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Dear reader,
This past month, our community was buzzing with activity. We celebrated as our PhD students crossed the finish line and graduated. We also broke new ground by hosting a meet-and-greet between scientists and venture capitalists. Several of our researchers clinched prestigious fellowships and major grants to work on new therapies for conditions like brain tumors and heart failure. Speaking of therapies, Captain T Cell announced that its very first clinical trial will begin in 2027, in partnership with the NCT.
But that’s not all! Keep scrolling to discover more highlights from July – from promising personalized treatments for peanut allergies to the unique ways Oliver Daumke is using advanced microscopy to decode protein structures. And don’t miss our recap of Summer Science Day, packed with photos that capture the spirit that defines our community.
Enjoy reading!
Your Insights team
PS: If you want to know more about the Max Delbrück Center, just follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Bluesky.
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The cellular engineer
Molecular machines carry out many vital processes inside our cells. When their components – protein building blocks – are faulty, it can lead to disease. Structural biologist Oliver Daumke investigates how these machines are built, what makes them work, and what goes wrong when they malfunction.
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Personalized treatment for peanut allergy
Oral immunotherapy helps many children with peanut allergy – but for some, it can also trigger severe allergic reactions. In the journal Allergy, a team led by Young-Ae Lee explains what might be behind these differences and how treatment could become more personalized.
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Restoring the elasticity of heart muscle Michael Gotthardt is developing a therapy for a common yet currently untreatable form of heart disease. The Deutsche Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung is supporting the project with around €650,000, which he will share with collaborator Alessio Alogna from the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité.
Read more
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Treating brain tumors with MRI Thoralf Niendorf has won a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council to study the use of heat generated during MRI scans to selectively destroy brain tumors. The method could pose significantly fewer risks than laser ablation or surgery.
Read more
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Our inventors meet Berlin’s venture capitalists
Our first Venture Capital Day brought together our budding entrepreneurs with the Clinical Incubator (CLIC) and top venture capital working in Berlin biotechnology for a day of pitching, exchange and networking.
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A boost for Berlin as a start-up hub Berlin and Brandenburg are joining forces to strengthen their ecosystem for start-ups in artificial intelligence, health, and green technologies through UNITE. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is supporting this largest hub for science-based start-ups in Europe as one of ten flagship projects, with funding of up to ten million euros. Private investors have pledged an additional ten million euros. We at the Max Delbrück Center are among the founding members of UNITE.
Unite website
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Model partnership with NCT Berlin Starting in 2027, Captain T Cell – a Max Delbrück Center biotech spin-off – will begin the first clinical trial of its TCR-T cell therapy. This has been made possible through funding from the National Center for Tumor Diseases and close collaboration with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
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Maike Sander elected member of EMBO
Congratulations! The European Molecular Biology Organization has elected our Scientific Director Maike Sander to its membership. She will join a community of more than 2,100 leading life scientists who guide the organization and help shape the future of life science research.
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A community graduates On July 4, our doctoral students gathered with supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family to celebrate their graduation, a milestone that was years in the making. Graduate Anita Waltho recounts her experience of the event, which brought together a community. Best wishes to all graduates for the journey ahead!
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Clara Vázquez García wins Helmholtz Doctoral Award Clara Vázquez García has won a Helmholtz Doctoral Award and a Helmholtz Enterprises Field Study Fellowship. She plans to use the funding to further develop a tool that can assess a person’s DNA repair and immune system fitness.
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Ines Lahmann wins Helmholtz Field Study Fellowship
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Ines Lahmann has won a Helmholtz Enterprises Field Study Fellowship. She will use the funding to evaluate the commercial potential of patient-specific in vitro models of the human neuromuscular system as platforms for disease modeling and drug screening. Listen also the the podcast with Ines Lahmann - more below!
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Summer Science Day 2025: Uniting under one goal
Lab tours, lively talks, music and awards – Summer Science Day 2025 brought our community together like never before. In addition to food and games, this year's new format created space to spark dialogue across our diverse teams.
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Cutting the environmental impact of research
From reducing freezer usage to plastic waste, Max Delbrück Center labs have been implementing strategies from the LEAF program for sustainable research. As more labs join the program, they are not only contributing to reaching our sustainability goals, they are also improving research quality.
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What are you reading, Ms Kunz?
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Séverine Kunz heads the Electron Microscopy Technology Platform. She has been part of our research center for ten years and loves working with people from all over the world. Séverine takes us to Japan and recommends a novel about mysterious deaths and the joys of good food.
Read more
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Podcast on mini-organs from the lab
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Ines Lahmann explains how organoids could change medical research in a podcast called ‘Forschungsquartett’. Listen to the interview with detektor.fm editor Esther Stephan (in German).
Listen now
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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 |
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September 3
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. MDC-BIMSB Elsa Neumann room (0.61) Hannoversche Str. 28 10115 Berlin
and via Zoom
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Effect of diet and microbiota on host physiology
Systems Biology Lecture: In the series "Microbes," Francesca Ronchi (Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Charité, Berlin) will speak about "Effect of diet and microbiota on host physiology."
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September 11
5 - 7 p.m. Max Delbrück Center MDC.C, Axon 1 Robert-Rössle-Str. 10 13125 Berlin
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125. birthday of Timofeeff-Ressovsky: Concert and talk
Organizer & Sponsor: Friends of the Max Delbrück Center
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