zmb - LIB

Reading out genetic information

DNA and RNA contain a wealth of information about how changes in nature affect organisms and the extent to which all species and strains of life are related to each other. By reading out genetic information, natural reservoirs of potential pathogens can also be decoded. At the Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb) , our scientists use a comprehensive technical infrastructure.

Methods and techniques

Using various methods and techniques, some of which they have developed themselves, they generate molecular reference data and analyse samples from recent monitoring programmes as well as historical specimens from scientific collections. The information obtained provides them with the basis for analysing molecular and morphological changes in species or for differentiating between species.

Biobank

The enormous amounts of data generated during sequencing are analysed on our own high-performance computers, linked together and processed for further investigations. The biobank at the zmb stores tens of thousands of valuable tissue, DNA and RNA samples as well as thousands of cell cultures in ultra-low temperatures as a collection for future generations of researchers.

What is the biobank?

Sections | of 11

Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Molecular biodiversity
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Comparative Genomics (Vertebrates) Bonn
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Comparative genomics (Insects) Bonn
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Bioinformatics, HPC
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Statistical Phylogenomics and Machine Learning
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Evolutionary Genomics - Bonn
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Leibniz Junior Research Group - Minnows
Hamburg
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Central units
Biobank
Hamburg
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Central units
Invertebrate Genomics, Molecular Laboratory Hamburg
Bonn
Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Central units
Molecular Evolution, Molecular Laboratory Bonn

Prof. Dr. Alexander Suh

Head of Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)
Head of Section Molecular Biodiversity

Phone: +49 228 9122 289
E-Mail: a.suh@leibniz-lib.de

Marijke Essink-Argentato

Centre assistance

Phone: +49 40 238317 700
E-Mail: m.essink-argentato@leibniz-lib.de

M.A. Franziska Neff

Centre assistance

Phone: +49 40 228 9122 187
E-Mail: f.neff@leibniz-lib.de

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2026

2026/09
Ludreschl, C., Kirse, A., Hartke, T.R., Bhansali, S., Bourlat, S.J., Mayer, C., Ott, D., Bott, F., Rutte, D., Siemt, P., Espeland, M., Scherber, C.
Show more...
Optimised light sources reduce nocturnal insect attraction at railway stations
Biological conservation, 321
2026/07
Clarke, A.W., Bozek, L., Babalola, A.I., Wyrożemski, Ł., Paynter, V.M., Vinther, J., Donath, A., Olesen, J., Glenner, H., McPeek, M.A., Farrell, T.M., Fitak, R.R., Martinez, P., Fromm, B., Peterson, K.J.
Show more...
Genomic Contingence Beneath Ecological Convergence: The Tempo and Mode of Gene Loss in Parasitic Bilaterians
Evolution
2026/06
Fraser, B., Gasparini, C., Santi, F., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., Oomen, R.A., Struck, T.H., Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management, Samples and Laboratory Team, ., Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations, ., Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Core Informatics Team, ., Denton, A., Howard, C., Howe, K., Blaxter, M., McCarthy, S., Wood, J.M.D., Martin, F., Sinha, S., Haggerty, L., Bortoluzzi, C.
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ERGA-BGE reference genome of Gambusia holbrooki, a globally invasive freshwater fish
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/06
Maurstad, M.F., Kusy, D., Undheim, E.A.B., Jakobsen, K.S., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., Struck, T.H., Oomen, R.A., Bunikis, I., Tellgren-Roth, C., Heintz, J., Häggqvist, S., Jonsäll, L., Lager, N., Larva, T., Mosbech, M., Pippel, M., Vinnere Pettersson, O., Bortoluzzi, C.
Show more...
ERGA-BGE chromosome-level genome assembly of the giant stream lacewing Osmylus fulvicephalus (Scopoli, 1763)
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/06
De Keyzer, E.L.R., Herder, F., Böhne, A., Jiménez, F.C., Burskaia, V., Kukowka, S., Tracey, A., Denton, A.L., Oatley, G., Mokodongan, D.F., Wowor, D., Svardal, H.
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Ancient and recent riverine gene flow contributed to the adaptive radiation of sailfin silversides in Wallace's dreampond
Molecular Ecology, 11, 35
2026/06
Tünde Nyíri, V., Sramkó, G., Cserkész, T., Szatmári, L., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., Oomen, R.A., Struck, T.H., Melo-Ferreira, J., Pimenta, J., Gut, M., Aguilera, L., Câmara Ferreira, F., Cruz, F., Gómez-Garrido, J., Alioto, T.S., Martin, F., Sinha, S., Haggerty, L., Bortoluzzi, C.
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ERGA-BGE reference genome of the European hamster (Cricetuscricetus), an IUCN critically endangered species of the Eurasian steppe
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/06
Manousaki, T., Dendrinos, P., Vasileiadou, K., Sarropoulou, X., Tsigenopoulos, C.S., Dailianis, T., Tounta, E., Vogiatzis, N., Komnenou, A., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Fernández, R., Escudero, N., Bunikis, I., Tellgren-Roth, C., Mosbech, M., Dias, G.B., Vinnere Pettersson, O., Bortoluzzi, C.
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ERGA-BGE reference genome of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachusmonachus), an IUCN Vulnerable species
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/05
Bolanakis, G., Karakasi, D., Bitzilekis, E., Stratakis, M., Trichas, A., Lymberakis, P., Poulakakis, N., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Fernández, R., Escudero, N., Genoscope Sequencing Team, ., Moussy, A., Cruaud, C., Labadie, K., Demirdjian, L., Téodori, E., Wincker, P., H. Oliveira, P., Aury, J., Bortoluzzi, C.
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ERGA-BGE genome of Dailognathaquadricollis, an East Mediterranean darkling beetle
Open Research Europe, 5
2026/05
Pieplow, J., Colgan, T.J., de Souza Araujo, N., Stolle, E.
Show more...
The role of the sex determination cascade in the development of caste polyphenisms
Current Opinion in Insect Science
2026/05
Struck, T.H., Marcussen, T., Böhne, A., Fernández, R., Melo-Ferreira, J., Florent, I., Gissi, C., de Guttry, C., Leonard, J.A., McTaggart, S., Mazzoni, C.J., Monteiro, R., Vinnere Pettersson, O., Pimenta, J., Pohjoismäki, J., Reichel, K., Tarieiev, A., Oomen, R.A.
Show more...
An automated decision-making procedure for ranking and selecting species in biodiversity projects
npj Biodiversity
2026/05
Uliano-Silva, M., da Conceição, H.B., Mercuri, R.L.V., Winkler, S., Guardia, G.D.A., Myers, E., McCarthy, S., Tracey, A., Suh, A., Blaxter, M., Galante, P.A.F., Mazzoni, C.J.
Show more...
Elevated retrocopy burden and sloth-specific expansions illuminate mammalian genome evolution
BMC Biology
2026/05
Valencia-Cárdenas, V.M., Kulikov, N., Contreras-Martín, R., Ruiz-Ruano, F.J., Ben Hamadou, A., Greve, C., Estekani, S., Vaz, D.F.B., Ord, T.J., Irisarri, I.
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The nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of the lined rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Teleostei: Blenniidae)
Genome Biology and Evolution
2026/05
De Keyzer, E.L.R., Herder, F., Böhne, A., Campuzano Jiménez, F., Burskaia, V., Kukowka, S., Tracey, A., Denton, A., Oatley, G., Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life, p., Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations, D.P.c., Tree of Life, C.I.c., Mokodongan, D.F., Wowor, D., Svardal, H.
Show more...
Ancient and recent riverine gene flow contributed to the adaptive radiation of sailfin silversides in Wallace's Dreampond
Molecular Ecology
2026/05
Taboada, S., Gracia-Sancha, C., Galià-Camps, C., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., Oomen, R.A., Struck, T.H., Gut, M., Aguilera, L., Câmara Ferreira, F., Cruz, F., Gómez-Garrido, J., Alioto, T.S., Martin, F., Lazar, A., Haggerty, L., Bortoluzzi, C.
Show more...
ERGA-BGE reference genome of Xylophaga dorsalis - a common deep-sea wood-boring bivalve with Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/05
Nuriddinov, M., Malinovskaya, L., Bobrovskikh, A., Gridina, M., Serdyukova, N.A., Suh, A., Ruiz-Ruano, F.J., Torgasheva, A.
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Chromosome-level genome assembly of the sand martin (Riparia riparia)
Scientific data
2026/04
Ferrer Obiol, J., Rubolini, D., Paris, J.R., Giannelli, F., Gonçalves, D., Andrade, P., Rodríguez, B., Tedeschi, A., Sorrenti, M., Natali, C., Sozzoni, M., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., H. Struck, T., A. Oomen, R., Diroma, M.A., Ciofi, C., Howard, C., Blaxter, M., Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management: Samples and Laboratory Team, ., Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations, ., Bortoluzzi, C.
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ERGA-BGE reference genome of the Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), a game bird species with isolated populations of conservation interest
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/04
Núñez, R., Bodenheim, A., Álvarez, Y., Wahlberg, N., Espeland, M.
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Mixture models unveil the origin of the enigmatic Satyrinae butterfly genera Calisto and Llorenteana (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)
Systematic Entomology, 2, 51
2026/04
Kück, P., Suh, A.
Show more...
Persistent conflict in palaeognath phylogeny revealed by quartet-based and ML analyses
Frontiers in Zoology
2026/04
Maurstad, M.F., Kusy, D., Undheim, E.A.B., Jakobsen, K.S., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Marcussen, T., Struck, T.H., Oomen, R.A., Bunikis, I., Tellgren-Roth, C., Heintz, J., Häggqvist, S., Jonsäll, L., Lager, N., Larva, T., Mosbech, M., Pippel, M., Vinnere Pettersson, O., Bortoluzzi, C.
Show more...
ERGA-BGE reference genome of Osmylusfulvicephalus, the giant stream lacewing, Europe's representative of the family Osmylidae
Open Research Europe, 6
2026/04
Muñoz-Sánchez, Á., Kulikov, N., Irisarri, I.
Show more...
Stitch or Cluster? A Comparison of Alternative Phylogenomic Dataset Assembly Strategies for Blenny fish.
Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists, 1, 5
2026/04
VENCES, M., PATMANIDIS, S., KULIKOV, N., IRISARRI, I., SCHULZ, A., ROTHE, L., PETZOLD, A., SCHERZ, M.D., MIRALLES, A.
Show more...
BlasTax—a user-friendly stand-alone tool to leverage the BLAST+ program for molecular taxonomy
Megataxa, 2, 19
2026/04
Georgakakis, P., Karakasi, D., Lymberakis, P., Papadimitrakis, M., Stratakis, M., Bitzilekis, E., Poulakakis, N., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Fernández, R., Escudero, N., Genoscope Sequencing Team, ., Moussy, A., Cruaud, C., Labadie, K., Demirdjian, L., Mangenot, S., Belser, C., Wincker, P., Oliveira, P.H., Aury, J., Haggerty, L., Sinha, S., Martin, F., Bortoluzzi, C.
Show more...
ERGA-BGE reference genome of the forest-restricted Cretan subspecies of Hanak's bat (Pipistrellus hanaki creticus), an IUCN Vulnerable species
Open Research Europe, 5
2026/03
Schlebusch, S.A., Trifonov, V., Halenková, Z., Klianitskaya, M., Dedukh, D., Ruiz-Herrera, A., Álvarez-González, L., Pujol, G., Hřibová, E., Andjel, L., Bartoš, O., Pajer, P., Tichopád, T., Kulik, D., Kotusz, J., Kaštánková Doležálková, M., Böhne, A., Marta, A., Horna, P., Reifová, R., Guiguen, Y., Kuhl, H., Pačes, J., Janko, K.
Show more...
Sex chromosome turnover and structural genome divergence shapes meiotic outcomes in hybridising Cobitis
Gigascience
2026/03
Chen, A., Ruiz-Ruano, F.J., Contreras-López, O., Fouché, S., Suh, A., Pei, Y.
Show more...
Paralog-aware assembly and filtering strategies reveal minimal nucleotide variation on the macro germline-restricted chromosome of the zebra finch
Heredity
2026/03
Kozel, P., Bončina, A., Bužan, E., Böhne, A., Monteiro, R., Fernández, R., Escudero, N., Gut, M., Aguilera, L., Câmara Ferreira, F., Cruz, F., Gómez-Garrido, J., Alioto, T.S., Martin, F., Paola Barrera Enriquez, V., Haggerty, L., Bortoluzzi, C.
Show more...
ERGA-BGE genome of Leiobunumsubalpinum - a montane-subalpine harvestman species endemic to the eastern Alps
Open Research Europe, 6

Reading out genetic information

Methods and techniques

Biobank

Sections | of 11

Contact for enquiries

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