News

Some hereditary genetic defects cause an exaggerated immune response that can be fatal. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, such defects can be corrected, thus normalizing the immune response, as researchers led by Klaus Rajewsky from the Max Delbrück Center now report in “Science Immunology.”

Melissa Birol of the Max Delbrück Center is looking to understand early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Her focus is on the interplay between the lipid metabolism of nerve cells and the spread of tau protein. The Alzheimer Research Initiative is funding her work with 193,500 euros.

Cell-based immunotherapies, particularly lab-produced immune cells known as CAR T cells, show promise in treating various cancers. But how do we produce effective ones? Gaetano Gargiulo from the Max Delbrück Center will develop a novel screening tool, supported by an ERC Proof of Concept Grant.

The Max Delbrück Center doesn’t just offer exciting career prospects for scientists: Here, young people can also pursue a wide variety of vocational training pathways. We’d like to introduce four of our trainees: an animal caretaker, an office manager, and two biology lab technicians.

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.

A tumor often arises when cancer genes multiply. In this process, additional genes act as hitchhikers, potentially creating previously unknown vulnerabilities that open the door to new therapeutic approaches. This finding is reported by a team led by ECRC-scientists Anton Henssen and Jan Dörr in "Cancer Discovery."

Diseases can emerge when the body’s production of serotonin is out of whack. Researchers led by Michael Bader from the Max Delbrück Center have discovered a therapeutic agent that brings down high levels of this hormone. Their start-up, Trypto Therapeutics, aims to develop the drug for the market.

About 30 young people are currently pursuing vocational training or a dual-study program at the Max Delbrück Center. Christiane Busch is one of their instructors. She welcomes the trainees, supports them during their time at the Max Delbrück Center, and finally sends them off into professional life.

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.

In neuromuscular diseases, neurons and muscle cells stop communicating properly. Researchers led by Mina Gouti can now model this in 2D in a culture dish. Writing about their findings in “Nature Communications”, they say the new model promises to revolutionize high-throughput drug screening studies.