Robots that can learn and adapt require not only data, AI tools, and algorithms but also direct communication with their users. Jens Kober would like to improve this interaction and as the new head of a research team at Fraunhofer IPA, he is focusing in particular on construction robotics.

Prime Vector Technologies GmbH (PVT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focusing on the development of viral vector-based vaccines, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for the assignment of certain patents and the exclusive licensing of its Orf virus (ORFV) platform for the development of next-generation cancer vaccines.

Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have identified a previously unknown key mechanism by which cancer cells suppress the immune system and thus evade the effects of immunotherapies. At the same time, the new study in mouse models and human tumor samples points to a promising way to prevent resistance to immunotherapy.

Certain medicines contain compounds known as PFAS, which are causing increasing environmental harm due to their long-lasting effects. A report by the University of Freiburg, commissioned by the German Environment Agency, shows that many PFAS-based active ingredients used in medicines can be replaced by alternatives. Based on the findings of the report, doctors will in future be able to give preference to prescribing PFAS-free medicines.

Gelatin is a versatile natural material. To tailor its properties specifically to the various applications in medicine, diagnostics, and cosmetics, the Fraunhofer IGB has developed a toolbox for chemical functionalization. With the help of automated processes, the modifications can now be scaled under defined conditions, and reproducible batches of modified gelatin can be produced on a scale ranging from grams to kg for customer sampling.

It goes without saying that new drug compounds should place as little strain on the heart as possible. But how can potential effects be reliably predicted? Researchers from the NMI, Hannover Medical School (project lead), the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, and industry partners Multi Channel Systems and Foresee Biosystems are tackling this challenge in the new HEARTCORE project.

NEURA Robotics (“NEURA”), the pioneer in cognitive robotics and creator of the Neuraverse, today announced a landmark Series C financing with a total round size of up to $1.4 billion to accelerate its mission of building the world’s leading Physical AI platform. The financing brings together global leaders across AI, robotics, compute, manufacturing and industrial infrastructure.

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.

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.

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.

Joint press release of the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University and the German Center for Infection Research: With the FDA approval of Hepcludex (bulevirtide), a therapy for chronic hepatitis D developed at the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University, Heidelberg University Hospital, and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has now reached the world’s most important pharmaceutical market.

Different types of bone marrow stem cells give rise to blood and immune cells. A team led by Simon Haas now reports in ​“Nature Cell Biology” how that diversity develops. The findings could help improve stem cell therapies, including treatments for blood cancers.

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.

Led by researchers from Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University and the University of California, San Francisco (USA), an international research team has evaluated a novel approach for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The method enables detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis without laboratory infrastructure, within a markedly shorter time frame than conventional diagnostics, and using a simple swab.

Ulm University held an awards ceremony to recognise the outstanding achievements in research and teaching of its early-career researchers. The event, held at the end of April at Villa Eberhardt, focused on researchers who had received seed funding for their own research projects.

Prof. Dr. Halbritter has served as the new Medical Director of the Department of Nephrology at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg since April 2026. With his expertise, he is enhancing care for patients with kidney disease: The goal is to prevent kidney failure through early diagnosis and the implementation of strategies to slow disease progression. For cases where kidney failure has already occurred, the focus is on organ replacement.

A novel biomimetic tissue substitute combines precisely tunable mechanical properties with biological functionality and is now ready for applications in medical technology. The material was developed in the »PolyKARD« project by Fraunhofer IAP and the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute. From 20.-24.04, 2026, the material will be presented together with further developments at the Hannover Messe, Fraunhofer joint booth.

How can you charge electric cars without plugging them into the power grid for hours on end? How can industrial robots be “refueled” during operation? And how does wireless energy transfer improve medical technology? These questions have occupied Prof. Nejila Parspour, Director of the Institute of Electrical Energy Conversion (IEW) at the University of Stuttgart, for more than twenty years.

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.

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.

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in mapping the organization of immune cells in human lymph nodes. The study was led by scientists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf University Hospital, the DKFZ, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Berlin. They were able to demonstrate why the architecture of healthy lymph nodes is altered in malignant lymphomas.