Corona Research

A severe course of COVID-19 does not solely result in a strong immune reaction – rather, the immune response is caught in a continuous loop of activation and inhibition. This is reported in Cell by experts of the nationwide deCOI research network, including colleagues at the MDC.

LabHive is one of 1,500 projects born out of the federal government’s #WirVsVirus hackathon. Team leader Dr. Tobias Opialla of the MDC presents the new online platform, which is intended to bundle laboratory capacity and enable more SARS-CoV-2 tests.

Genome researchers have come together to launch the German COVID-19 OMICS Initiative (DeCOI). DeCOI combines the expertise of more than 22 institutions from across Germany to make a scientific contribution to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic will likely have grave consequences for the health and well-being of the German population. The GNC study now wants to find out exactly what those consequences are. All subjects are being asked to take part in a survey.

After nearly seven weeks of minimal operations, the scientists at the Max Delbrück Center will return to their laboratories on May 4, 2020. During basic operations, stringent safety measures will be in place due to the pandemic.

The LabHive digital platform aims to provide necessary resources to diagnostic centres to enable more tests for SARS-CoV-2. Tobias Opialla from the MDC is one of 15 volunteers who has been involved in the project since the #WirvsVirus Hackathon organized by the German government.

Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Using data from the Human Cell Atlas, scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to get into our cells.

Face masks – the mouth-and-nose covering kind – are urgently needed in many places in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, as much as possible. Employees at the MDC are now sewing such masks, which are being distributed to neighborhood community centers and a refugee shelter in Berlin-Buch.

In light of the pandemic, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) is pooling together its resources for projects that advance the understanding of SARS-CoV-2, while scaling down its regular research operations to a minimum. Here’s an overview of the MDC’s current collaborations and plans.

Markus Landthaler is in charge of the Corona Task Force at the MDC that bundles resources for SARS-CoV-2 research projects. In this interview he explains how several research groups are working together in minimal operation for a better understanding of corona viruses.