News & Events

It’s a small switch with a big impact: the operon has the ability to turn genes on and off. Cell and developmental biologist Michael Levine will talk about the crucial role it plays in mutation occurrence and thus in evolution during his keynote lecture at our EMBO workshop running from September 13 to 17.

If the cerebral hemispheres of the forebrain fail to divide properly in an unborn child, this results in holoprosencephaly. An MDC team led by Annette Hammes has discovered candidate genes that can positively influence the severity of this congenital malformation of the forebrain, as the researchers now report in the journal Development.

Stiftung Charité Foundation and the Berlin Institute of Health at the Charité are continuing their format for recruiting outstanding female scientists. MDC researcher Kathrin de la Rosa is among the four new Johanna Quandt Professors. The immunologist will continue to lead her research group here.

After providing funding for single-cell analysis of adult hearts, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is now supporting the creation of a cell atlas of children’s hearts. An international team led by Christine Seidman of Harvard University and Norbert Hübner of the MDC is again among the funded networks.

As a researcher, Hermann von Helmholtz covered a lot of ground. That much is clear from the translation of his dissertation from Latin, which includes the description of basic principles of the nervous system that hold true to this day. An interview.

Ian Stewart doesn't like to completely give up work in his free time. Together with other scientists, he founded "EDGE" - an organisation dedicated to make neuroscience understandable through art. He reveals more in our new "Lunch Break" video series.

The HIDA Trainee Network’s third call for application is open. Once again, it offers doctoral researchers and postdocs the opportunity to gain interdisciplinary experience in an exchange with another Helmholtz center. In this way, the Trainee Network provides new impulses for collaboration between the centers and builds a vibrant community of data scientists.

Viruses come and go – most of the time, at least. Some, however, stay around forever. A team led by Markus Landthaler at the MDC intends to find out what enables viruses to set up home permanently in a host, as part of the DFG Research Unit DEEP-DV.

If you’ve ever survived the onset of winter in the Arctic, you can hopefully keep your cool when hackers attack. Karsten Häcker, CIO at the MDC, tells us how adventure holidays help him keep his composure at work. And he reveals what Swiss cheese has to do with IT.