Science

Professor Simone Spuler’s team has developed a method to isolate muscle stem cells so that they retain their regenerative potential. Dr. Verena Schöwel was awarded the Science4Life Award for her concept, which uses this technology for patients suffering from muscle disorders.

EASI Genomics: an EU-funded project to provide free-of-charge access to sequencing technologies

Professor John Ioannidis of Stanford University comes to Berlin as an Einstein BIH Visiting Fellow. Among others, Professor Martin Lohse, Scientific Director of the MDC, welcomed the guest.

He is a molecular biologist, physician, GDR revolutionary, civil rights activist, bioethicist, and – still to this day – a formative researcher and ombudsman at the Max Delbrück Center. We celebrate the 80th birthday of Professor Jens Reich.

Titin is the largest molecule in the human body – and together with actin and myosin plays a pivotal role in the ensemble of muscle proteins. A team led by Professor Michael Gotthardt from the MDC describes in the journal “Circulation” how mutations in this protein lead to various heart diseases.

Why will young people from all Berlin districts travel to the MDC in Buch and spend UniStem Day working on stem cells? Because they have the opportunity to discuss stem cells with a heart surgeon and a basic researcher andbecause they can visit biotech companies, examine cells in the laboratory, discuss ethics and understand the CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors.

When a muscle grows or a muscle injury heals, some of the stem cells develop into new muscle cells. A research team at the MDC led by Carmen Birchmeier has now described in the journal “Genes and Development” how this process is regulated by two proteins produced in an oscillatory manner.

An ‘Edit-a-thon’ event, hosted among others by the MDC, celebrated International Women’s Day by improving diversity on Wikipedia pages. The MDC-produced ORION Open Science podcast was there to investigate what the challenges to diversity in science are and how the Open Science movement can help.

Lil BUB has drawn millions of followers across the internet for her cute appearance. Behind the celebrity cat’s unique features is a combination of two rare genetic variants, three molecular biologists from Germany and the US report.

The regulation of genes is incredibly complex – and even a bit more complex than was previously thought – shows a new study in “Molecular Cell”. In the genes which determine the fate of every cell, a splitting of the DNA double helix is not a reason for cellular despair, but is part of an important safety mechanism.