International cooperation

Misha Kudryashev’s lab at the Max Delbrück Center has identified a molecular intermediate of a serotonin receptor that is involved in diseases such as depression and schizophrenia. Published in “The EMBO Journal,” the study points to a potentially new target for therapeutics.

The Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, and the biotech company AlgenScribe from Nice have agreed to cooperate to further develop their gene-editing tools. The aim is to utilize synergies, accelerate research, and ultimately develop cell therapies for genetically determined diseases.

The Max Delbrück Center welcomed a delegation from the Lisbon based NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NIMSB) for the first time to Berlin. The aim: to solidify the connection between the two institutes and to create a lasting platform for exchanging ideas and expertise.

The International Ph.D. Student Cancer Conference kicks off on June 12th at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin-Buch. Doctoral students in the cancer field will get the chance to network and exchange ideas in an informal setting.

NOVA University and Max Delbrück Center are jointly establishing the NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NIMSB). Both institutions have developed a shared vision to push the boundaries of precision medicine. “Insights” spoke to the three project leads in Lisbon and Berlin.

Special receptor cells under the skin enable us to feel pain and touch. But Schwann cells also play a key role in detecting such stimuli, researchers at the Max Delbrück Center report in “Nature Communications.” This discovery opens new avenues for pain therapy.

The international BioRescue consortium in Berlin has announced that for the first time a rhino has successfully become pregnant following embryo transfer. This paves the way for using of the same method of reproductive medicine to save the northern white rhino from extinction.

In neuromuscular diseases, neurons and muscle cells stop communicating properly. Researchers led by Mina Gouti can now model this in 2D in a culture dish. Writing about their findings in “Nature Communications”, they say the new model promises to revolutionize high-throughput drug screening studies.

Working in Berlin-Mitte and New York – Lena Nitsch conducts research at both the MDC-BIMSB and New York University. For “We at the MDC”, the doctoral student discusses how it is to work in two labs, her experiences in the United States, and what she has learned through the “MDC-NYU PhD Exchange Program”.

Swapping just a single amino acid can play a decisive role in transforming healthy B cells into cancer cells. An international team led by ECRC researcher Stephan Mathas describes in “Nature Communications” how a point mutation in the transcription factor IRF4 profoundly alters gene regulation.