Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine

The MDC Mission

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) carries out basic biomedical research with the aim of understanding the molecular basis of health and disease, and translating these findings as quickly as possible into clinical application. The research involves the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, as well as their prevention.

MDC 25 years

Research We investigate the molecular basis of health and disease in four research areas: cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, diseases of the nervous system and medical systems biology.
Translation We want the general public to benefit from our research, so we place a special emphasis on technology transfer and translating our research to the clinics.
Training We train the next generation of scientists and provide all our employees with a stimulating environment and training opportunities.

Research Highlights

The art of folding mitochondrial membranes

Oliver Daumke's lab figures out how the inner membranes of mitochondria "get their groove" and assume the complex shapes they need to carry out crucial cellular functions

A strangely silent allele

Ralph Kettritz's group discovers a unique mechanism by which white blood cells silence a gene involved in autoimmune diseases.

Further research highlights

News

The last of their kind

23 June, 2017

To save the northern white rhino from extinction an international research team has chosen an unusual approach. They want to facilitate an in vitro fertilisation by transforming the animals’ skin cells into egg cells. Thomas Hildebrandt and Sebastian Diecke will present their project during the Long Night of the Sciences. When the bull, Sudan, his […]

Committed to Max Delbrück’s scientific legacy

08 June, 2017

The family of the man who gave his name to the MDC visited the Berlin research center and discovered the beginnings, history and prospects of molecular medicine in Berlin

Postdoc – what next?

01 June, 2017

A doctorate is a key milestone for everyone who wants to embark on an academic career. Numerous postdoctoral researchers – such as Tobias Opialla, who is still unsure about his next steps, or Marina Kolesnichenko, who wants to develop a career in science – are also working in the MDC laboratories. Both are taking up the opportunities provided by the MDC to guide their decision-making.

Further news on MDC Insights