Scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed an AI model that assesses the long-term individual risk for more than 1,000 diseases. The model, which was trained and tested using anonymized medical data from the UK and Denmark, can predict health events over a period of more than a decade.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of CRISPR/Cas9, a method also known as “gene scissors”, which enables researchers to better understand how human cells function and stay healthy. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have further developed CRISPR for this purpose. They present their CRISPRgenee method in Cell Reports Methods.

Researchers at Heidelberg Uni Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human genome. A research team identified RNA:DNA hybrids as molecular signposts for the virus. These findings reveal a vulnerability in the life cycle of HIV and provide therapeutic approaches for specifically controlling HIV reservoirs in the body. This has been one of the obstacles to curative HIV therapies.

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.

Fluorescence and smartphones instead of laboratories - 11/09/2025

Mobile blood-analysis system for at home medication monitoring

For many medications, regular monitoring of drug concentrations in the blood is necessary to ensure efficacy and safety. Until now, this process has been time-consuming and required laboratory personnel and resources. The Heidelberg based start up QuantiLight has developed a mobile device with innovative sensor technology that enables quick, easy measurements at home or in a doctor's surgery.