Molecular sciences revolutionized biomedical research and triggered the development of the biotechnology industry. During the coming decades, the merging of quantitative sciences such as informatics, physics and chemistry  with biomedical research will trigger the next revolution that is to improve basic understanding of the complex processes in living systems as well as in human health care, since there is no doubt that small changes have great effects.
In this context the development of accurate analytical methods must be considered pivotal.

The understanding of biological processes will be impossible without information about the minute changes induced in cells by interactions of cell constituents with all sorts of endogenous and exogenous influences and disturbances.

In order to understand the role of biomolecules, the primary interest of the group is to elucidate molecular structures and to quantify their amount present in a sample.

We at the group of Applied Analytical and Environmental Chemistry are devoted to the analysis of biomolecules such as peptides, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. We develop accurate and robust analytical procedures for the investigation of their biological role and to this end, chromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques coupled to mass spectrometry are indispensable tools. Mass spectrometry has always been a key technology in life sciences and its importance is ever increasing.