Long Night of the Sciences

Our program ranges from interactive experiments and shows to the opportunity to look over the shoulder of scientists in the laboratory. Some of the highlights are presented here. 

Lab tours

Scientists at the Campus Buch invite you to their research labs to give you a glimpse into the future of medicine. They will present current biomedical research – topics and methods – and explain what we have learned so far about the “human system”. The number of participants is limited for all tours at the Max Delbrück Center.

Registration required: central info point

Unraveling beta cell biology to combat diabetes

 6:30 pm | 8 pm | 9:30 pm | ages 12 and up (all guided tours in German and English)

© Sander Lab, Max Delbrück Center

How does diabetes develop and how can we better treat it? The Sander Lab investigates how insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells develop and function to uncover the causes of diabetes and pioneer new treatments. Using human stem cell-based organoid models, advanced genetic tools, and computational approaches, the team develops new models of the disease to explore the molecular mechanisms behind beta cell formation, maintenance, and dysfunction. Their research paves the way for innovative therapies to restore beta cell function and improve diabetes care. 

Registration required: central info point in the MDC.C building. 

Sander Lab

Pancreatic Organoid Research and Disease Modeling

When new blood vessels sprout

5:30 pm | 7:30 pm | 9:30 pm | ages 12 and up (all guided tours in German and English)

© Lise Finotto, VIB – KU Leuven

Our blood vessels form a widely branched network of tubes that can be as thick as a thumb or finer than a single hair. They supply all tissues with oxygen and nutrients. The inner lining of the blood vessels, the endothelium, can promote a long and healthy life or promote diseases because it plays a central role when new blood vessels sprout. During the laboratory tour, Holger Gerhardt's team will show visitors how new blood vessels sprout, how blood flow influences the vessels, and where the very first blood vessels come from using cell samples, 3D models, and zebrafish. 

Registration required: central info point in the MDC.C building. 

Gerhardt Lab

Integrative Vascular Biology

Naked mole-rats with a sense of tact

 6:30 pm | 8 pm (in German) | 9:30 pm (in English) | ages 12 and up

© Felix Petermann, MDC

They are almost pain-free, social and yet authoritarian. They like to gossip and cuddle, get super old and have no problem finding their way around in complete darkness: naked mole rats. We share with you what we can learn from naked mole rats about ourselves and for the therapy of human diseases. We'll also give you a glimpse into the gloomy world of these fascinating rodents from East Africa.

Registration required: central info point in the MDC.C building. 

Lewin Lab

Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation

Neuromuscular mini-organs: Experience research first hand

 6:30 pm | ages 12 and up (guided tour in English)

© Ivano Legnini, Agnieszka Rybak-Wolf, Max Delbrück Center

What are mini-organs (organoids) and why are ours so special? During the interactive lab tour, visitors will learn how we produce neuromuscular mini-organs and what significance they have for research into serious diseases. They will gain an insight into how we work at sterile benches, experience the production process with a robot, and be allowed to change the culture medium of the mini-organs themselves and compare their accuracy with robot’s precision. 

Registration required: central info point in the MDC.C building. 

Pluripotent Stem Cells

Sebastian Diecke

Gouti Lab

Stem Cell Modeling of Development and Disease

Cellular Echo

© Sumeet Rohilla

An audiovisual live performance that breaks boundaries and dimensions!

10-11 pm

At sunset, Cellular Echo projects microscopic images of cells onto the exterior wall of the Erwin Negelein House, transforming them into an arrangement of light and sound. Experience a tribute to the diversity and beauty of the building blocks of life.

Science meets art

Science is matter-of-fact and art is emotional – is that true? Research and work in the arts are both experimental and creative processes. Many scientists also paint, perform music, and take photographs. Some of them exhibit their artwork on the Buch campus.

Exhibition stands & other

The accessible artery 

Heart model | 4 pm - 11 pm

© www.organmodelle.de

Over a length of around 150,000 kilometers, our blood vessels form a widely branched network that reaches every corner of the body. Arteries not only supply tissues with oxygen and nutrients, they can also become blocked and cause heart attacks. Arterial cells also exchange information with all other organs. But what does an artery look like? Together with experts, guests can physically walk through a giant model of an artery to learn about our research.

Discoverers

Exhibition | 5 pm - 10 pm

Curiousness drives humanity - it has taken us to the depths of the ocean and all the way into outer space. When it comes to our bodies, who are the people most compelled to explore how they work? To develop cures that benefit us all? Welcome to “Discoverers”!

In our portrait exhibition, meet the scientists of Max Delbrück Center.

Virtual journey through the heart

5 pm - 10 pm

© Till Budde

Translational research - from models to humans

What is translational research? What happens in a clinical trial? We, scientists from the Experimental and Clinical Research Centre (ECRC), answer these and many other exciting questions about the bridge between experimental and clinical research in the field of cardiovascular diseases and pregnancy. We show which measurements can be useful in cardiovascular disease research and how we study blood vessels. 

How does our heart work?

Explore this vital organ with a VR headset. Learn more about heart health, what happens during a heart attack, and how an ECG works.

Information about the join-in program are provided at the booth.

Foyer of the MDC.C building