Selected press releases

VERAXA Biotech AG, an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies, today announced that its previously announced business combination (“Business Combination”) with Voyager Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VACH, “Voyager”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Voyager Acquisition Sponsor Holdco LLC, and Odeon Capital Group LLC, was closed successfully (the “Closing”)

This year’s Schering Young Investigator Award has been awarded to Can Aztekin, a Max-Planck-Research Group Leader at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen, to recognize his significant work in the field of regenerative biology.

Experts in Heidelberg have developed an AI system that can classify brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy using standard microscopic tissue sections. Using digitized standard stains, the system identifies more than 100 molecular subtypes of central nervous system tumors, delivers results within minutes, and could accelerate the diagnosis of brain tumors worldwide.

Researchers at Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University, in collaboration with partners from 29 German study centers, have found evidence of a potential biomarker for personalized therapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a Phase II study. Analyses showed that certain patients could benefit from additional treatment with the drug Motixafortide in addition to standard chemotherapy.

In response to stress or damage, cells undergo senescence and stop dividing. However, if senescent cells accumulate in tissues over the long term, chronic inflammation occurs and the risk of cancer increases. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which senescent cells protect themselves from oxidative stress and a specific form of cell death known as ferroptosis.

In rare cases, cancer treatments can cause serious long-term effects. These include so-called secondary leukemias. This form of blood cancer can develop when chemotherapy or radiotherapy damages the genetic material of healthy cells. A research team led by a scientist from Ulm has now discovered a molecular protective mechanism against such genomic damage: a peptide.

Leading scientists are pooling their expertise to further advance research and care for psychotic disorders and to align them more closely with the needs of affected individuals.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) funds continuation of Research Training Group (RTG) 2727 “Checkpoints of Innate Immunity in Cancer and Tissue Damage”, with around €5,8 million.

How can effective treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders be developed without having to accept unwanted side effects? Researchers at the NMI have made an important contribution to this field. In their recent paper, “NMDA receptor subtype differential affinity as a key enabler for precision neuropsychiatry,” they demonstrate how specifically targeting subunits of the NMDA receptor opens up new avenues for safer medications.

Which cellular processes ensure that immune responses are controlled precisely? A new study by the Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology Thurgau (BITG) and the University of Konstanz decodes a decisive signalling pathway.

How do antimetabolite cancer drugs damage the genetic material of malignantly transformed cells and thereby destroy them? How might these drugs be used more precisely, particularly in the treatment of pediatric tumors? A new research group led by Dr. Christopher Carnie, a scientist at the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University, will address these questions.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is establishing new Collaborative Research Centres and extending existing research networks. Several DZHK sites are also involved. Particular emphasis is being placed on new research approaches to inflammation and thrombosis.