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Dear reader,
September not only brought us sunny days, but also lots of good news: Dominik Müller won the Excellence Award for Hypertension Research from the American Heart Association; Markus Mittnenzweig and HI-TAC guest researcher Mahak Singhal were each awarded a highly coveted ERC Starting Grant; and the Max Delbrück Center can now proudly count itself among Berlin’s best employers and training institutions.
There were also several exciting new research findings: A team led by Uwe Ohler developed a method to reveal hidden gene regulatory switches, while researchers in Markus Landthaler’s group uncovered new details about cellular quality control; Altuna Akalin and his colleagues presented a new AI tool that helps fine tune cancer therapies; and a team led by Michael Kaminski is using CRISPR technology to target a form of hereditary kidney disease.
Meanwhile, preparations for Berlin Science Week in early November are in full swing. Feel free to check the website for a preview of the events to come – we look forward to seeing you there!
Your Insights Team
PS: For more news about the Max Delbrück Center, just follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Bluesky.
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The modeler of cell development
Markus Mittnenzweig builds computational models to help decipher and predict the complex processes behind cell differentiation and tissue formation. His work could also contribute to preventing disease. The European Research Council is now funding him with a Starting Grant worth 1.5 million euros.
Researcher Profile: Markus Mittnenzweig
Markus Mittnenzweig wins ERC Starting Grant |
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Uncovering hidden gene switches
Researchers led by Dubravka Vučićević from the Uwe Ohler lab have developed a new method to discover how DNA controls genes. Their technique, published in “Cell Genomics,” can reveal the genetic “switches” that regulate important genes more quickly than existing methods.
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How cellular quality control works A team led by Markus Landthaler and researchers at the University of Cologne has decoded in detail the rules behind a key cellular quality control mechanism in humans. Their findings have been published in “Molecular Cell.”
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Using deep learning for precision cancer therapy Altuna Akalin and his team have developed a new tool to more precisely guide cancer treatment. Described in a paper published in “Nature Communications,” the tool, called Flexynesis, uses deep neural networks and evaluates multi modal data.
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Gene editing to treat inherited kidney disease
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Researchers in Berlin have used base editing to repair mutations in human and mouse cells that cause the kidney disorder ADPKD. In mice, a team led by Michael Kaminski was able to ease a key symptom of the difficult-to-treat disease. The research was published in “Molecular Therapy.”
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Why basic research is important for entrepreneurs
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In its new booklet, the EU-LIFE alliance brings together insights from 16 biotech innovation experts on the central importance of discovery-driven research for Europe’s competitiveness – among them Elisa Kieback from T-knife, a spin-off of our research institute.
EU-LIFE Booklet
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Dominik Müller is honored in the US
The American Heart Association has bestowed its Excellence Award for Hypertension Research on Dominik Müller. He is only the third European to be honored with this distinction from the oldest professional society in the U.S.
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HI-TAC researcher Mahak Singhal receives ERC grant Mahak Singhal has won an ERC Starting Grant. The guest researcher at our Helmholtz Institute for Translational AngioCardioScience (HI-TAC) is investigating how the lining of our blood vessels senses, anticipates, and responds to circadian rhythms.
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“As a female scientist, you have to work harder” Two women, one mission: Kathrin Saar, our newly elected Equal Opportunities Officer, and her deputy Aileen Cunningham want to make women in science even more visible and further promote equality within our institution.
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We mourn the loss of Heinz Sklenar
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With great sadness, we say farewell to Dr. Heinz Sklenar, who passed away on September 2, 2025 in Bernau at the age of 86. The structural biologist was a research group leader at our center for many years.
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One of the best places to work in Berlin
According to a survey conducted by the Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut Schad, the Max Delbrück Center is one of Berlin's best employers and training companies. A good 600 companies took part in the survey, and around 100 received the award – making them "Berlins Beste."
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Timoféeff-Ressovsky at 125 – a pioneer of modern genetics
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September 20, 2025, marks the 125th anniversary of Soviet geneticist Nikolai V. Timoféeff-Ressovsky’s birth. Together with our namesake Max Delbrück, he laid the foundations of modern genetics. On our LinkedIn channel, we look back on his life and legacy.
Read more on LinkedIn
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What are you reading, Ms Brecht?
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Katharina Brecht has been part of the Max Delbrück Center since July 2025, where she is responsible for Faculty Affairs and Recruitment within the Strategic Programs, Resources and Implementation unit. She moved to Berlin only recently. Her tip takes us to London and to Shakespeare – and to the question: Was he a woman?
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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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October 2
6 - 8 p.m. MDC-BIMSB Elsa-Neumann-Room (0.61) Hannoversche Str. 28 10115 Berlin
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Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Campus Cinema
A film by Alexandra Dean
Organizer & Sponsor: Friends of the Max Delbrück Center
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October 4
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. FUTURIUM Alexanderufer 2, 10117 Berlin
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Up close and personal with the future at Futurium
Exhibitors are inviting visitors on a journey of discovery around the question: What might tomorrow's world look like? They present a selection from the countless ideas that answer this question and offer a glimpse into the laboratories of the future.
The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, together with the Gläsernes Labor, will offer exciting insights into current medical research. An interactive booth will invite visitors to experiment, participate, and discover.
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October 7
4 - 6 p.m. Zeiss Großplanetarium Prenzlauer Allee 80 10405 Berlin
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New from neurobiology: rusty neurons?
Speaker: Dr. Matthias Prigge, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
For teachers, students, and anyone else who is interested, admission is free.
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October 8
4 - 5:30 p.m. Online via Zoom
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Lab meets teacher
Teacher training
Topic: Celluar forces and lifelines: How our body builds new blood vessels.
Speaker: Julia Kraxner.
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October 8
5 - 7 p.m. Max Delbrück Center MDC.C, Axon 1 Robert-Rössle-Str 10 13125 Berlin
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Art meets science
Concert and lecture by Dr. Sebastian Hofer
Organizer & Sponsor: Friends of the Max Delbrück Center
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Berlin Science Week
Science festival
From November 1 to 10, 2025, researchers and science enthusiasts will once again gather in Berlin during Berlin Science Week to discuss current developments and challenges in science, business and society – with each other and with the public. We will once again be contributing exciting events this year, online and on site. Join us!
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November 6 - 7
Max Delbrück Center MDC.C, Axon 1 Robert-Rössle-Straße 10 13125 Berlin
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Shaping the future of animal research communication
EARA Conference
We are thrilled to announce the first-ever European Animal Research Association (EARA) Conference, celebrating our 10th anniversary and bringing together EARA members, the wider biomedical community and science communicators to shape the future of animal research communication.
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