MDC Berlin

Until recently, there were few options for predicting the course of myocarditis in children. Now a team of scientists in Berlin, led by Sabine Klaassen at the ECRC , have discovered genetic defects associated with the severity of the disease, as they report in "Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine".

Unlike most mammals or other rodents, the common spiny mouse has a menstrual cycle. Dr Christian Feregrino from the MDC is investigating how this trait has emerged. The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO ) is funding his work with a fellowship worth €140,000.

Wissensstadt Berlin 2021 kicked off in late June with an extensive program that offers a glimpse into what the city’s scientists are working on – all under the motto “Berlin wants to know.” The MDC is hosting events that bring science to life and give the public an opportunity to discuss the medicine of tomorrow.

The protein dynamin is a molecular machine that helps cells to take up nutrients and other substances. A team led by MDC researcher Oliver Daumke has now detailed how this minuscule motor works in the journal “PNAS”.

It is widely agreed that animals used in research deserve special protection. In a commentary published in the journal Animals, scientists and animal welfare officers from Berlin are now asking for the official guidance on implementing EU directive 2010/63/EU to be revised, because they believe the current instructions hinder research and do not help the animals.

Fabian Coscia is the head of the junior research group on Spatial Proteomics at the MDC. He uses artificial intelligence to analyze cancer cell proteomes – the entirety of the proteins produced by the cells. Now, he wants to develop this method further as part of the MSTARS project.

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association is one of the first signatories of the "Transparent Animal Testing" initiative. Professor Thomas Sommer, Scientific Director (interim), explains why.

The use of animals in research is a hotly debated issue, making fact-based and open communication all the more important. So the DFG and “Tierversuche verstehen” have teamed up to launch the “Transparency Agreement Initiative.” There are more than 50 initial signatories, including the MDC.

Prof. Simone Spuler is looking to use stem cells and CRISPR to prevent the muscle tissue of patients with genetic muscle disorders from further deteriorating – or even to repair it. This could lead to the first therapeutic approaches for diseases that have up to now been considered incurable.