Dear reader,

In our quest to shape the medicine of tomorrow, our researchers work with massive volumes of data. Today’s biomedical research would be unthinkable without high-performance computing infrastructures and well-equipped labs where biologists, bioengineers, and AI specialists can collaborate closely. We’re excited to be investing heavily in these areas and strengthening our networks. In this issue of Insights, you can read more about these new developments.

And as always, we take you behind the scenes of our vibrant community, most recently during the Long Night of the Sciences, which once again attracted tens of thousands of curious visitors to scientific research institutions across Berlin – and also to our campus.

Your Insights team

PS: If you want to know more about the Max Delbrück Center, just follow us on
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IN FOCUS

Biomedical innovation in Berlin gets €30 million boost

The Helmholtz Association has approved €30.8 million in funding for the Center for AI–Accelerated Molecular Innovations in Medicine to be located at the Max Delbrück Center. Researchers will use new technologies to develop AI-driven strategies for precision treatment and prevention.

Read more

RESEARCH

How the early heart develops

The ion channel PIEZO2 doesn’t just convey touch stimuli. It also plays a key role in the development of coronary vessels, a team led by Annette Hammes from the Max Delbrück Center reports in “Nature Cardiovascular Research.” The findings could improve our understanding of congenital heart defects.

Read more

 

ImmunoPreCept: “We want to shake up medicine”

Where does health end and illness begin – and what happens in between? Researchers working in the ImmunoPreCept Excellence Cluster are planning to take a deep look inside our cells to answer this question. In this interview, the coordinators explain what they hope to achieve in the next seven years.

Read more

 

 

Two first-place awards in scientific image contest

Helmholtz Imaging once again selected many outstanding scientific images during its annual contest: Our center came out on top twice in the Best Scientific Image Contest, with Jana Kroll winning the Jury Award and Rafael Deliz Aguirre taking the Public Choice Award. Congratulations!

Read more

 

Berlin Summer Meeting: Sequencing Planet Earth

On June 19 and 20, the 2025 Berlin Summer Meeting took place. Researchers presented and exchanged ideas on how analyzing DNA and RNA can conserve biodiversity, ensure food security, and help detect and prevent disease. 

Read more

 

 

HAICORE: More than just computing power

Providing computing resources for scientific research – that’s the mission of Helmholtz AI Compute Resources, a Helmholtz Association initiative. We have now joined the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Forschungszentrum Jülich in hosting the program.

Read more

“Do not change a winning concept!”

European research organizations, led by Coimbra Group, EU-LIFE and YERUN, have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission and Member States to preserve the bottom-up structure of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

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OUR PEOPLE

Our new Stiftung Charité Visiting Fellows

We welcome two visiting fellows, both from the U.S., supported by Stiftung Charité: Karen Christman at the Sander Lab and Jakob von Moltke at the Lewin Lab. They will launch new interdisciplinary projects that cover neurobiology, immunology and bioengineering.

Read more

 

Great science needs an inspiring environment 

Die Junge Akademie and Volkswagen Foundation honored ten outstanding teams with their inaugural “Best Research Environment” award. Our Single-Cell Focus Area is among the honorees, which was nominated by PhD students Sarah Gräßle and Viktoria Flore.

Read more

 

 

Go team go!

Ten teams, 50 people, zero pressure – just plenty of fun and team spirit! Once again, we joined the Berliner Wasserbetriebe 5x5 km TEAM-Staffel run, which included seasoned runners, newcomers, and everyone in between. Thank you to our Freundeskreis for sponsoring the event! 

Read more on LinkedIn

ON CAMPUS

 

The Long Night of the Sciences 2025

The Long Night of the Sciences has been a Berlin tradition for 25 years – and the Max Delbrück Center and Campus Berlin-Buch have been part of it from the very beginning. On June 28, we celebrated this milestone with science enthusiasts, families, and special guests.

 

Meeting adversity with resilience

Supporting each other and standing up for our values: Resilience is the theme of the 4th MDC Pride Symposium, hosted by our LGBTQI+ community on July 18 at MDC-BIMSB. For the first time, researchers will also take part in the Berlin Christopher Street Day parade under the Max Delbrück Center banner.

Read more

RECOMMENDED READING

What are you reading Ms Leupold?

Paula Leupold is a PhD student in Nikolaus Rajewsky's lab. She studies how the environment, like viruses and microplastic, can infiltrate the human brain and cause cellular changes or disease. Her reading recommendation tells a true story from Malawi — one of the poorest countries in the world.

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

 

July 2

4 - 5:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom

 


Lab meets teacher

Teacher training

Topic: Auf der Suche nach Gesundheit: Wie Forschung funktioniert

The lecture will be given by Michael Gotthardt.
 

July 4

10 a.m. - 10 p.m.


MDC-BIMSB
Hannoversche Str. 28
10115 Berlin


MDC Alumni Day & Graduation Symposium 2025


Join the MDC Alumni Day & Graduation Ceremony 2025 – a day of celebration, reunion and graduation. 

Rediscover the nostalgia and camaraderie of the Max Delbrück Center during the alumni gathering and applaud our latest doctoral achievements! 

Registration
 

July 4

11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Max Delbrück Center
MDC.C, Axon 1
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10
13125 Berlin


Seminar Magdalena Götz

Neuroscience Seminar Series

Title: Novel mechanisms of neurogenesis and neural repair

Magdalena Götz is the head of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at Helmholtz Munich and professor at the LMU. She is a leading developmental neuroscientist who has done groundbreaking research on a range of topics, including work on fundamental mechanisms of neurogenesis, and more recently on using reprogramming strategies for neural repair.

Further information
 

July 16

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

MDC-BIMSB
Elsa Neumann room (0.61)
Hannoversche Str. 28
10115 Berlin

and via Zoom


Systems Biology Lecture


In the series "Microbes," Ophir Klein (University of California, San Francisco) will speak about
"From mouth to gut: development and renewal in the gastrointestinal tract."

Registration
 

July 18

1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

MDC-BIMSB
Elsa Neumann room (0.61)
Hannoversche Str. 28
10115 Berlin


Pride at MDC

Resilience in Times of Change

We invite all who believe in the power of resilience, want to stand up for LGBTQI+ rights, and are passionate about fostering a more inclusive scientific community to join us.

Registration