The marriage of cell biology and developmental biology is resulting in new scientific methods. In the process, it is also creating new institutes, perhaps most notably in Dresden, where the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) recently opened its doors.

Developmental biologists have generally concentrated on problems such as finding and understanding the genes that tell a young organism to sprout a wing rather than a leg. Cell biologists, for their part, have examined biomechanical processes such as cellular division and adhesion. Now, new technology and an increasingly integrationist approach to science are bringing the two fields together (see News Feature, page 244).

The MPI-CBG is one of the main institutes leading that approach (see Naturejobs this issue, pages 4–5). The institute's proponents are building up not just a new institute, but an entire biotech region on the emerging field's foundation. Apart from the MPI-CBG, the region will host a centre for biotech start-ups and an institute for computational biology. This construction has required the centres' leaders to marshal resources from the government, academia, industry and philanthropy. Ideally, as the science develops, fledgling companies and institutions built around it will expand, meaning more jobs.

Taking a leadership approach in a new field isn't easy. Expectations can run high — especially when the new frontiers are being bolstered by funds from both the public and private sectors. But the risks may be worth taking. Judging from the activity springing up around the Dresden institute, merging two disciplines can create net gains — both scientifically and economically.