CAR T-cell therapies are used successfully to treat certain blood cancers. However, while some patients respond even to low-dose treatment, others derive no benefit. Researchers from the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) investigated the reasons behind these differences in a collaborative research project.

With funding from the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) Heisenberg Program, DKFZ researcher Aurélie Ernst aims to investigate how massive changes in the genome contribute to the development of cancer. Her research focuses on a phenomenon known as chromothripsis - a catastrophic event in the genome in which chromosomes break apart and are reassembled incorrectly.

Three researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have each been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) this year. Daniel Kirschenbaum, Lena Kutscher, and Michael Scherer impressed the ERC with their innovative research approaches to fundamental questions in cancer medicine.

A team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center, the HI-STEM* Stem Cell Institute, and Medical Clinic V at Heidelberg University Hospital has characterized T cells in the bone marrow in cases of multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia: A specific group of tumor-reactive T cells can recognize and fight cancer cells, but is often not sufficiently activated. Nevertheless, the number of these cells influences the prognosis.

Over the next five years, Dr. Mykhailo Batiuk and his research group at the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University will investigate the biological mechanisms underlying post-traumatic stress disorder. The European Research Council (ERC) is supporting the project with an ERC Starting Grant worth approximately €1.4 million.

Researchers use synthetic biology approaches to test hundreds of DNA sequences for their effect on regulating gene expression. The human genome contains over 20,000 genes. However, at any given time and in a given cell, only a fraction of them are active. Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg’s Krebs Group have come up with an innovative experimental approach to understand how cells determine which genes to turn on and when.

Researchers from Heidelberg University’s Faculty of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have uncovered key mechanisms underlying the proliferation of the malaria parasite Plasmodium. The molecular processes that govern the formation of infectious daughter parasites and new nuclei are essential for parasite survival and may therefore represent targets for future antimalarial therapies.

The international research project MitoContact is dedicated to investigating how organelles within a cell communicate and interact with other cellular components. Kai Johnsson, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, has received funding from the ERC for this project. The findings are expected to provide new insights into fundamental cellular processes and contribute to a better understanding of various diseases.

Why do cancers develop differently in different people—even when they are exposed to the same risk factors? An international research group, including the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), has now demonstrated in mice that an organism’s genetic makeup significantly influences the course of cancer development.

The Friends of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) support the DKFZ and aim to help strengthen its position in the international arena. With the DKFZ Innovation Award, presented at this year’s annual reception, the association honors Helmut Salih, a researcher whose innovative work bridges the gap between immunological research and patient care.

For his research on the development of rare malignant tumors in the hereditary DICER1 tumor predisposition syndrome, Dr. Felix Kommoss has been awarded the Rudolf Virchow Prize of the German Society of Pathology. Dr. Kommoss conducts research at the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University and serves as Senior Physician and Head of Gynecologic Pathology at the Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital.

Four doctoral candidates from Heidelberg University have the opportunity to exchange ideas with outstanding scientists. They are set to take part in the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, which is being held in Lindau from 28 June to 3 July 2026. Jana Braunger, Tim Schubert, Laura Rueda Gensini and Nathan Trausch are among around 600 young researchers who have been selected for their outstanding academic achievements.

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.

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 life science group Sartorius has opened a new center in Freiburg, Germany, dedicated to the development and production of quality-critical materials for the cell and gene therapy market. In Freiburg, the company manufactures essential components such as cytokines and growth factors used in these novel therapies. With an investment of more than 140 million euros, Sartorius is reaffirming its strategic focus on this emerging business area.

Medical Center – University of Freiburg demonstrates a fundamental therapeutic approach for hereditary immune system defects in a mouse model. The safety profile of genome editing varies significantly depending on the method and cell type.

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1550 “Molecular Circuits of Heart Disease” at Heidelberg University is entering its second funding period. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved approximately EUR 17.4 million in funding for the next four years. The spokesperson is Johannes Backs, Professor of Experimental Cardiology at the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine.

Prof. Dr Simon Elsässer will be awarded one of this year’s Alexander von Humboldt Professorships in Berlin on 12 May 2026. With funding of five million euros, Elsässer will strengthen Freiburg’s research focus ‘Signals of Life’ over the next five years. In this interview, he discusses complex decision-making processes in cells, the significance of signals and what makes the research environment in Freiburg so special.

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.

Not only actual chronological age, but also individual aging at the molecular level is a key factor in the development of cancer. This was discovered by scientists at the DKFZ and the Saarland Cancer Registry. If the so-called “epigenetic clocks” indicate accelerated biological aging, the likelihood of a cancer diagnosis increases. This finding could help identify at-risk groups and make early detection screenings more targeted

Genome duplication probably gave biodiversity a decisive evolutionary boost. A Chinese-German research team led by Axel Meyer from the University of Konstanz has now investigated the early phases of the process known as re-diploidization. The results show that the fusion of chromosome sets is asynchronous.

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.​

SPT Labtech, a global leader in the design and development of laboratory automation and liquid handling solutions, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s Genomics Core Facility (EMBL GeneCore), today announced a collaboration to advance fully walkaway automated genomics workflows.

A team of researchers from the Department of Integrative Evolutionary Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen has discovered that vitamin B12 plays a key role in transmitting behavioural memories across generations. The study shows for the first time how a nutrient from the diet can, without altering the genome, influence behaviour over multiple generations.

For over a decade, a class of drugs called BET inhibitors has been tested in cancer trials with high expectations. The biology looked promising. Many cancers depend on oncogenes that (BET) proteins help activate, so blocking BET proteins should slow tumor growth. In the lab, it often did. In patients, results were mostly disappointing: limited responses, significant side effects, and no clear way to predict which tumors would respond at all.