Chordomas are rare bone tumors for which there are no effective drugs. A research team from the DKFZ and the NCT Heidelberg has now developed a promising approach: Tailor-made mini-proteins specifically block the driver of tumor development. In the result, slowing the growth of chordoma cells in the laboratory and in a mouse model, while also revealing further molecular vulnerabilities of the tumor that could be addressed with approved drugs.

When embryos grow, cells and tissue are constantly bumping into each other. This creates mechanical tensions that could endanger their development. A team from University of Hohenheim and the Japanese RIKEN Center have discovered that fly embryos have strategies to deal with this pressure. The different species have developed two different solutions. This ability to control mechanical tension could be a key to why so many body plans have evolved.

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.

The maturation process of oocytes remains paused for several years. Researchers from Konstanz and Göttingen have now found out which protein ensures this state is maintained over such a long period.

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.

Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been cost- and time-intensive. Researchers at KIT have developed a platform on which extremely miniaturized nanodroplets with a volume of 200 nanoliters per droplet and containing 300 cells per test can be arranged. This platform enables the researchers to synthesize and test thousands of therapeutic agents on the same chip, saving time and resources.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

EMBL's latest Science and Society conference brought together researchers, ethicists, communicators, policy professionals, and more to discuss the thorny question of trust in science.

Breath test replaces invasive diagnostics - 30/07/2025

Novel smartphone sensor offers innovative breath test to detect Helicobacter infection

The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is widespread and, if left undetected, can impact our well-being and also lead to serious health conditions. While effective treatments exist, a reliable diagnosis is essential. To address this, researchers have developed an affordable breath test that uses a mini-sensor to detect the presence of the bacterium. They are currently working on a smartphone-compatible version for self-testing.

Designing protein binders from scratch has long been a daunting challenge within the field of computational biology. Researchers have now developed an innovative, training-free pipeline that uses the fundamental principle of shape complementarity to design site-specific protein binders, which are then optimised to fit precisely onto chosen target sites. The researchers tested this on proteins linked to cancer.

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.

Stem cell-like leukemia cells are responsible for relapses in children and adolescents with a certain type of blood cancer, T-ALL. Researchers at the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit and the German Cancer Research Center were able to show this in a study. The results could help to overcome resistance in this form of blood cancer and prevent relapses.

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.

Medical students at Ulm University can train in a virtual shock room and practise treatment procedures regardless of time and place. Together with the company TriCAT, the Medical Faculty has created a virtual learning environment that is based on the real-life training shock room in the TTU training hospital. The benefit: through repeated training, students deepen their skills and become more confident in dealing with emergencies.

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.

ngredients of our daily diet – including caffeine – can influence the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This has been shown in a new study by a team of researchers at the Universities of Tübingen and Würzburg. They discovered bacteria such as E. coli orchestrate complex regulatory cascades to react to chemical stimuli from their direct environment which can influence the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs.

Many people with cancer experience dramatic loss of muscle and fat tissue. In many cases, even the heart muscle is affected. This wasting syndrome, affects around half of all cancer patients. Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, in collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital, the Technical University of Munich, and the German Center for Diabetes Research, have now identified a previously overlooked driver of cachexia: the liver.

Sepsis is one of the most dangerous medical emergencies. The condition is the result of a misdirected immune response to an infection, which can quickly lead to organ failure and death. Every hour counts – but early detection is difficult. A new study from Heidelberg now presents an innovative approach: artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperspectral imaging of the skin enable immediate and non-invasive sepsis diagnosis directly at the bedside.

Study led by the University of Tübingen: many non-antibiotics weaken the natural protective function of the intestine – with consequences for the colonization with pathogenic bacteria

AI-supported image recognition accelerates identification of zebrafish mutants - 16/07/2025

EmbryoNet AI automatically identifies developmental disorders

In complex organisms, embryonic development is tightly regulated by intricate signalling pathways. When these pathways are disrupted, they can lead to characteristic developmental defects that are not easy to detect with the naked eye. Developmental biologist Prof. Dr. Patrick Müller from the University of Konstanz has developed EmbryoNet, an AI-powered software tool that uses image analysis to reliably identify such developmental disorders.

Do infectious disease outbreaks breed political mistrust? Ore Koren, Indiana University Bloomington (USA), and Nils Weidmann, University of Konstanz (Germany), have found out that they do. Their study was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

An international research team has deciphered a mechanism of evolutionary arms race in human cells. The findings provide insights into how mobile elements in DNA hijack cellular functions – and how cells can defend themselves against this in order to prevent conditions such as tumour formation or chronic inflammation.

Researchers at the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) have identified a key molecule involved in a form of heart failure that has so far been difficult to treat.

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.

An international team of researchers led by Konstanz biologists has identified a molecular mechanism that regulates the activity of N-myristoyltransferases. This enzyme plays a role in biological signalling pathways, where dysregulation can lead to serious illness.

Scientists have been working on the artificial production of blood for several decades. Making a new discovery, researchers from the Institute for Cellular Biology and Immunology Thurgau at the University of Konstanz, in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London, have come an important step closer to this goal.

The skeletal muscles of men and women process glucose and fats in different ways. A study provides the first comprehensive molecular analysis of these differences. The results possibly give an explanation why metabolic diseases such as diabetes manifest differently in women and men – and why they respond differently to physical activity.

Computer tool opens up new ways to address antibiotic resistance - 02/07/2025

PhARIS identifies effective phages against multi-resistant bacteria

Bacteriophages - viruses that specifically attack and destroy bacteria - are emerging as promising alternatives to antibiotics in the fight against drug-resistant infections. To speed this effort, researchers have created PhARIS, a computational tool that mines genomic data to pinpoint phages that are effective against S. aureus. By rapidly matching phage and pathogen, PhARIS can accelerate the development of targeted phage therapies.

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.

Cell-based solution in place of animal testing - 05/06/2025

Innovative cell-based test to detect pyrogens in drugs

Drug safety testing for microbial contaminants and fever-inducing substances (pyrogens) still frequently uses animal experiments. InnoZell, a start-up that will soon be spun off from the University of Konstanz, has developed a compelling alternative: an animal-free, human cell-based assay that is faster, more sensitive and more reliable than traditional methods – and can be customised to meet user-specific needs.

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.

The reservoir of blood stem cells shrinks with age. It becomes increasingly dominated by stem cells that produce immune cells associated with chronic inflammation. Almost all of the 60-year-olds studied show this change. The new discovery could help explain the chronic inflammation that occurs with age and makes us more susceptible to disease. It could also help identify early warning signs of unhealthy aging processes.

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.

A building with 7400 m² of research space for robotics and artificial intelligence is being built on the Max Planck Campus in Büsnau. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and the University of Stuttgart will be working there with partners from science and industry as well as start-ups from 2027.

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.

VDI Guideline 5708 “Bioprinting, methods and definitions”: What sounds technical and sober at first glance is an important step forward in the future field of 3D bioprinting. The guideline was developed under Dr. Hanna Hartmann from the NMI in Reutlingen and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Groll from the University Hospital of Würzburg. It creates a binding, practical basis for reproducible and quality-assured bioprinting procedures.

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.

A research team led by PD Dr. Justus Marquet and from the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research has developed two methods that allow muscle activity and training-induced adaptations to be measured completely contactlessly. The studies demonstrate that magnetic fields generated during muscle activity can be captured using highly sensitive quantum sensors - without the need for electrodes or skin contact.

This year Furtwangen University (HFU) is launching the “HFU Skills4MedTec” project to further enhance its profile as a leading authority in medical technology and to develop targeted scientific training courses for specialists and managers in the industry.

New treatment methods: DNA origami-based nanodevices precisely control immune response - 24/04/2025

Bottom-up synthetic immunology for novel therapeutic approaches

Modern therapies for combating cancer and infectious diseases increasingly leverage the body’s own immune system. Several research groups at Heidelberg University are using innovative bottom-up approaches in synthetic immunology to develop new treatment methods that can control the immune response more precisely than previously possible.

Individuals with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease show altered blood levels indicating damaged neuronal contacts as early as 11 years before the expected onset of dementia symptoms. This is evident in the levels of the protein “beta-synuclein”. An international team report these findings in the journal “Alzheimer’s & Dementia”. The biomarker studied here could potentially help to detect neurodegeneration at an early stage.

The “Digital Integration and Innovation in Surgery” project aims to promote the transfer of new findings and research results into practice. The School of Informatics at Reutlingen University will work together with Furtwangen University, BioMedTech e.V., University Hospital Tübingen and other stakeholders to examine how intelligent digital assistance systems can contribute to improved patient care during surgical procedures.