Proteins

A combination of three drugs appears to more effectively treat people with cystic fibrosis than therapy with only two, concludes a study by Max Delbrück Center researchers published in “Cell Systems.” The study analyzed changes in the proteomes of blood and sputum samples from people with the disease.

An international consortium, which includes the Hübner and Ohler Labs, has reported in “Nature,” discovering more than 1,700 proteins that may be relevant in human diseases. Mostly very small, they were found in the “dark proteome,” a catalogue of gene products from overlooked sections of DNA.

Joint press release by the Max Delbrück Center and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research One...

Helmholtz-funded projects highlight a new focus at the Max Delbrück Center on biomedical engineering. By combining biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and engineering, basic research can be more quickly translated into therapies.

Researchers at the Max Delbrück Center show that two closely related enzymes, MNK1 and MNK2, act on the brain to regulate different behaviors. Their findings, published in “Molecular Psychiatry,” could help guide development of more precise therapies for neurological disorders.

How do disordered proteins drive neurological diseases? Dr. Melissa Birol uses advanced imaging and brain organoids to uncover the hidden functions of these mysterious proteins. She hopes to find novel ways to treat incurable diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Top scientists and companies will meet in Berlin-Buch for the 2025 Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference from April 28-30 to discuss RNA drugs, PROTACs, AI in drug discovery, and chemoproteomics and to form new collaborations.

What does the 3D structure of protein look like? And what does this mean about its function? For decades, structural biologist Udo Heinemann has explored these questions at the Max Delbrück Center. Now, the German Society for Crystallography is honoring his life’s work.

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.

Berlin researchers and their partners describe how aggressive variants of multiple myeloma can be detected early. Their comprehensive study in “Nature Cancer” shows how changes in genetic material affect the protein profile of the tumor cells, and thus the mechanisms involved in the disease.