Sunday, March 5, 2023 – Author: Important
Construction work has begun on the Imaging Innovation Center (IIC) of the Max Delbrück Center on the Berlin-Buch campus. In the future, technology platforms and research groups in the field of microscopy will work under one roof.
The science campus in Berlin-Buch has been under construction for about six weeks. The Imaging Innovation Center (IIC) of the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) is being built in the immediate vicinity of the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology and the cryo-electron microscopy building. According to the customer’s plans, the construction should be completed in 2025. With the IIC, the Max Delbrück Center says it wants to “position itself on a larger scale in the further development of microscopy”.
New microscopy techniques for the life sciences
says d. Jutta Steinkötter Purpose of the project. According to the Chief of Scientific Infrastructure, these include high-resolution time and space imaging methods for single molecules and associated techniques.
It is considered sealed that the technology platform optical microscopy, cryo-EM and image data analysis suite will move to IIC. According to MDC, a scientific committee will advise on entry for other research groups.
High demands on construction
Since the microscopes must not be subjected to any vibrations, the new building will have a rigid base plate that compensates for vibrations and a low-vibration support structure. Temperature and humidity must also be kept stable so that results are not falsified. That’s why IIC is equipped with a high precision ventilation system.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for the first half of 2023. Until then, those responsible for the project have other concerns. In addition to old electrical cables and lines, debris containing asbestos and other contaminants was also found in the pit. Project manager Karsten Hönig hinted that everything might take a little longer because sampling and disposal of hazardous waste takes a long time.