News & Events

Demand is high for young scientists who are well versed in the data sciences as well as in another discipline. At the Helmholtz graduate school HEIBRiDS in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, eleven institutions have teamed up to train scientists. The range of subjects they cover spans everything from genetic research to astronomy.

More and more drugs are available for the treatment of COVID-19. Researchers from Charité, FU and MDC in Berlin have investigated the mechanisms of action of antiviral and anti-inflammatory substances. In the journal "Molecular Therapy" they describe that a combination of both works best.

In early April, Katja Simon became the head of the “Autophagy in the Immune System” laboratory at the MDC. She and her team are planning to research how long-lived immune cells use the process of self-digestion to continually renew themselves. Patients may soon benefit from their findings.

When the bacterium Helicobacter pylori infects the stomach, it causes inflammation and increases the risk of stomach cancer. In “Nature Communications” researchers from Charité and MDC elucidate changes which occur inside the gastric glands during an infection. The findings may herald a new treatment target in stomach cancer.

Eileen Demmler is a trainee at MDC and currently works in the communications department. She describes herself as a passionate reader. In our current reading recommendation, she reviews a book by Deborah Harkness – just in time for Walpurgis Night.

Naked mole-rats are full of surprises. The latest is that higher-ranked mole-rats most likely have an immunological advantage over animals with lower social status, a discovery made by Professor Gary Lewin’s lab at the MDC. The team is now reporting its findings in "Open Biology".

Claudia Jacob is a trained biologist who has a passion for explaining how things work. As head of the Life Science Learning Lab (Gläsernes Labor) on Campus Berlin-Buch, she gives schoolchildren a hands-on opportunity to explore the life sciences – from conducting lab experiments to discussing ideas with scientists – and perhaps even a chance to become a scientist themselves one day.

One of the MDC's most cited press releases last year revealed that naked mole-rats speak in different dialects. The communications team now has another reason to feel proud of this particular press release, because it has won first prize in this year's Award for Science Communication presented by science information service idw (Informationsdienst Wissenschaft).

A school app for Covid rapid testing, new macro photography methods, and a smart walking frame – the 57th edition of the regional “Jugend forscht” competition brought forth lots of exciting new projects. The MDC’s Special Award went to a team at the Humboldt-Gymnasium high school in Berlin’s Tegel district.