News

Helmholtz is aiming to become climate-neutral by 2035; construction and building are critical levers in achieving this goal. The “Helmholtz Climate-Friendly Construction” Expertise Network, based at the Max Delbrück Center, aims to make a significant contribution. An interview with Christian Langfeld.

The German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) recognizes Mina Gouti as an outstanding stem cell researchers on her way to expanding basic research and opening up new avenues for therapeutic options. She receives the GSCN 2024 Hilde Mangold Award for her pioneering work on human neuromuscular organoids.

In a commentary, Dr. Sofia Forslund of the Max Delbrück Center and her colleagues outlined challenges faced by transgender scientists and presented ideas on how to tackle them. To commemorate Pride Month in Berlin, Forslund discussed the commentary’s genesis and future efforts at greater inclusion.

Captain T Cell, a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center, raised €8.5 million in startup funding. The startup focuses on developing T cells to target solid tumors. The funds are intended to move a new generation of T cell therapies towards the clinic.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund single-cell scientist Simon Haas in its Heisenberg program. Therefore, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) is establishing a Heisenberg professorship in systems hematology. After five years, the BIH will make the professorship permanent.

The international BioRescue consortium in Berlin has announced that for the first time a rhino has successfully become pregnant following embryo transfer. This paves the way for using of the same method of reproductive medicine to save the northern white rhino from extinction.

Big data, the opportunities of precision medicine, recent advances in organoid technology, and new developments in proteomics: Berlin's Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care, Ina Czyborra, visited the Max Delbrück Center in early January to learn about the latest developments in biomedicine.

Ulrika Beitnere joined the Max Delbrück Center as a senior scientist in Maike Sander’s group, re-establishing the lab and uncovering mechanisms in diabetes. Previously, she worked at UC Davis on a rare disorder called Angelman syndrome. Helmholtz Monthly spoke to her for its “1 in 45,000” series.

Scientific infrastructure is highly specialized and energy-intensive. During a kick-off event of the Helmholtz Competence Network for Climate-Friendly Construction in Berlin, experts from both the Helmholtz centers and the construction industry discussed how it can be designed to be climate-friendly.