Dear reader,

Strolling across our campus in Berlin-Buch these days, you’ll be greeted by blooming shrubs, bright spring flowers – and a little spark of joy in the air. The sun is doing its part to lift spirits. For our AI experts, a workshop in Berlin was just as energizing: it was an interdisciplinary exchange that brought together the stars of the community working on foundation models for science. Read more in our Q&A with Dagmar Kainmüller.
 
We would also like to congratulate Ana Pombo! The German Research Foundation awarded her the Leibniz Prize on March 19. And if you are interested in new developments in Alzheimer's research, we recommend our Research Highlight. 

One thing to mark on your calendar: On April 3, we are opening an exhibition at the MDC-BIMSB featuring dozens of photographs by Sibylle Bergemann, one of Germany's most influential photographers. Her images of everyday life in Berlin, both before and after the fall of the Wall, are truly captivating. Join us for the vernissage and enjoy the images!

We wish you an inspiring read!

Your Insights team

PS: If you want to know more about the Max Delbrück Center, just follow us on
LinkedIn, Instagram or Bluesky.

IN FOCUS

AI and science unite at first HFMI workshop

How can AI transform scientific research? The Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative brought together a diverse group of experts during its first workshop. In an interview, Dagmar Kainmüller, group leader at our center, explains foundation models and why interdisciplinary collaboration is important.

Read more

RESEARCH

Inflammatory messenger fuels Alzheimer’s

Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and our research center have detailed the precise mechanism through which the inflammatory signaling molecule IL-12 contributes to Alzheimer’s disease. The study was published in the journal “Nature Aging.”

Read more

 

Unraveling cell polarity with the help of AI

Scientists at our center and Helmholtz Imaging have developed open-source software that simplifies the study of cell polarity with fluorescence microscopy. Published in “Nature Communications,” the innovation may streamline research on many basic biological processes such as tissue repair.

Read more

 

 

New treatment approach for rare blood cancer of the skin

Researchers from Medical University of Vienna, Charité Berlin and Max Delbrück Center have identified the CD74 protein as a new drug target to treat deadly skin lymphoma. The study was published in the “British Journal of Dermatology.”

Read more

Inequality raises disease risk, especially for women

A study led by Tobias Pischon has found that low socioeconomic status raises the risk of cardiovascular disease in women more so than in men. The study in the "Journal of the American Heart Association" underlines the importance of gender-specific prevention.

Read more
 

OUR PEOPLE

Congratulations – Leibniz Prize goes to Ana Pombo

Biochemist Ana Pombo (r.), who conducts research at our Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (MDC-BIMSB), has been awarded the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. The German Research Foundation (DFG) honored her on March 19, 2025, in Berlin, along with three other female scientists and six male researchers. The prize is considered Germany’s most important research award and comes with a €2.5 million grant.

Read more

Film about Ana Pombo

 

Gabriele Schiattarella awarded W2 Professorship

Dr. Gabriele G. Schiattarella has been awarded a W2 Professorship for Cardiometabolic Diseases at the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité. He will continue to study one of the biggest challenges in cardiology: heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Read more

 

 

Carl Hermann Medal awarded to Udo Heinemann

What does the 3D structure of protein look like? And what does this mean about its function? For decades, structural biologist Udo Heinemann has explored these questions at our institute. Now, the German Society for Crystallography is honoring his life’s work.

Read more

ON CAMPUS

 

“Jugend forscht” at Campus Berlin-Buch

From better 3D printers for biological structures to soil remediation with microorganisms – in the 60th round of “Jugend forscht,” regional students presented their exciting research projects on the Berlin-Buch campus.

Read more

 

 

Curious minds at UniStem Day 2025

Around 220 high school students from across Berlin came to our conference center in Buch in mid-March with one topic on their minds: stem cell research. For the tenth time, the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN, stem cell research dialogue platform at BIH) hosted UniStem Day.

Read more

RECOMMENDED READING

What are you reading, Mr Sai? 

Somesh Sai is a postdoc in the Sander lab. He explores how islet beta cells adapt to metabolic stress at the single-cell level. As a Postdoc Representative, he loves to organize events like Postdoc lunches and After Hours. He recommends a Chinese author who gained global fame for his sci-fi novels.

Read more
 

OPEN POSITIONS

Curious about a career that combines science and innovation? At the Max Delbrück Center you can expect exciting challenges, interdisciplinary and international teams and the opportunity to help shape the medicine of tomorrow – whether in administration or in the lab.

All open positions

SAVE THE DATE

 

April 3

9:15 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Max Delbrück Center (Buch and Mitte)
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10 and Hannoversche Str. 28
13125 Berlin


Girls‘ Day –
IT Girls in der Biomedizin

Was macht eine Informatikerin in der Gesundheitsforschung?

Wir nehmen Euch für einen Tag mit in unsere Labore! Unsere Azubis, Forscherinnen und IT-Fachfrauen zeigen Euch ihren Berufsalltag und erzählen Euch warum sie ihren Beruf gewählt haben, wie ihr Weg dahin ausgesehen hat und was daran so cool ist. Einblicke in die biomedizinische Spitzenforschung sind mit auf dem Menu.

Dieses Angebot ist ab Klassenstufe 8 (mind. 13 Jahre alt).
 

April 3

6 - 8 p.m.

MDC-BIMSB
Hannoversche Str. 28
Rooftop terrace
10115 Berlin


Photo Exhibition from the Estate of Sibylle Bergemann


Vernissage & Inauguration of the Sibylle Bergemann Rooftop Terrace

This photo exhibition features a curated selection of works from the Sibylle Bergemann estate, offering a unique insight into her boundary-breaking approach to photography that blended documentation and art.

Registration
 

April 4

8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Historic Lecture Hall
Building 55
Robert-Rössle-Straße 10
13125 Berlin


MDC Neuroscience Meeting


A yearly one-day event aimed at fostering interactions between everyone at our community interested in neuroscience.

Registration
 

April 9

4 - 5:30 p.m.

Online per Zoom


Lab meets teacher

Teacher training

Topic: Cancer prevention through diet and physical activity: How can we generate evidence-based insights?

The lecture will be given by Katharina Nimptsch from the Pischon Lab.
 

April 28 - 29

 

Universität Heidelberg
Grabengasse 1 & 3-5
Day 1: Alte Aula | Day 2: Neue Aula
69117 Heidelberg


Angioscience meets Cardioscience

HI-TAC Spring Symposium

The HI-TAC is thrilled to host the first inaugural HI-TAC Spring Conference! We look forward to engaging discussions and active participation from scientists at all career stages.
 

April 28 - 30

 

Max Delbrück Communications Center
(MDC.C)
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10
13125 Berlin


International Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference


The international Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference 2025 has a focus on RNA as drug and drug target, Novel cardiovascular drugs, PROTACs, Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery, Chemoproteomics and much more, and invites scientists from academia and industry to discuss the challenges and chances of modern drug discovery.
 

June 28

5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Campus Berlin-Buch
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10
13125 Berlin


Long Night of Sciences


In just a few months, we will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Long Night of the Sciences (LNDW) in Berlin!

Once again, you can look forward to a diverse program featuring spectacular experiments, exciting lectures, science shows, lab tours, and a late-night show.

This year, tickets are only 5 euros! Presale starts in April.

Sign up for the newsletter now!