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.

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.

AI is transforming science and does not stop at neuroscience. In this interview, we speak to Gabriele Lohmann about her research at the intersection of the brain and algorithms. She talks about the use of artificial intelligence as a research tool, the decoding of brain activity, and why large language models do not understand what they are doing.

High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, and vascular diseases. Many people affected experience no symptoms for a long time. This is precisely why it is important to check your blood pressure regularly. To mark World Hypertension Day on May 17, the Medical Center – University of Freiburg is providing information on warning signs, diagnosis, and treatment options.

The ability of cancer cells to change their identity makes tumors such as glioblastoma particularly aggressive and resistant to treatment. Moritz Mall, of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research (HITBR), is investigating how this plasticity can be specifically restricted. His approach focuses on genetic “guardians” that suppress alternative cell programs.

Brain metastases are among the most serious complications of breast cancer. Researchers at Heidelberg University, DKFZ, and UKHD have concluded an investigation of the immune cells in the brain tissue surrounding these breast cancer brain metastases. Their findings: spatial distribution patterns of immune cells are associated with prolonged patient survival. These findings could help to guide use of immunotherapies for breast cancer patients.

Estrogen does more than regulate reproduction — it helps brain cells handle stress. When levels decline after menopause, this ability is reduced, and these hormonal changes are believed to contribute to the increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women. MPI-IE researcher María José Pérez Jiménez has received the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund to investigate why — and whether these cellular responses can be restored.​

Brain-computer interfaces can read neural signals and influence brain activity. We spoke with Pascal Fries about how this technology can benefit people with neurological and psychiatric conditions, future developments, and his views on ethical boundaries.

The Volkswagen Foundation is supporting the Ulm scientist Professor Walter Karlen with more than 940,000 euros from the funding initiative "Momentum - funding for first-time researchers". The engineer has headed the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Ulm University since 2021. Karlen conducts research in the field of mobile health on so-called Medicine Wearables, i.e. portable technology for recording health data.

Researchers in Freiburg have found a way to selectively replace defective immune cells in the blood vessels of the brain using an animal model. This is an important first step towards cell therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. The findings were recently published in the journal Nature Immunology.

Creating scope for innovative projects from various disciplines: That is the aim of the research incubators at Ulm University. The aim is to initiate developments and ideas that could become relevant research areas for the University. In the current call for proposals, the jury has selected two interdisciplinary projects on quantum chemistry and digital, sensor-based diabetes research.

Traumatic brain injuries often lead to complications with long-lasting consequences on memory, concentration and movement control. Detrimental secondary inflammatory reactions at the injured tissue sites are often responsible for this. Researchers from Ulm have now shown that a transcription factor plays a key role in reactions to TBI. When this gene regulator is activated, an elevated neuroimmune response promotes inflammation.

The German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) conducts nationwide research on individualized treatments for depression, anxiety disorders, and addiction. Its approach combines established therapeutic methods with innovative strategies to enhance overall treatment efficacy. The primary beneficiaries are patients for whom conventional therapies have so far proven insufficiently effective.

The results of the EPIsoDE study show that psilocybin can have a significant antidepressant effect. It is important that its use be integrated into psychotherapeutic pre- and post-treatment care.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) belong to a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping symptoms. Many patients have a common hallmark: A protein called TDP-43 clumps together in the neurons of the brain to form tiny lumps. Researchers at DZNE and Ulm University Hospital, together with international experts, have now discovered that these pathological changes primarily affect certain cells.

A certain blood protein regarded as an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease also appears to play a role in other disorders. Researchers at DZNE and the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH) at the University of Tübingen have found that elevated levels of phosphorylated tau protein (pTau) also occur in two lesser-known conditions that primarily affect the heart and kidneys.

AI plays a huge role in the semiconductor industry, both by facilitating more efficient development processes and as a target application in development work. This is why the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centers HNFIZ are adding the Chip AI research and innovation center for AI chip design to their service range. The center is funded via the Dieter Schwarz Foundation.

An international team led by Professor Tobias M. Böckers from Ulm University Medical Centre has been awarded up to 1.7 million euros to develop a novel therapy for a rare, syndromic form of autism. The research project focuses on a gene whose loss of function can manifest itself in severe impairments in language, behaviour and everyday functions of those affected.

In a published scientific study, researchers have succeeded in accurately diagnosing common types of brain tumors in children and adolescents based on tumor-derived genetic material in cerebrospinal fluid. Until now, these so-called liquid biopsies were not capable enough for such reliable diagnostics. The international research team has therefore optimized a sequencing technique and developed an AI-based computational method. In a later step,…

CorTec GmbH, a pioneer in active implantable medical technologies, announced the successful second implantation of its proprietary Brain-Computer Interface system in a clinical trial. The implantation follows neurological gains observed in the study’s first participant. This represents another key milestone to evaluate CorTec’s fully implantable closed-loop BCI platform for therapeutic applications.

Artificial intelligence allows tracing the evolution of genetic control elements in the developing mammalian cerebellum. An international research team led by biologists from Heidelberg University as well as the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and KU Leuven has now developed advanced AI models that can predict the activity of these elements based solely on their DNA sequence.

Researchers at the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center, the Heidelberg Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, and Heidelberg University Hospital have taken a decisive step toward more precise diagnosis of brain tumors. The latest version of the AI-based Heidelberg CNS Tumor Methylation Classifier can identify more than 180 tumor types —twice as many as the previous version.

A new software enables brain simulations which both imitate the processes in the brain in detail and can solve challenging cognitive tasks. The program was developed by a research team at the Cluster of Excellence ‘Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science’ at the University of Tübingen. The software thus forms the basis for a new generation of brain simulations which allow deeper insights into the functioning and performance of the brain.

Researchers have developed a new method that greatly improves the accuracy of brain-state classification with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The brain-imaging technique fNIRS allows researchers to measure neural activity: Active brain cells need more oxygen, so variations in blood flow and oxygen saturation indicate which brain regions are at work. fNIRS detects these changes safely and without invasive procedures.

Ependymomas, brain tumors that occur particularly in young children, are especially difficult to treat and more than half of the children affected have an increased risk of relapse. As part of an international consortium, the KiTZ, the DKFZ, the MFHD and UKHD have received a grant of 1.5 million pounds sterling (GBP) from the British organization The Brain Tumor Charity to develop a new type of immunotherapy for ependymoma.

The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is supporting the “Sleep-Neuro-Path” research network with around 1.6 million euros. Coordinated by the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, a team of scientists is investigating the role of sleep-related biomarkers in the development of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

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.

The cellular environment of a tumor can either support or sabotage recovery. The most comprehensive study to date on the tumor microenvironment in low-grade gliomas, conducted by KiTZ, Jena University Hospital, the DKFZ, and Heidelberg University Hospital, shows what a supportive or obstructive “neighborhood” looks like in childhood brain tumors. The study also provides clues as to how tumor communication might be blocked.

Visual areas of the brain can reveal the colors a person is seeing while watching moving color rings. This was the result of a study by the University of Tübingen. Using MRI scanning they recorded images from the brains of subjects who were observing visual stimuli, and identified signals for red, green and yellow. The pattern of brain activity appeared similar in subjects, meaning that the color they saw could be predicted simply by comparison…

A joint team from the University of Stuttgart in Germany and the University of Melbourne in Australia has developed a new method for the straightforward analysis of tiny nanoplastic particles in environmental samples. One needs only an ordinary optical microscope and a newly developed test strip—the optical sieve. The research results have now been published in “Nature Photonics

Knowing how shrews loose brain volume over winter is the first step to understanding how they reverse this loss and regrow healthy brains in summer.

A molecular mechanism that contributes to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered by a research team of Heidelberg University. The team, using an Alzheimer’s mouse model, demonstrated that a neurotoxic protein-protein complex is responsible for nerve cells in the brain dying off and the resulting cognitive decline. This finding opens up new perspectives for the development of effective treatments.

Researchers at the University of Freiburg, together with partners, have uncovered the mechanism of ultrafast transport by calcium pumps in nerve cells. These pumps, complexes of PMCA2 and neuroplastin proteins, operate at more than 5,000 cycles per second and terminate calcium signals within milliseconds – 100 times faster than previously known. They play a crucial role in rapid information processing in the brain.

Svenja Brodt uses MRI brain scans to investigate how impressions become memories. A better understanding of how long-term memories are formed could help Alzheimer's patients cope with their daily lives. Impaired memory formation could be compensated for by targeted repetition.

Every brain tumor is made up of cells in successive stages of activation. Researchers have now analyzed the individual structure of these activation pyramids in malignant brain tumors. In doing so, they discovered a signaling protein that slows down the transition from a dormant to an activated state by epigenetically reprogramming the cells. The hope is that this will permanently freeze cancer cells in a dormant state and thus halt tumor growth.

If the brain no longer responds properly to insulin (insulin resistance), this can lead to overweight, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the DZD in Potsdam and Tübingen have discovered small chemical modifications to genetic material (epigenetic changes*) in the blood that indicate how well the brain responds to insulin. These markers could help to detect insulin resistance in the brain – by means of a simple blood test.

The human brain ages less than thought and in layers – at least in the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the sense of touch. Researchers at DZNE, the University of Magdeburg, and the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research at the University of Tübingen come to this conclusion based on brain scans of young and older adults in addition to studies in mice.

FOXP1 syndrome is a congenital disorder in which the brain development of affected children is severely impaired due to a genetic variant. A research team from the Medical Faculty Heidelberg at Heidelberg University has now demonstrated in mice, that the inhibition of a specific enzyme in the brain can improve abnormal behavior and immune cell dysfunction in the brain. The results have been published in the journal Advanced Science.

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.

Konstanz researchers identify an enzyme that plays a role in the migration of cells in our body - not only during normal tissue formation and wound healing, but also when tumor cells metastasize. This makes the enzyme an interesting candidate for potential future therapeutic approaches.

The ability of protein kinases to transfer a phosphate group to target proteins plays an important role in many cellular processes. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research have now developed a novel molecular tool that can monitor these kinase activities both spatially and temporally. This makes it possible to investigate the link between kinase activities and cellular phenotypes in heterogenous cell populations and in vivo.

Cancer can take decades for cancer-promoting changes in the genome to eventually lead to the formation of a malignant tumor. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center have now developed a method that allows for the first time to reconstruct the temporal development—the evolution—of cancerous cells from a single tissue sample.

Felix Glang, of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, has been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal in recognition of his achievements in developing new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods. Glang's methods enable clearer and faster brain scans.

For his outstanding achievements in his doctorate at the interface between chemistry and biology, Jonas Wilhelm is awarded an Otto Hahn Medal 2025 by the Max Planck Society. He wrote his thesis in the department Chemical Biology of Kai Johnsson at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research. In his doctorate, Jonas Wilhelm developed a molecular tool, a biosensor that records and permanently stores biological activities at the cellular level.

Sarcomas in soft tissue usually occur in young people and are difficult to treat. Due to a lack of laboratory models, the causes of their development are poorly understood. A team of researchers has now succeeded in creating mouse models with a functioning immune system that replicate sarcoma types that remain unstudied. The method opens up new avenues for the targeted development of immunotherapies for children and adolescents with sarcomas.

Tübingen achieves remarkable success and has good chance of maintaining its University of Excellence title – Top research in three areas to be sustained from other sources of support.

Many people are infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and most are unaware of it. However, EBV can sometimes cause cancer, and this pathogen also appears to play an important role in multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Researchers have discovered that EBV increases the ability of infected immune cells to migrate. In this way, the pathogen promotes its spread in the body – a discovery that may have therapeutic implications.

Life-saving smartphone app delivers rapid help during cardiac arrest - 19/05/2025

Do smartphone-based first responder alerting systems increase the chances of survival in the event of cardiac arrest?

Every minute counts when the heart suddenly stops beating or pumps so weakly that the brain is no longer receiving enough oxygen. The HEROES trial, coordinated in Freiburg, is investigating whether the survival rate of patients requiring out-of-hospital resuscitation improves when qualified first responders are alerted via the ‘Region of Lifesavers’ app - enabling them to begin high-quality resuscitation measures as early as possible.

Dr Dr Varun Venkataramani and Dr Moritz Mall have been awarded this year’s Hella Bühler Prize for their outstanding research on the interaction between nerve and tumor cells and on tumor plasticity. The award granted by Heidelberg University goes to young researchers from the Heidelberg research location who have already drawn attention to themselves through the outstanding scientific quality of their cancer research.

Medulloblastomas, childhood brain tumors in children, are thought to develop between the first trimester of pregnancy and the end of the first year of life. Researchers have now published their findings in the journal Nature. They analyzed the genetic changes of each individual cancer cell in tumor samples in order to reconstruct which genetic changes occur first during tumor development and when.