Berlin Science Week

The Berlin PostDoc Day 2023 (#PDD23) is an annual event organized by a team of Berlin-based PostDocs from different institutions (MDC, FMP, FHI, Charité, and BAM). It is open to all PostDocs and last-year PhD students working on all disciplines in the Berlin area and will take place at the Humboldt Graduate School, Luisenstraße 56, 10117 Berlin.

Please find more details on the program and registration here: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/postdoc-day

Time: 4:30 – 5:45 pm

Venue: Berlin Science Week Campus at Naturkundemuseum Berlin, room „Deep Dive Forum“

Speakers: Markus Landthaler | Emanuel Wyler

Language: German

How molecular biologists are using mini-brains and high-throughput methods to study the viruses in our bodies and the biodiversity in wastewater.

Viruses are constantly on the move. Not only humans infect each other with them, viruses circulate in all animal species - from ants to elephants. They can be found everywhere in the environment, even bacteria are attacked by viruses. Thanks to the latest technologies, we can now understand and combat viruses much better. The progress is tremendous. Markus Landthaler and Emanuel Wyler from the Max Delbrück Center will first present how they use high-throughput sequencing to observe viruses in wastewater. After all, wastewater is not just smelly and murky, but a treasure trove of information about microbes! The second part of their presentation will talk about herpes simplex viruses. They "live" inside us all the time, and in some people, they can cause recurrent cold sores. While this is annoying, it almost always passes quickly. Much rarer, but all the more dangerous, are brain infections caused by herpes viruses. We show how we can study this disease in the laboratory using mini-brains, brain organoids.

Time: 4:00 – 7:30 pm

Venue: Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine Luisenstraße 65 10117 Berlin

Speakers: Franziska Sattler-Morrison, Karin Höhne, Christiane Nolte

Language: English, German

A Wikipedia edit-a-thon to improve the visibility of women and other groups underrepresented in the life sciences

We all use Wikipedia, so why not help it grow and become more diverse? By participating in our event, you can contribute to and improve Wikipedia. It is easy to learn and can be done from wherever you are.  Only 17-18% of biographies in English and German in Wikipedia are about women. Futhermore, there is also an underrepresentation of certain ethnicities and people of color in the life sciences in Wikipedia. Our Diversithon is looking to change this imbalance – and we need your support!

During Berlin Science Week, we invite everyone to participate in our science edit-a-thon. Come together and diversify the world’s largest encyclopedia! No experience in editing or writing Wikipedia entries is required. You will receive an introduction and support from experienced Wikipedians from the WomenEdit Group Berlin.

The event is a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, and organized by the Equal Opportunity Officers of the two institutions, Christiane Nolte and Karin Höhne. The keynote by Franziska Sattler-Morrison will be held in English, but the introduction into editing and the writing will be offered both in English and German. We are looking forward to your contributions!

To participate, please register via: register via: equal.opportunity@bih-charite.de

Time: 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Venue: MDC-BIMSB | Communication Room: Elsa Neumann (ground floor) | Hannoversche Str. 28 | 10115 Berlin

Speakers: Sofia Forslund-Startceva | Claudia Crocini | Sabine Klaassen | Hanna Hörnberg | Gertraud Stadler (Charité Gender in Medicine)

Opening remarks: Prof. Maike Sander, scientific director of the Max Delbrück Center

Language: English

Neglecting sex and gender in biomedicine has created a data gap that endangers timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for half of the population

Sex and gender profoundly impact medical care – women, for example, are less likely to get diagnosed correctly and be treated in time when they have a heart attack or when they report pain. Still, both in basic biomedical research as well as in clinical studies, studying sex and gender is often related to specialized niches, rather than being recognized as a fundamental pillar of understanding and treating disease. The sex-related interplay of genetic and hormonal factors influences how a disease unfolds and how the body responds to treatment. Historically, however, most research data that have guided our knowledge about disease, treatment guidelines, and drug dosing have been obtained using male cells, male animals, and male study participants. Additionally, gender identities, norms and relationships frame our interaction with the healthcare system, affecting individual health behavior, interactions with clinicians and, more broadly, access to healthcare.

Drawing from our research on cardiovascular diseases, host-microbiome interaction, neuroscience and health psychology, we aim to emphasize the critical importance of considering sex and gender in health-related contexts. Furthermore, we will discuss how these considerations influence decision-making processes by scientific journal editors, funding agencies, policy makers and the broader societal discourse.

Please register via: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/de/MDC_BerlinScienceWeek2023

Time:  4:00 to 5:30 pm

Venue: online via Zoom

Speaker: Theda Bartolomaeus, AG Forslund-Startceva

Language: German

The human microbiota consists of an estimated 10¹³-10¹⁴ microbial cells. Despite a universal colonization, each person's microbiome is unique. Several aspects of the microbiome correlate with human disease. With techniques such as 16S sequencing, shot-gun sequencing, and powerful computational tools that process large amounts of data, we can reveal the genome and modes of function of the microorganisms that inhabit us in profoundly new ways. In this course, teachers will learn about new methods of sequencing and how they differ. We will also explain how far research has come in deciphering the microbiome.

Please register via: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/LTL23|24