Scientists at a desk laughing
© Katharina Bohm / MDC

Success stories

Breaking down barriers in molecular medicine

The Max Delbrück Center is one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutes. The extent of its scientific success can be seen in just a few selected highlights.

ERC Grants: The most prestigious research grants in Europe

European Research Council (ERC) views the recipients of its highly sought-after funding as pioneers venturing into uncharted territory. The selection process for the grants is based on a single criterion – scientific excellence – and researchers are not constrained by any thematic or policy priorities. That's why receiving an ERC grant is a great honour and valuation of one's work.

Most of our researchers are biologists or chemists, while others are bioinformaticians, mathematicians, physicians, or physicists. For these experts, molecular medicine is about combining the different perspectives of physicians and scientists. Their findings should improve diagnoses and therapies, and help healthy people avoid getting ill

Examples of recent significant scientific discoveries

Noteworthy discoveries made by MDC research groups are featured in our Research Highlights.

Research leading to better therapy and diagnoses

Our scientists have founded a number of spin-offs. Furthermore, our researchers are making important contributions to the development of pharmaceuticals and technologies.

A steadily rising number of publications

The immediate result of a scientist's work are research papers which are published in scientific journals. These articles serve a central aspect of science: spreading knowledge across the world. Other researchers subsequently re-use and cite the results in their own work.

Publications 2014-2018
  Total Number of publications in journals with impact factor > 10 Average impact factor
2020 567 122 7,63
2019 449 84 7,57
2018 475 98 7.11
2017 448 98 7.47
2016 490 77 6.39
2015 432 68 6.32
2014 402 67 6.54

Calculations are based on publications of MDC research groups, guest groups, technology platforms and ECRC groups with a stated ECRC affiliation.
Some 65 percent of all publications were co-authored by researchers from other countries.

Our scientific publications

Related news

Human Neurons

Induced human sensory neurons with the ion channel Elkin1 (cyan), nucleus (yellow) and Neurofilament 200 (magenta), that stains for large neurons that are involved in light touch.

© Amy Hulme, University of Wollongong
Press Release No. 9

A new channel for touch

Touch is a fundamental, yet scarcely understood, sense. Now, the team led by Gary Lewin at the Max Delbrück Center has discovered a second ion channel associated with touch perception. Elkin1 could be a target for pain therapy, the team writes in “Science”.
Scientific image

Sensory Schwann cells positive for SOX10 shown in red, sensory-ending within the Meissner corpuscle in green, SOX2-postive cell at the base of the Meissner corpuscle shown in silver. 

© Lewin Lab, Max Delbrück Center
Press Release No. 7

Pain and touch sensations require Schwann cells

Special receptor cells under the skin enable us to feel pain and touch. But Schwann cells also play a key role in detecting such stimuli, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center report in “Nature Communications.” This discovery opens new avenues for pain therapy.
Lugenepithel sLCR

This image shows a lung epithelial cell line, whose membranes and nuclei are stained in red and blue. The green signal defines cells expressing the fluorescent protein in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

© Matthias Schmitt (AG Gargiulo), Max Delbrück Center
Press Release No. 6

Computer-engineered DNA to study cell identities

A new computer program allows scientists to design synthetic DNA segments that indicate, in real time, the state of cells. Reported by the Gargiulo lab in “Nature Communications”, it will be used to screen for anti-cancer or viral infections drugs, or to improve gene and cell-based immunotherapies.
Scientific image

Liver tissue from a mouse model of a rare immune disease called FHL: Mutated T cells are unable to kill B cells (red) induced by the Epstein-Barr virus. This causes other immune cells to flow into the area of infection, thereby blocking a blood vessel (center).

© Elijah D. Lowenstein and Xun Li, K. Rajewsky Lab, Max Delbrück Center
Press Release No. 5

Gene editing precisely repairs immune cells

Some hereditary genetic defects cause an exaggerated immune response that can be fatal. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, such defects can be corrected, thus normalizing the immune response, as researchers led by Klaus Rajewsky from the Max Delbrück Center now report in “Science Immunology.”