Bioengineering

Researchers led by Michael Kaminski report in “Molecular Therapy” that they have used base editing to repair mutations that cause ADPKD. The approach reduced liver cysts in mice.

Ines Lahmann explains how organoids could change medical research in a podcast called ‘Forschungsquartett’. Listen to the interview with detektor.fm editor Esther Stephan (in German).

The Helmholtz Association has approved €30.8 million in funding for the Center for AI–Accelerated Molecular Innovations in Medicine to be located at the Max Delbrück Center. Researchers will use new technologies to develop AI-driven strategies for precision treatment and prevention.

The Max Delbrück Center welcomes two visiting fellows, both from the U.S., supported by Stiftung Charité: Karen Christman at the Sander Lab and Jakob von Moltke at the Lewin Lab. They will launch new interdisciplinary projects that cover neurobiology, immunology and bioengineering.

The Helmholtz Association is pooling its commitment to prevention research with the launch of the Helmholtz Health Prevention Task Force. In a strategy paper published in “Nature Medicine,“ the committee outlines initial concepts for integrating prevention more effectively into medical practice.

At his upcoming MDC Lecture, Dr. Sai Reddy will discuss his research into reprogramming immune cells to better fight disease, and how he was at the right place at the right time to help pioneer the emerging fields of systems and synthetic immunology.

Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center, has been elected Vice President of Helmholtz Health. In this pivotal role, she will drive collaboration among leading biomedical research centers and advance the field of preventative precision medicine over the next two years.

As Scientific Director of Max Delbrück Center, Maike Sander is driving a bold shift toward interdisciplinary research to address the health challenges of our time. As a diabetes researcher, her next frontier is to use organ-on-a-chip technologies to build more accurate models of the human pancreas.

What opportunities lie ahead for the future of medical research and healthcare? Scientists from the Helmholtz Association share their ideas with decision-makers from science, politics, patient organizations, biotech, and the pharmaceutical industry at the first Helmholtz Health Summit in Berlin.

We at the Helmholtz Association have everything we need to leverage the potential of biomedical engineering in Germany. We simply need to assemble all the puzzle pieces thoughtfully and unite people who have never collaborated before, says our Scientific Director Maike Sander.