Postdocs

It’s been a bit of a mystery: is a particular family of proteins responsible for cell survival or cell death in the intestinal lining? A new mouse model developed at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC) provides clear evidence and a potential treatment target for inflammatory bowel disease.

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.

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.

Strategies for treating multiple sclerosis have so far focused primarily on T and B cells. A group of MDC researchers has now unveiled a new approach in Nature Immunology – one that seeks to increase treatment effectiveness by selectively targeting another type of immune cell called monocytes.

SARS-CoV-2 is spreading fear, as many feel uncertain about how to deal with this epidemic. This is a reaction we can fully understand. But researchers around the world are working together to understand and help contain the new coronavirus.

The DFG is funding two new research projects at the MDC: More than half a million euros will be available to researchers to study the signaling processes of receptors.

After successfully obtaining their PhD, many scientists face uncertainty about their professional future. This year’s PostDoc Day was held in Berlin’s Mitte district, and enabled colleagues to provide valuable tips and ideas.

This summer, the MDC is starting a new program called ASPIRE. It aims to help postdocs at the Center forge their own career path.

What comes after my PhD, and how will my title help me? Not just at the MDC, young researchers are asking this question. The Career Day offers them opportunities to receive inspiration and pointers for their career planning.