Press release - 06/10/2025 3D imaging points to possible cause of sudden cardiac death An imaging technique developed by Freiburg researchers provides insights into cardiac arrhythmias that can cause sudden cardiac death in animal models. The changes discovered could explain why even seemingly healthy people are sometimes affected.
Press release - 24/09/2025 No GPS in the head: How the brain flexibly switches between internal maps Since their discovery in 2004, the grid cells in the brain, which are important for our orientation, have been regarded as a kind of “GPS in the head.” However, scientists at the DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital have now shown that grid cells work much more flexibly than previously assumed. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that the cells adapt their activity to different reference points depending on the situation.
Press release - 23/09/2025 Mutation in non-coding DNA worsens leukaemia prognosis Ulm study uncovers previously unknown disease-promoting mechanism Why is blood cancer particularly aggressive in some patients? Researchers at Ulm University Hospital have characterised a mutation in the so-called NOTCH1 gene that significantly influences the prognosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Remarkably, this mutation is located in the non-coding region of the gene – an area of DNA long considered less relevant for disease mechanisms.
Press release - 23/09/2025 Not all ALK fusions act the same: Variants influence treatment success in lung cancer About five percent of lung adenocarcinomas, one of the most common forms of lung cancer, are driven by a faulty fusion of two genes, EML4 and ALK. This fusion results in different variants, and until now, clinicians have treated all patients with these fusions the same way. However, new research led by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Stanford University shows that not all fusion variants behave alike.
Press release - 22/09/2025 Research into novel microelectrodes: Dr. Maximilian Becker receives NanoMatFutur funding With the FeMEA project – Ferroelectric Microelectrodes for Biomedical Applications – Hahn-Schickard is setting a pioneering course in bioelectronics research. The aim of the project is to develop novel microelectrode arrays in which ferroelectric materials are used as functional interfaces in CMOS chips for the first time.
Press release - 16/09/2025 New CRISPR method leads to a better understanding of cell functions The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of CRISPR/Cas9, a method also known as “gene scissors”, which enables researchers to better understand how human cells function and stay healthy. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have further developed CRISPR for this purpose. They present their CRISPRgenee method in Cell Reports Methods.
Press release - 03/09/2025 Therapeutic vaccination against HPV-related tumors: Nanoparticles make the difference Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target cancer cells. The team showed that virus peptides coupled to silica nanoparticles can elicit effective T-cell responses against HPV-related tumors.
Press release - 05/08/2025 Playing Dominos: how an artificial protein emerges from fitting together individual components The targeted engineering of artificial proteins with unique properties – that is possible with the assistance of a novel method developed by a research team of Heidelberg University. It centers around a new AI model. This allows for forecasting how two proteins have to be fitted together at the molecular level from individual parts – subunits – in order to engineer a functional, adjustable new protein.
Press release - 01/08/2025 Early Pancreatic Cancer Detection Tumors of the pancreas seldom cause symptoms in their early stages. This means that in many cases, they are not diagnosed until late, when the chances of successful treatment are poor. A new non-invasive diagnostic method designed by Fraunhofer researchers is set to make it possible to detect this aggressive form of cancer early on with high accuracy, significantly improving the prognosis for treatment.
Press release - 28/07/2025 New Max Planck Center with South Korea deepens biomedical research Scientists at the Max Planck Institutes for Medical Research in Heidelberg with its new departments based in Heilbronn, and for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar in Bonn, and at the Institute for Basic Science at Yonsei University in Seoul will pool their expertise in future. The aim of the new Max Planck Center is to visualize cellular processes deep within human tissue and influence them in a targeted manner — without damaging the tissue.
Press release - 23/07/2025 Floppy and flexible: How Machine Learning helps to build new proteins A team of researchers from HITS and MPIP have developed a model that learns how to generate proteins whose structures are highly flexible, even with patterns that are uncommon in natural proteins. Their work, presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), marks a step towards the goal of designing new proteins for applications in biotechnology, therapeutics and environmental research.
Press release - 22/07/2025 Colorectal cancer in type 2 diabetes: An insightful look into the microenvironment of tumors Diabetics have a higher risk of colorectal cancer and often a poorer prognosis after developing the disease. The biological mechanisms behind this association were largely unknown. A research team at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) has now discovered that tumors with a low number of immune cells appear to be particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of diabetes.