MDC Berlin

Proteins are unrivalled in their diversity and complexity, says Erich Wanker, and the slightest of changes can disrupt entire networks of relationships. He wants to understand why, in brain disorders like Huntington’s disease, such disruptions cause the death of neurons – and how this process can be stopped.

Hermann von Helmholtz is considered one of the most influential natural scientists of his time. To mark the Potsdam-born physicist’s 200th birthday on August 31, a joint exhibition has been organized by the proWissen Potsdam association, the University of Potsdam, and the Helmholtz Association in honor of the “Genius from the Havel.” The MDC is participating with an exhibition panel.

Dr. Janine Altmüller’s goal is to raise the profile of genomics research in Berlin. Since July 1 she has headed the BIH and MDC’s joint Genomics Platform, providing support to Berlin researchers and honing new methods and technologies.

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".

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.