Immunology

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 aggressive lymphomas, inflammatory messengers reprogram the “conductors” of the immune system, causing lymph node structure to collapse. A team led by Simon Haas describes in “Nature Cancer” this process for the first time using single-cell and spatial analyses.

Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin show that adipose tissue amplifies gut inflammation in Crohn’s disease. The study, published in the “Journal of Clinical Investigation,” also reveals how genetic changes in immune cells may contribute to the disease.

Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have developed a fast, cost-effective blood-based tool that can identify and classify immune deficiencies with high accuracy. The approach, published in “Nature Communications,” could help address long-standing gaps in diagnosing immune disorders.

Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have found that a cellular housekeeping mechanism called autophagy plays a major role in ensuring that T stem cells undergo normal cell division. The findings, published in “Nature Cell Biology,” could help boost vaccine response in older adults.

Five scientists from the Max Delbrück Center have been named among the 100 most important minds in Berlin science in 2025 by the newspaper Tagesspiegel: Simone Spuler, Clara Vázquez García, Thoralf Niendorf, Gabriele Schiattarella and Ana Pombo.

The American Heart Association has awarded its Excellence Award for Hypertension Research to Dominik Müller from the Max Delbrück Center. He is only the third European to be honored with this distinction from the oldest professional society in the U.S.

The European Federation of Immunological Societies is awarding Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The 88-year-old Rajewsky, who remains active in research, is being recognized for his pioneering work in cellular and molecular immunology.

Can an aging immune system be coaxed into responding to vaccination like its’ younger self? In “Nature Aging,” Sebastian Hofer, Katja Simon and colleagues discuss emerging interventions that may boost older adults’ response to vaccines. They are also recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial of their own.

During a week-long course at the Gläsernes Labor, 24 teenagers delved into genetics, immunology, and allergic disease. The course marked the beginning of a new collaboration with the Max Delbrück Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health and others.