applications. To ensure that the technologies and methods developed and applied are used responsibly and with foresight, specialists in CIBSS assess their social, ethical and legal implications, follow the development of new technologies with a dialogue on science and technology from the outset, and analyse the ethical and legal framework in which we operate. In this way, we aim to ensure the responsible use of biological information and technologies and play our part in protecting society from potential risks.

How is CIBSS funded?

The Cluster of Excellence CIBSS is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments (ExStra). The aim of the Excellence Strategy is to strengthen Germany as a research hub and to improve its international competitiveness. Our funding is the result of a nationwide competition in which our research proposal was evaluated in a two-stage process involving leading national and international scientists and the state and federal ministers responsible for research. Our research programme was initially funded with 37 million euros for the period from 2019 to 2025; our application for a second funding period (2026–2032) has recently been approved (news).

_{Header image and scientific illustrations: © Michal Rössler / University of Freiburg}