Welcome to Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry! Despite their fixed lifestyles, plants and fungi are no helpless victims ... of their fate. In the course of evolution they have developed a variety of mechanisms that allow them to communicate with their environment and to defend themselves. The vast diversity of chemical compounds they produce, notably specialized natural products, significantly contribute to these communication and defense strategies. At the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, an international team of scientists combines unique expertise in the chemical and biological sciences to decipher the complex processes and networks underlying the interplay between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environment. The focus lies on the analyses of plant and fungal natural products and their biological importance as well as on studying the molecular mechanisms that mediate those interactions. The discoveries at the IPB may find applications in pharma-biotechnology to develop novel bioactive substances or in agro-technology to guide sustainable crop production and development of functional foods. Thus, the IPB will ultimately contribute to enhancing human, animal and plant health. read more