News & Events

There is more to cutting-edge research than pipettes and publications. It is often the inconspicuous everyday processes that influence success or failure. That's why employees who help shape the success of the Max Delbrück Center behind the scenes were once again honored at this year’s summer party.

In late June, Dr. Natalia Alenina and Prof. Michael Bader hosted the conference “Serotonin – 20 Years After” at the Max Delbrück Center. In this interview, they share conference highlights and reveal that this versatile signaling molecule has some surprising functions in the human body – and some that scientists still don’t understand.

Ten years ago, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center came up with an idea for producing synthetic fatty acids. They launched a spin-off company to develop a drug for inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Now the therapeutic agent will be tested in a clinical trial. The BMBF is providing a €2.5 million grant.

British and German scientists created the most comprehensive cell atlas of the human heart. As reported in the journal “Nature”, it is the first to include the cells from which the heartbeat originates. Among other things, this data will provide a reference for studies on cardiac arrhythmias.

The Max Delbrück Center has participated in the Berliner Wasserbetriebe relay race every summer since 2009. As part of the “We at the MDC” series, Min-Chi Ku and Tanja Butzek talk about the race and why it’s so much more than just a fun run.

The mucus in the airways is not as sticky, inflammation in the lungs significantly reduced: the positive effects of triple combination therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis are supported by researchers from Charité and the Max Delbrück Center in the “European Respiratory Journal”.

Multiple sclerosis progresses very differently and is therefore difficult to treat. Under the leadership of Charité, researchers at the ECRC and elsewhere are working on an online platform that predicts the course of the disease. The EU's Innovative Health Initiative is financing the project with 9,9 million euros.

An international research team, including Achim Leutz of the Max Delbrück Center, has discovered that a specific protein controls the conversion of immune cells. If it were possible to intervene in this process, the development of cancer could be prevented.

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) has elected Michael Potente of Max Delbrück Center and BIH as a new member. He is joining a community of more than 2,000 leading life scientists in Europe and beyond.