Structural Biology & Biophysics

The details of many immune defense mechanisms are still unknown, but a new study sheds light on one such mechanism. Writing in “The EMBO Journal”, researchers led by Oliver Daumke and Misha Kudryashev of the Max Delbrück Center describe exactly how GBP1 proteins render bacteria harmless by encapsulating them.

If waste DNA or RNA remains in cells, it can lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and autoimmune conditions. Writing in Nucleic Acids Research, scientists led by Oliver Daumke of the Max Delbrück Center describe the role one enzyme plays in removing this waste.

People with Huntington’s disease lose control of their bodies and minds. The symptoms are caused by protein clumps in the nerve cells. Supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, Andrea Quezada aims to create atomic models of these fibrils at the Max Delbrück Center.

Cryo-electron microscopy allows structural biologists to look at the most minute building blocks of life. We celebrated the opening of the joint Core Facility and the corresponding research building of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center with a symposium.

Dr. Isolde Dietrich was instrumental in developing cryo-electron microscopy. But who was she? One thing is certain: physics was her passion. And she wanted to make it easier for younger female colleagues to enter science. The Max Delbrück Center is now dedicating a research building in her name.

The Max Delbrück Center wants to shape the future of medicine through innovation. But turning basic research into marketable products requires gaps to be bridged. This is achieved by the Technology Transfer Office – through funding schemes such as BOOST and Pre-GoBio. The winning projects for 2023 have now been selected.

It takes great patience and perseverance to turn research findings into new technologies or therapies. The Helmholtz Initiative and Networking Fund gives financial support to “pathfinder projects” that are particularly promising. Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center have now won grants for three projects.

For nearly two decades, Oliver Daumke has been working to solve the mystery of how a molecular machine remodels cellular membranes. His team has now found the answer with the help of cryo-electron tomography. They report their findings in the journal “Nature Communications”.

Defective mitochondrial can lead to neurodegenerative and muscular diseases. But how does the “powerhouse” of the cell normally maintain its characteristic shape? In Science Advances, new molecular insights have now been provided by an MDC team led by Oliver Daumke.

The acid-sensitive chloride ion channel ASOR is found in almost all our cells. But apart from its involvement in cell death, not much is known about its physiological role. Now, the Jentsch Lab at FMP and MDC reports astonishing insights about its structure and activation mechanisms in “Science Advances”.