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When we hurt ourselves, it hurts. This pain tells us that something is wrong. But how does it arise? And what happens in the body with chronic pain?

Animal testing remains a central element in the development of medicines to ensure their safety and efficacy, despite the development of alternative research methods. Why is this the case and what alternatives are there? An interview with detektor.fm.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working on mucosal vaccines that can be administered through the nose. Now, scientists in Berlin have developed a live attenuated vaccine for the nose. In “Nature Microbiology”, they describe the special immune protection it induces.

Anita Waltho is a PhD in the Lab of Thomas Sommer – and one of the early career researchers in Berlin who run a mini podcast series. It showcases change in the academic research environment. Highly recommended!

To combat pathogens, the immune system needs an enormous number of different antibodies. In an MDC study, a group led by BIH professor Kathrin de la Rosa has now described in the journal PNAS a “stealing” mechanism that contributes to antibody diversity.

Digitalization is having a rapid impact in the field of medicine, with data sciences and AI offering ever-increasing benefits for the development of new vaccines and drugs. Pfizer manager Peter Albiez discusses how graduate schools like HEIBRiDS are helping meet the enormous demand for specialists in the data sciences.

Research to improve human health is currently not possible without animal testing. At the same time, scientists are searching for alternatives. In the current episode of the Berlin Research 50 (BR50) podcast, Thomas Prinzler discusses progress and limitations with Berlin experts.

Gary Lewin conducts research at MDC on signaling in human bodies. He looks at how the sense of touch and pain function, especially in the naked mole rat. It can survive for a very long time without oxygen, is largely insensitive to pain, and lives remarkably long. In the Resonator podcast, Lewin talks about these animals and his research.

The question of how the Covid virus takes over host cells and suppresses the body's defences has been the subject of much debate. Now a research team led by Marina Chekulaeva at the MDC has pinpointed the crucial mechanism involved. Their results have been published in the journal “RNA”.

Does the booster shot protect against Omicron? Are there warning signs that point to a potentially severe progression? What is known about Long COVID, and which drugs help best after an infection? MDC molecular biologist Dr. Emanuel Wyler answers these and other questions on Twitter – and in our video right here.