Press Releases

Researchers in the lab of James Poulet have uncovered how the nervous system senses cool and warm temperatures. The findings, published in “Neuron” challenge a long-standing view of temperature sensing and could guide future research into pain and sensory disorders.

Reporting in “Nature,” a team led by Gary Lewin at the Max Delbrück Center has found that naked mole-rat queens produce an odorous chemical that ensures that only they can reproduce. The queen odor also prevents rivalry within colonies — even when the queen is not physically present.

Science journalists are invited to the Max Delbrück Center’s first Bioengineering Symposium on July 6, 2026, where leading researchers will explore how bioengineering is advancing precision medicine.

Max Delbrück Center researchers have discovered a previously unknown genetic switch that affects RBM20, an important protein in heart cells. The findings, published in “Nature Communications,” suggest a potential new target for treating cardiomyopathies more precisely in the future.

A VR journey into microplastics in the brain, a walk-through vein, a laboratory transformed into an escape room: The Max Delbrück Center is hosting 65 events as part of the Long Night of the Sciences. Visitors will get a look at how our researchers’ work is shaping the medicine of tomorrow.

Different types of bone marrow stem cells give rise to blood and immune cells. A team led by Simon Haas now reports in “Nature Cell Biology” how that diversity develops. The findings could help improve stem cell therapies, including treatments for blood cancers.

In “Nature Communications,” Max Delbrück Center researchers show how immune cells initiate zebrafish heart regeneration, highlighting the possibility that precisely timed inflammatory signaling of specific immune cells — rather than broad suppression — could inform new approaches to cardiac repair.

In 2025, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center and its partner institutions used almost one-third fewer research animals than in the previous year – a total of 23,878. The center has submitted the figures to the Berlin State Office for Health and Social Affairs.

The Helmholtz Institute for Translational AngioCardioScience in Mannheim/Heidelberg has appointed vascular biologist Karina Yaniv from the Weizmann Institute as its new Scientific Director. Yaniv will bridge research across institutes to fast-track therapies for cardiovascular disease.

Helmholtz researchers have created the first detailed protein map of specific sensory neurons that trigger pain. Their study, published in “Nature Communications,” will help researchers better understand the molecular mechanisms of chronic inflammatory pain and identify new drug targets.