News & Events

Unlike most mammals or other rodents, the common spiny mouse has a menstrual cycle. Dr Christian Feregrino from the MDC is investigating how this trait has emerged. The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is funding his work with a fellowship worth €140,000.

Wissensstadt Berlin 2021 kicked off in late June with an extensive program that offers a glimpse into what the city’s scientists are working on – all under the motto “Berlin wants to know.” The MDC is hosting events that bring science to life and give the public an opportunity to discuss the medicine of tomorrow.

The protein dynamin is a molecular machine that helps cells to take up nutrients and other substances. A team led by MDC researcher Oliver Daumke has now detailed how this minuscule motor works in the journal “PNAS”.

It is widely agreed that animals used in research deserve special protection. In a commentary published in the journal Animals, scientists and animal welfare officers from Berlin are now asking for the official guidance on implementing EU directive 2010/63/EU to be revised, because they believe the current instructions hinder research and do not help the animals.

Fabian Coscia is the head of the junior research group on Spatial Proteomics at the MDC. He uses artificial intelligence to analyze cancer cell proteomes – the entirety of the proteins produced by the cells. Now, he wants to develop this method further as part of the MSTARS project.

MDC researchers have discovered a previously unknown cause of cardiac hypertrophy. As they report in the journal “Genome Biology”, genetic variation results in heart cell ribosomes not working properly. This disrupts protein production, which in turn causes the heart to grow too large.

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association is one of the first signatories of the "Transparent Animal Testing" initiative. Professor Thomas Sommer, Scientific Director (interim), explains why.

The use of animals in research is a hotly debated issue, making fact-based and open communication all the more important. So the DFG and “Tierversuche verstehen” have teamed up to launch the “Transparency Agreement Initiative.” There are more than 50 initial signatories, including the MDC.

In our series "What are you reading right now?" MDC staff members give you book recommendations. Anita Waltho is a PhD student in the research group of Thomas Sommer. She also writes for the Helmholtz Association's blog “MDC Voices”. She prefers to read when she is on the road and would never touch an e-book.