News

The Ohler lab has developed a new method called TESLA-seq to identify regulatory regions in the human genome. The research was published in “Cell Genomics.”

Markus Mittnenzweig of the Max Delbrück Center has been awarded a €1.5 million grant from the European Research Council. He and his team will build dynamic 3D models of how neighboring cells and gene activity guide early-stage embryonic zebrafish cells to become specialized tissues.

Neuroblastoma, a cancer mainly affecting children, is often difficult to treat. A team led by Jan Dörr and Anton Henssen at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center report in “Cancer Discovery,” a potential reason treatment sometimes fails and a new strategy to combat particularly resistant tumors.

A team led by Simon Haas has developed a technology to decode how immune cells talk to each other – revealing how our bodies respond to infections, how miscommunication can trigger autoimmune diseases, and why some people don’t respond to immunotherapies. The study was published in “Nature Methods.”

Oral immunotherapy helps many children with peanut allergy – but for some, it can also trigger severe allergic reactions. In the journal “Allergy”, a team led by Young-Ae Lee explains what might be behind these differences and how treatment could become more personalized.

Thoralf Niendorf at the Max Delbrück Center has won a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council to study the use of heat generated during MRI scans to selectively destroy brain tumors. The method could pose significantly fewer risks than laser ablation or surgery.

The European Molecular Biology Organization has elected Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center Maike Sander to its membership. She will join a community of more than 2,100 leading life scientists who guide the organization and help shape the future of life science research.

The Helmholtz Association has approved €30.8 million in funding for the Center for AI–Accelerated Molecular Innovations in Medicine to be located at the Max Delbrück Center. Researchers will use new technologies to develop AI-driven strategies for precision treatment and prevention.

The Long Night of the Sciences turns 25 this year. To mark the anniversary, the Max Delbrück Center at Campus Berlin-Buch will host an exciting line-up of events: including a light show, a reading, lab tours, hands-on experiments, a tour inside an artery, and virtual excursions into the heart.

Online symptom checkers often miss the mark. Can AI do better? Researchers from Altuna Akalin’s team at MDC-BIMSB put large language models to the test – evaluating their ability to guide patients and support doctors. Their study was published in “npj Digital Medicine.”