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The European Federation of Immunological Societies is awarding Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The 88-year-old Rajewsky, who remains active in research, is being recognized for his pioneering work in cellular and molecular immunology.

It all started with twelve rabbit cages in Cologne – and a position as a stand-in for a scientific assistant. In 1964, at the age of 27, Klaus Rajewsky arrived at the newly established Institute for Genetics, founded by Max Delbrück, after studying medicine in Frankfurt and Munich and spending two years conducting research in Paris. His primary tasks were to produce antibodies in rabbits and to secure funding for his own studies. “I was the only immunologist there, and the others seemed to find my antibodies useful,” Professsor Rajewsky recalls.

By the time he left the University of Cologne 38 years later to join Harvard Medical School in Boston – sidestepping mandatory retirement in Germany – his department had become the institute’s largest and was internationally recognized among immunologists and molecular biologists. Since 2011, the 88-year-old Rajewsky has headed the Immunoregulation and Cancer research group at the Max Delbrück Center. His career spans more than six decades, during which he uncovered many of the genetic mechanisms that govern the immune system and contribute to disease.

The European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) is now recognizing Rajewsky’s life’s work. To mark its 50th anniversary, EFIS – the umbrella organization of 26 national immunology societies across Europe – is awarding its first Lifetime Achievement Award. Rajewsky is being honored a pioneer in the field of cellular and molecular immunology.

“Groundbreaking research, transformative innovations”

“When I learned about the award, it was a very moving moment for me,” Rajewsky says. “EFIS is a large community of immunologists – and the fact that they chose me, someone who started out so small, for their first Lifetime Achievement Award is really wonderful.” He received the award on August 17, 2025, in Vienna during the Congress of the International Union of Immunological Societies.

Rajewsky was nominated by the German Society for Immunology (DGfI), which he co-founded in 1967. EFIS cited his groundbreaking research, transformative innovations, and his mentorship of generations of immunologists as reasons for the award. It highlighted his foundational work on antibody-producing B cells and the development of a gene-targeting system that for the first time allowed researchers to switch individual genes on or off in specific tissues or at specific times. “Traditional gene targeting, by contrast, would alter all cells in the organism,” Rajewsky explains. Researchers from around the world came to his lab in Cologne to learn this CRE/loxP-based method.

EFIS also praised Rajewsky for adopting and refining cutting-edge technologies such as microRNA analysis and the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tool early on in immunological research. Just three years ago, his team published a modified version of CRISPR/Cas9 in the journal Science Advances that offers significantly greater precision than earlier versions – potentially making it especially well-suited for correcting genetic diseases caused by a single mutation.

Still much to do

The publication is just one among a long list of scientific papers to which Rajewsky has contributed – more than 500, by his estimate. Together with colleagues and a pathologist, he was also the first to identify that the previously mysterious Hodgkin lymphoma arises from B cells at a specific developmental stage. Rajewsky “has been a tireless promoter of collaborative science and international exchange,” EFIS said in a statement about the award. “As a mentor, he has trained and inspired generations of immunologists in Germany, across Europe, and internationally.”

His work is far from over. “Right now, we’re looking at certain inherited immunodeficiencies in which T cells don’t function properly,” he says. These cells can be genetically repaired. Rajewsky and his current ten-person team have shown in mouse models that the animals can be cured of these deadly inherited conditions. Their experiments with human cells have also been successful. “These are very rare conditions in humans, though – which makes it difficult to secure funding for clinical trials,” Rajewsky notes. But perhaps the wealth of experience he has collected over his 60-year career will help him to ultimately move this research forward.

Text: Anke Brodmerkel

Further information

K. Rajewsky Lab

Immune Regulation and Cancer

• The gene virtuoso
• EFIS
• 19th International Congress of Immunology

Can an aging immune system be coaxed into responding to vaccination like its’ younger self? In “Nature Aging,” Sebastian Hofer, Katja Simon and colleagues discuss emerging interventions that may boost older adults’ response to vaccines. They are also recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial of their own.

As we age, our immune systems weaken. This decline – known as immunosenescence –makes older people more vulnerable to infections and less responsive to vaccines, creating a self-reinforcing vicious cycle. While lifestyle-related and age-associated diseases such as obesity and diabetes contribute to this decline, the core problem lies in how aging alters immune cells and their internal maintenance systems.

In a review article published in “Nature Aging,” Dr. Sebastian Hofer, a postdoc in the Cell Biology of Immunity lab of Professor Katja Simon at the Max Delbrück Center, and colleagues in the U.K. discuss how we may be able to boost vaccine immunity in older adults by incorporating knowledge gleaned from the latest research on the biology of aging. Traditionally, vaccine makers have relied on technological approaches, such as adding compounds to vaccines to elicit a stronger immune response – but these are not always effective.

In recent years, it has become clear that there are other approaches that potentially complement technological fixes, and may be more practical than developing novel vaccines for different age groups, says Simon. Researchers studying the biology of aging, for example, have shown that certain drugs such as metformin, used to treat type 2 diabetes, and rapamycin, commonly given to organ transplant recipients, can extend life and health span in insects, rodents and other animals. They do so in part by acting on the immune system. Other research has also shown that exercise and restricting calories in both humans and animals can slow the decline in immune cell function as we age. Such research has been complemented by a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms behind this decline in immunity, Hofer adds.

In the following interview, Hofer and Simon discuss how incorporating this knowledge into vaccination efforts might help to improve our aging body’s response to vaccines. To wit, they are recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to test specifically whether dietary intervention might improve vaccine response.

Can you explain immunosenescence and how immunity wanes with age?

Katja Simon: Immunosenescence is a broad term for the gradual decline of the immune system as we get older. Chronic diseases are more common in older people and these contribute to a decline in immune function. But a central hallmark of immune aging that happens even in the absence of chronic disease is a decline in the ability of immune cells to clean out damage and waste, along many other molecular alterations. This particular process is called autophagy and it’s a fundamental recycling process that takes place in every cell of the body. A decline in “autophagy flux” – the efficiency of the cells’ recycling cycle – contributes to a weakened immune response in older adults. Our lab, has spent years studying autophagy and how restoring it in aging immune cells may enhance immunity.

Of all the interventions shown to extend lifespan in animals such as drugs or lifestyle changes, do we know how they work?

Sebastian Hofer: Scientists have a good idea of how interventions like caloric restriction and rapamycin may extend lifespan – at least in animals – but the picture in humans is still evolving. Many interventions tested in the field of aging biology seem to work by nudging cells into a kind of protective, energy-saving mode: they reduce inflammation, slow metabolism, and boost autophagy. Restricting calories does this naturally, while drugs like rapamycin mimic some of those effects by targeting specific cellular pathways. These changes help cells repair damage, stay resilient, and function better as we age. However, while the biology is promising, especially in lab animals, we’re still learning how well these interventions work in people – and who and which tissues might benefit the most.

Have any of these interventions been tried to improve vaccine response in older adults?

SH: While more and more researchers are applying knowledge from aging biology to the design of clinical trials, based on our review of the literature, rapamycin appears to be the only one sufficiently tested regarding its impact on vaccine response. These studies suggest that rapamycin can enhance vaccine efficacy in older adults by tuning the immune system to respond more robustly. Rapamycin works by blocking a protein called mTOR, which acts like a master switch in cells that controls growth and energy use. When mTOR is inhibited, cells shift into a more cautious, repair-focused state – reducing inflammation, improving autophagy, and making immune cells more responsive to stimuli.

You are currently recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to test whether dietary intervention can boost immune response to vaccines. Can you provide more details?

SH: The pilot trial, named VITAL, will recruit 24 volunteers over the age of 60. Half will be asked to eat their meals within an 8-hour window, and nothing in between. We want to see if a 4-week phase with intermittent fasting can improve the immune response to influenza and COVID vaccines compared to the non-fasting group. Our trial is based on preclinical evidence showing that short-term dietary interventions can rejuvenate immune function – possibly by improving autophagy. And we are focusing on the seasonal influenza vaccine because studies have shown that a significant proportion of people over the age of 60 respond poorly to flu vaccines. People in our trial will also be outfitted with technology and administered blood tests to monitor their adherence to the fasting protocol.

Why did you choose a dietary intervention over a drug like rapamycin?

SH: Since fasting is non-pharmacological and physiological, it's an attractive strategy from both a safety and accessibility perspective. Also, this type of trial, which is almost never done in a commercial setting, is also well suited for a government funded institute like our own. Moreover, tackling the complex problems of immune system aging will also likely benefit from interventions that target multiple molecular pathways at once, such as restricting calories. But we are also studying other interventions. The Simon lab for example has shown in a clinical trial that the dietary supplement spermidine can also boost immune response to vaccines in older people. The research is currently pending publication, but our findings suggest that spermidine also may help improve COVID vaccine response in older populations.

Why is this such an important public health issue?

KS: Our populations are aging and we know that after the age of 60 to 65, people are more susceptible to infections. The 60 plus demographic group globally was the most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is also the age group with the highest risk of death from infection with influenza. Unfortunately, data consistently show that the effectiveness of various protective vaccines decreases with age, especially in those who need protection the most. We are likely also facing a future of more frequent outbreaks of new infectious diseases. A straightforward and easily implemented intervention that improves immunity and vaccine efficacy in this group could save a lot of lives.

Sebastian Hofer, Katja Simon and their team are currently recruiting people over the age of 60 for their clinical trial to test whether intermittent fasting can boost response to influenza and COVID vaccination. For more information or to volunteer for the trial, please contact Sebastian (Sebastian.hofer@mdc-berlin.de) or the Clinical Research Unit at the ECRC (vital@charite.de).

Further information

• Portrait of Katja Simon

During a week-long course at the Gläsernes Labor, 24 teenagers delved into genetics, immunology, and allergic disease. The course marked the beginning of a new collaboration with the Max Delbrück Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health and others.

Dr. Aleix Arnau Soler, you’re a scientist in the Molecular Genetics of Allergic Diseases lab at the Max Delbrück Center and helped launch this project week in July 2025. How did it come about?

Dr. Aleix Arnau Soler: I took part in a science communication workshop organized by our communications department in 2024. The goal was to develop initiatives for our Life Science Learning Lab “Gläsernes Labor” that integrate new developments in research. I’m also affiliated with the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), a government-funded network established in 2024 to strengthen research in pediatric and adolescent medicine. The DZKJ is working on strategies to actively involve children and families in health research.

What does that look like in practice?
For example, engaging with children directly, sparking their interest in research, and showing them how we investigate the causes of diseases. Because this work focuses on child health, the DZKJ wants to start conversations with kids and their parents early on. They were looking for partners to help put these ideas into action...

...and you were already involved with the Life Science Learning Lab on the Berlin-Buch campus.
Exactly. The Gläsernes Labor – with its experienced education team, established teaching formats, and strong ties to the campus research community – was an ideal partner. So the DZKJ teamed up with the Max Delbrück Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Pediatric Clinic), the German Rheumatology Research Center (DRFZ) and the Gläsernes Labor, to design a course on genetics and immunology, including immune response and allergy treatment. These are issues that affect many people, including children and teens. The participants had the chance to explore the science in these areas in a real research setting – and hopefully came away with a deeper appreciation for the importance of health and health research.

How did you select participants for the project week?
The students came from the Robert Havemann Gymnasium in Berlin, which has an ongoing partnership with the Gläsernes Labor. One group focused on genetics, the other on immunology. They carried out hands-on experiments like DNA isolation, PCR, and electrophoresis. At the end of the week, they created posters to present their findings at school. Our lab hosted the immunology group. We showed them a diagnostic test for allergies, for example, and walked them through a key step in the DNA isolation protocol: adding alcohol to a blood sample, which causes the DNA to form a visible “cloud.” The students were highly engaged and clearly enjoyed the experience. I completely understand – back when I was in school, it would have been unthinkable to get that kind of inside look at how research is done at a scientific institute.

Will the collaboration continue?
The DZKJ is currently undergoing evaluation for its next funding period. Once that process is complete, I expect the partnership will be extended for several more years, allowing us to develop new program formats. One idea for the future: patients with conditions such as obesity, cystic fibrosis, or hearing loss who are being treated at Charité could be offered tailored courses that provide research-based insights into their conditions – why they occur and how to manage them. I think that would be a powerful way to bring science closer to people and, at the same time, give us an opportunity to learn more about what people need or expect from research.

Interview: Wiebke Peters

Further information

• 25 years of the Life Science Learning lab
• Gläsernes Labor
• Education for students and teachers
• German Center for Child and Adolescent Health

Photo: Dr. Aleix Arnau Soler and PhD student Alisa Iakupova gave students from the Robert Havemann High School an insight into allergy research in the laboratory. © Prof. Dr. Young-Ae Lee, Max Delbrück Center

Source: Max Delbrück Center
Promoting awareness of health research

Neuroblastoma, a cancer mainly affecting children, is often difficult to treat. A team led by Jan Dörr and Anton Henssen at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center report in “Cancer Discovery,” a potential reason treatment sometimes fails and a new strategy to combat particularly resistant tumors.

Neuroblastoma can be a particularly insidious cancer. In about half of all cases, tumors regress, even without therapy. In the other half, tumors grow very quickly. These tumors often respond well to chemotherapy at first, but usually return after one to two years. A characteristic feature of such aggressive neuroblastoma cells is an abnormally high number of copies of the oncogene MYCN.

A team led by Dr. Jan Rafael Dörr and Professor Anton Henssen from the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint institution of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center, has now discovered that the location of the MYCN gene plays an important role in the aggressiveness of neuroblastoma: If it is located outside chromosomes, cancer cells enter a dormant state and thereby render themselves immune to therapy. In "Cancer Discovery," a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, the research team propose a new treatment strategy that targets these dormant tumor cells. Their approach has already proven successful in a mouse model.

The study’s first authors are Dr. Giulia Montuori, a scientist at the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Charité, where Dörr and Henssen also work as pediatric oncologists, and Fengyu Tu, who conducts research under the supervision of Dr. Benjamin Werner and Dr. Weini Huang in both London and China. Henssen, Werner and Huang are members of the international Cancer Grand Challenges team eDyNAmiC, which is funded by Cancer Research UK and the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Dr. Fabian Coscia’s Spatial Proteomics research group at the Max Delbrück Center also played a key role. The study is a prime example, say Dörr and Henssen, of how international collaboration between clinical and research teams can benefit patients.

Cancer genes on tiny DNA rings

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common cancers in children. The tumors develop from cells of the sympathetic nervous system, can occur anywhere in the body, and mostly affect children under the age of five. “Neuroblastomas with the MYCN oncogene have been particularly hard to treat,” says Dörr, Head of the ECRC research group Tumor Heterogeneity and Therapy Resistance in Pediatric Tumors. “We wanted to find out exactly what the gene does in cancer cells, how it might influence the expression of other genes and how tumors can be destroyed more effectively in the future,” he explains.

Henssen, Head of the ECRC research group Genomic Instability in Pediatric Tumors, has previously shown that these oncogenes are often not located on chromosomes in cell nuclei, but rather on many small, ring-shaped DNA molecules inside tumor cells. “When these cells divide, this DNA is distributed randomly to daughter cells – unlike chromosomal DNA,” Henssen explains. As a result, neuroblastomas can contain a mix of cells, some with high numbers of MYCN genes and others with very few.

The sleeping cells escape treatment

Dörr and his team investigated the tumor cells further. “Together with Fabian Coscia's group, we succeeded in separating cells with many MYCN copies from those with few copies, thanks to a method described for the first time in the study, and then investigating how the composition of the proteins and the phenotype of these cells differ from one another,” Dörr explains.

In experiments with cultured tumor cells, mouse models and patient samples, the researchers were then able to show that only aggressive cells with many MYCN copies are destroyed by chemotherapy. “Tumor cells with few MYCN copies, on the other hand, survive and merely enter into a kind of deep sleep,” explains Dörr. However, they can awaken from this deep sleep through wake-up calls that are not yet fully understood, and then contribute to the cancer recurring.

A new strategy for brain tumors, too

“There are drugs that specifically target senescent, or sleeping, cells,” says Dörr. In mouse models, he and his team demonstrated that combining chemotherapy – which eliminates fast-growing cells with many MYCN copies – with a second drug that targets senescent cells can significantly improve treatment outcomes for neuroblastoma. “Our approach is likely suitable only for tumors in which the MYCN gene or other oncogenes are located on extrachromosomal DNA,” says Dörr. For tumors with chromosomal oncogenes, different strategies will be needed.

Next, the team plans to systematically search for additional compounds that can selectively attack dormant tumor cells in human tissue while sparing healthy cells. “This approach could also be relevant for other cancers that involve genes located on extra-chromosomal ring-shaped DNA,” Henssen adds – including dreaded brain tumors.

Text: Anke Brodmerkel

Source: Joint press release by the Max Delbrück Center and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Targeting sleeping tumor cells

 Eckert & Ziegler (ISIN DE0005659700) has entered a Master Service Agreement with Archeus Technologies (Archeus), a company developing multiple differentiated radiopharmaceutical therapies, for contract manufacturing of its novel investigational compound ART-101. The agreement supports Archeus’ upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial of ART-101 in the United States, with manufacturing to be performed at Eckert & Ziegler’s state-of-the-art GMP facility in Boston, MA.

ART-101 is a next-generation small molecule that targets prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and is in development for the imaging and treatment of prostate cancer. Preclinical studies suggest ART-101 may offer enhanced pharmacology and tolerability compared to existing PSMA-targeted therapies.

“We are pleased to partner with Archeus on the clinical development of ART-101,” commented Dr. Harald Hasselmann, Chief Executive Officer of Eckert & Ziegler SE. “Our GMP-certified Boston facility is ideally equipped to support their early-phase development needs. This collaboration reflects our broader commitment to advancing next-generation targeted radiotherapies through high-quality manufacturing and clinical supply services.”

“Eckert & Ziegler’s GMP infrastructure, operational reliability, and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing expertise enable Archeus to quickly and confidently advance ART-101 into first-in-human trials this year,” added Evan Sengbusch, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Archeus Technologies.

The collaboration is an important milestone in the ongoing efforts of both companies to advance the development of innovative solutions in the radiopharmaceutical field. Eckert & Ziegler operates several CMO sites worldwide and offers a range of other services along the entire value chain including the supply of high-quality radioisotopes.

About Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler SE, with more than 1,000 employees, is a leading specialist in isotope-related components for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
 

Source: Press Release Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler Selected as US Manufacturer for Archeus’ Next-Generation Radiopharmaceutical ART-101

The Annual General Meeting of Eckert & Ziegler SE (ISIN DE0005659700) resolved on June 18, 2025, to increase the share capital using company funds by € 42,343,864 to € 63,515,796.

The capital increase was entered in the commercial register on 25 July 2025 and thus became effective. As a result, the company's share capital increased from € 21,171,932 to € 63,515,796.

The company will report on the exact details of the share split once the technical details have been finalized with the banks.

The share split aims in particular to increase the liquidity of the share and thus facilitate the tradability of Eckert & Ziegler shares.

About Eckert & Ziegler.
Eckert & Ziegler SE with more than 1.000 employees, is a leading specialist for isotope-related components in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.

Source: Press Release Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler: Capital Increase Entered in the Commercial Register. Share Split in Preparation

Lab tours, lively talks, music and awards – Summer Science Day 2025 brought the Max Delbrück Center 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.

On July 3, the Max Delbrück Center celebrated Summer Science Day 2025 – transforming the campus into a vibrant hub of scientific exploration and community engagement. This year, in addition to a festive program of food, music and games, the event featured lab tours, presentations, workshops and information booths to foster exchange among our diverse staff. People who work in administration had the opportunity to learn about how research is done at our center, and vice-versa. The program was specifically designed to support goals set out in our new Strategy 2030. 

“Summer Science Day is about uniting our institute under a shared vision,” said Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center in her opening talk. “We aim to advance predictive systems medicine and everyone plays a vital role in making that happen.” 

“We have already grown together,” added Kirstin Bodensiek, Acting Administrative Director of the Max Delbrück Center. “With this new event format, we are continuing to build bridges to foster greater exchange from the bottom up. That’s not only who we are, but also who we want to be.” 

Talks, workshops, games 

On a pleasantly warm summer day, the Max Delbrück Center staff could choose from over 50 different activities that included: gathering information at booths about what the different departments do, join games such as Immune Cell Bingo and a Pub Quiz, or simply linger over lunch at picnic tables set out on the large lawn at Campus Buch.  

At one workshop, for example, participants used precision lasers, normally used to extract single cells from tissues, to inscribe their names onto individual rice grains. And during a lab tour of the Advanced Light Microscopy Platform, visitors gained insight into imaging technologies that researchers use to visualize cellular structures and processes.   

Head of Technical Facility Management Ralph Streckwall gave a tour of our new demonstrator lab, where interdisciplinary research teams will come together to translate our discoveries into innovative therapies – the lab is scheduled to be begin operations in September. And Sustainability Officer Christian Panetzky gave a talk about steps Max Delbrück labs are taking to reduce their environmental impact. And as part additional sustainability efforts, staff were invited to contribute to building a new raised garden bed using repurposed old microscope cases as a frame. 

Honoring our own 

Capping the event were two different awards honoring employees who have shown outstanding effort this year. This first recognized people who work behind the scenes on various projects, but who remain in the background. These “Silent Heroes” are often the backbone of campus operations and deserve recognition, said Dr. Jean-Yves Tano from Friends of the Max Delbrück Center, which sponsored the award that comes with a small cash prize. 

The first place “Silent Hero” award went to Dr. Timkehet Teffera Mekonnen from our events team. “She is the kind of person who shows up every day not to be seen, but to really make a difference. She does it quietly, steadily, with warmth and fun,” said Science Manager Anne Merks, who honored Mekonnen by reading aloud comments from people who supported her nomination. “Timi is that the rock that every team needs, the epitome of above and beyond. Whatever life and circumstance might throw at her, she just takes it and deals with it, calm, collected and with a smile,” wrote another person. 

Jana Richter, Technical Assistant in the lab of Professor Philipp Junker, took second place for always being available to her team to get a job done. “She often says that for her little sheep, she will do anything. And everyone who works with her says that this is true,” said Johanna Berenike Kroll, a PhD student in the Junker lab who nominated Richter. Michaela Herzig, who will be leaving the Max Delbrück Center this year, won 3rd place for her 15 years of service in building the graduate program. “She has been very instrumental in many different projects,” said Tano. “We are really happy to have had her here.”  

This year also featured a “Marvelous Mentor” award. “This award shines a light on something we all know makes a huge difference in science – but is often not recognized enough: great mentorship,” said Dr. Grietje Krabbe from our Strategy Department. The award recognizes people committed to supporting junior staff by offering genuine care, an inclusive environment and encouraging strategic action, she added. Other criteria include adapting mentoring style to individual needs and leading by example. Of the nine nominees, the jury chose Dr. Daria Bunina, Group Leader of the Systems Biology of Cardiovascular Diseases lab, as winner of the award. Bunina and all nominees received certificates, because all of them are equally great, Krabbe said.   

“The first Summer Science Day at the Max Delbrück Center, far exceeded our expectations,” Bodensiek said. “The program was diverse, inspiring, and rich with creativity. Most of all, the lively exchange of ideas and experiences throughout the day was a powerful reminder of the strength and vibrancy of our community.” 

Text: Gunjan Sinha 

Further information 

• Summer Science Day program
• Friends of the Max Delbrück Center

The first VC Day at the Max Delbrück Center brought together our budding entrepreneurs with the CLIC incubator and top venture capital working in Berlin biotechnology for a day of pitching, exchange and networking.

Next-generation CAR T-cell therapies engineered to disrupt tumor microenvironments; deep phenotyping of neurodegenerative diseases to develop new drugs – these were among the spinoff projects pitched by our scientists last week during VC Day.  

Twelve inventors supported by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship team were invited to present their projects in 5-minute pitches to a room of representatives from venture capital (VC) firms and BIH’s new Clinical Incubator (CLIC). The presentations, covering innovations in data science and diagnostics to therapeutics and engineering, were each followed by ten minutes of targeted feedback from the experts. Six VCs participated, including Apollo Health Ventures – a transatlantic early-stage biotech – and bmp Ventures – an early-stage German life sciences VC– in partnership with global shared lab facilities network BioLabs. 

Early venture capital exposure 

VCs are firms that invest in high-potential start-ups in exchange for equity, aiming for a financial return on their investment. Pitching to VCs generally occurs later in the development process, once a start-up has formed and is seeking seed funding.

Unconventionally, VC Day at the Max Delbrück Center gave inventors the unique opportunity to pitch at any stage of development – from early translational research to more advanced spinoff projects. This idea emerged through conversations that Dr. Nevine Shalaby, head of the Max Delbrück Center’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship department, had with VCs in her network. “They told me, ‘Actually we love to listen to projects early in development because that’s when we can give useful feedback to help shape the project from a business perspective,” Shalaby recalls. 

As with any skill, practice improves performance. “We wanted to give our scientists the opportunity to pitch, receive expert feedback, improve, and repeat,” Shalaby adds. Feedback at such an early stage, “encourages scientists to think about how they can develop their translational project with a commercial mindset.” Advice was tailored to each project. VC representatives offered insight on timelines, target markets, and business models – key elements of a solid commercial strategy.

Dr. Klaas Yperman, one of the department’s innovation managers, also participated in the event as the business lead of a neuropathic pain therapy spinoff. Involvement of funders from a project’s earliest stages helps to build trust and long-term relationships that can lead to future investment, he says. “VCs often want to see a project develop over time through multiple interactions before they commit to investing.”  

Informal setting 

The participating inventors and VCs benefited from the small group format. Each pitch received feedback from multiple perspectives, and informal networking during breaks allowed for deeper conversations. “Having a small internal event allowed us to engage directly with the VCs,” says Yperman, “This wouldn’t have been possible in a large, 100-person setting.”  

The benefits of the network created between Max Delbrück Center’s inventors and industry partners extended beyond those present in the room. “Even if your project didn’t fit a particular VC’s portfolio, they might say, ‘I know someone at another firm who could be interested – I’ll introduce you,’” explains Yperman. By showcasing some of the up-and-coming innovation talent from the Max Delbrück Center, the event also helped put the center on the map for Berlin’s biotech funders.

Training Berlin’s next biotech entrepreneurs

“The VCs that I spoke to were very impressed with the quality of the scientists’ pitches,” says Shalaby. Several pitches sparked follow-up discussions.

It’s an exciting time for innovation and translation, she adds. Upcoming activities include a workshop funded by H3 Health to train spinoff founders on how to navigate the regulatory path from lab to market. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the opening of a knowledge hub that will serve as an incubator to support spin-off projects, not only by providing laboratory space, but also entrepreneurship training, networking and venture-building opportunities at Max Delbrück Center’s Campus Buch later this year.

Text: Anita Waltho

Eckert & Ziegler SE (ISIN DE0005659700) has been recognized by the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) for the exceptional quality of its training program for the fourth time in a row. The Berlin-based healthcare company already held the award for “Excellent Training Quality” from 2019 to 2020, from 2021 to 2023 and from 2023 to 2025. In addition to successfully fulfilling all mandatory criteria, Eckert & Ziegler also scored highly in the voluntary and excellence criteria thanks to its long-standing commitment to training.

“Our trainees have the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience in a future-oriented growth area and take on varied tasks that allow them to be creative, contribute their own ideas, and take on responsibility," explains Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler SE. “With a retention rate of around 70%, we also offer young talent real career prospects after completing their training. After all, well-trained specialists are essential for the success of a company.”

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce evaluated the training program at Eckert & Ziegler based on more than 30 including mandatory and excellence criteria. Among others, the framework conditions for trainees and training supervisors as well as the implementation and supervision of the individual training programs were evaluated. Particularly convincing were the individual work schedules of the trainees, which were adapted to the training plans, as well as the measures for team building and maintaining the trainee team across the various training professions. Eckert & Ziegler also scored highly for involving trainees in independent projects at an early stage, thereby enhancing their social skills.

Eckert & Ziegler trains industrial clerks, chemical laboratory assistants, IT specialists for system integration, and mechatronics engineers. There are still places available for the training program starting on September 1, 2026. We look forward to receiving your applications.

About Eckert & Ziegler.
Eckert & Ziegler SE with more than 1.000 employees, is a leading specialist for isotope-related components in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
 

Source: Press Release Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler: Outstanding Training Quality Once Again Awarded

The new suite extends GMP bioconjugate production for intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients from early clinical phase through to late clinical phases and commercial supply.

Biosynth, a leading developer and supplier of critical raw materials and services for life sciences and diagnostics, is pleased to announce the opening of its expanded GMP bioconjugation facility at its existing Berlin site. This strategic expansion significantly enhances Biosynth's specialized manufacturing capabilities in conjugate vaccines and conjugate drugs, activated PEGs, and polymer-based drug delivery excipients as part of its global manufacturing network.  

Thomas Eisele, Chief Operations Officer, stated, "We are thrilled to officially open the new expansion to our bioconjugation facility in Berlin, which represents a significant enhancement to our existing operations. This suite enables the scalable, diverse high-quality conjugation services that our customers need to advance to the next generation of therapies.”

Frank Leenders, General Manager for the Berlin site, commented, "The construction of our new facility, including class D and C cleanrooms, represents a natural evolution of our Berlin operation, in many ways we are growing alongside our customers. The additional refurbishment of our existing facility enhances our GMP manufacturing capabilities, reinforcing our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our customers."

"Conjugation chemistry, advanced polymers and bioconjugation production are critical areas for many of our life science customers,” added Marie Leblanc, Executive Vice President, Life Sciences. “Being able to support projects fully from initial bioconjugate process development to commercial GMP supply enables us to provide specialized conjugation solutions for diagnostics and therapeutics, strengthening our position as a trusted partner in the Life Science industry.”

About Biosynth

Biosynth is a leading supplier of critical raw materials and services for the life sciences industry. With a deep commitment to quality, Biosynth serves pharmaceutical, diagnostics and life sciences research customers through its global network of R&D and production sites. Headquartered in Switzerland, Biosynth partners with customers worldwide to accelerate innovation and ensure reliability at every stage of development and manufacturing. For more information, please visit www.biosynth.com.

Photo: (v.l.) Prof. Dr. Gianfranco Pasut, Universität Padua, Italien; Dr. Sebastian Kopitzki, Production Supervisor, Biosynth GmbH, Berlin; Dr. Severin Fischer, Staatssekretär, Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe, Berlin; Dr. Frank Leenders, General Manager, Biosynth GmbH, Berlin; Dr. Marie Leblanc, Executive Vice President of Life Sciences, Biosynth; Matt Gunnison, Chief Executive Officer, Biosynth (Photo: Pierre Adenis/Biosynth)

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.

For Professor Oliver Daumke, a cell is like an engine room – molecular machines made up of protein building blocks are continuously at work. These protein machines transport nutrients into the cell or help neutralize unwanted invaders among other tasks. It is a precisely choreographed dance of countless miniature processes.

For most of his scientific career, Daumke has been peering into this engine room of life to understand the components of these molecular machines. Using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, he deciphers the identities of the amino acids that make up chains of proteins of interest, and then investigates how these chains fold into 3D machines that are smaller than the wavelength of visible light.

“Like the blade of a pocketknife”

Opening his laptop, Daumke plays a short, animated film showing the choreography of a 3D model of GBP1 – a critical protein for the innate immune response in humans. GBP1 targets bacterial invaders like salmonella, latches onto them, encapsulates them, and disrupts their outer membranes so they can no longer replicate. “We discovered how the GBP1 machine positions itself on bacterial membranes to destroy them,” Daumke says. “Its protein structure changes dramatically when bound to bacteria and begins to form a uniform shell around the pathogen.”

The molecular choreography of GBP1 unfolds on the monitor in front of us, as it would take place in human cells following an infection. Two protein building blocks bind to two energy carrier molecules, called GTP, and connect head-to-head. Other proteins use the energy of GTP to open a molecular lever. “Like the blade of a pocket knife,” notes Daumke. They then combine with thousands of other unfolded GBP1 proteins to form what looks like spokes of a wheel, which in turn stack up with many other wheels to form tubes. These tubes attach themselves to the membrane of the bacterium – and make it permeable. Other, as yet unknown, immune defense molecules can then penetrate the bacterium and render it harmless.

Daumke’s eyes light up, as if seeing the animation for the first time. “That unfolding motion is absolutely spectacular,” he says. Understanding the molecular mechanism behind how GBP1 works fascinates him. While this is basic research, it has clinical implications – it could lead to drugs that boost the immune response to bacterial infections.

Small changes, major diseases ­– and paths toward cures 

At the Max Delbrück Center, Daumke’s team is often pulled into projects that have found a faulty protein that is linked to disease. “Mutations in our genes can impair their function,” he says. “In the worst case, changing a single amino acid can cause a devastating illness.”

For example, when mutations make the dynamin protein overactive, it can lead to centronuclear myopathy ­– a fatal muscle disease. Vital for normal cell function, overactive dynamin disrupts muscle structure. Structure-function analyses help pinpoint which amino acids are responsible for such malfunctions — and how they might be corrected.

Daumke has spent 12 years studying the dynamin family of proteins, which play key roles in endocytosis – a process cells use to ferry substances inside. Partner proteins guide dynamin to the site on the cell membrane where, for example, iron molecules are to be taken up via a process called membrane invagination. Around 40 dynamin units then form a ring- like structure around neck of the invagination site. “Dynamin works like a ratchet, tightening the neck further and further until the invagination can be separated together with the iron molecules and then taken into the cell,” says Daumke. He first determined the structure back in 2011 and then created a comprehensive computer model of the process using his findings in 2021. 

Such structural insights can have direct medical applications. Daumke’s team, for example, modified the structure of an antibody in such a way that it could be injected. The antibody is currently being tested in patients with multiple myeloma ­– a type of incurable bone marrow cancer. “The antibody is still in clinical trials, but in one patient, the cancer has completely disappeared,” Daumke says. The antibody could serve as the basis of a new therapy. 

A life in service of protein machines

Asked what defines him as a scientist, Daumke points to persistence, an obsession with detail, and a willingness to challenge his own knowledge. Those qualities may explain his long-standing fascination with the highly complex science of protein structure and function.

As a student at the University of Cologne, he studied a transporter protein that moves peptides across membranes. For his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, he determined the 3D structure of Rap1GAP, and discovered a completely new mechanism through which the protein switches off a molecular signal in cells. During his postdoc at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge – a cradle of structural biology ­– he unraveled the workings of EHD2, a protein that forms a ring on cellular membranes to help to stabilize pores within the cell.

Daumke joined the Max Delbrück Center in 2007 as head of a junior research group. Since 2013, he has been Senior Group Leader of the Structural Biology of Membrane-Associated Processes lab. He also holds a professorship at Freie Universität Berlin. Today, his team includes 15 researchers.

Seeing the whole cell

Cryo-electron microscopy, which won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has greatly accelerated structural biology research. The technology allows scientists to visualize highly complex proteins and their spatial arrangement. Samples are flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen and imaged from multiple angles with electron beams, producing detailed 3D reconstructions. Daumke’s lab has been using this technology since 2017.

For a long time, structural biologists had been taking the approach of reducing complexity by looking at proteins in isolation using X-ray crystallography. Cryo-EM opened the door to studying proteins in their native cellular environment. Daumke's team also combines the method with light microscopy to tag proteins and locate them inside cells.

“Many proteins are dependent on other cellular partners or membranes to function,” he says. “To understand how these protein machines really work, you have to look at the whole picture.” This approach is known as integrative structural biology. The ability to view an entire cell, also enables scientists to better understand the effects of genetic mutations and address them therapeutically.

AI-powered predictions

The second big change in Daumke’s field is artificial intelligence. Google’s AlphaFold platform has calculated the structure of 200 million proteins in three-dimensional space and made them freely accessible to the scientific community. “This means that it is often no longer necessary to determine structures ourselves,” says Daumke. What can take several years in the laboratory, AlphaFold does in just a few minutes. However, many questions can still only be answered experimentally: how proteins are modified after they are synthesized, for example, how they interact, or how they move.  

But this does not mean that structural biologists are becoming obsolete – quite the opposite. Combining integrative methods with AI is making it possible to answer entirely new questions. The ultimate goal? A full simulation of a cell with all its moving, interlocking parts. "How an entire cell works, in which thousands of protein machines work simultaneously, and how it is all coordinated, is a big question. Many disciplines must come together to solve this,” says Daumke. He wants to make a contribution by using the latest technologies to look even deeper into the engine room of the cell and trace the miniature processes of life – cog by cog.

Text: Mirco Lomoth

Source: Max Delbrück Center
The cellular engineer

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.

Consuming 5 to 10 time more energy per square meter than standard office spaces, biomedical research labs have a substantial carbon footprint. Equipment like −80 degree C freezers use as much energy per year as a small German household, according to a 2023 study published in PLOS. Additionally, bioscience research is responsible for nearly 2% of global plastic waste. 

The Max Delbrück Center is no exception. We produce the equivalent of about 20,000 tons of CO₂ each year – by working here, one is effectively doubling their CO₂ footprint. But under Sustainability Officer Christian Panetzky and his predecessor Dr. Michael Hinz, we have started to implement several measures to reduce our energy consumption. Our goal is to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2038.  

Making our labs greener 

Among these measures is compliance with the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), a sustainability initiative developed by University College London aimed at enhancing laboratory environmental performance. LEAF offers an online platform to guide labs through actions that focus on consuming less energy and water and reducing plastic waste. Laboratories anywhere can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold certifications based on the number and complexity of sustainability actions they implement.  

This year, the first four of our labs attained Bronze: Sander, Poulet, and both Rajewsky labs. “Bronze is about taking small steps to get used to certain practices,” says Dr. Alexis Shih in the Pancreatic Organoid Research and Disease Modeling lab of Professor Maike Sander. The lab for example, and cleaned out its sample inventory and as a result, was able to decommission three refrigerator/freezers. The Poulet lab was also able to reduce its energy use by sharing freezers with other labs. And since 2024, all labs have actually adjusted their ultra-low freezer temperature to -70 degrees C, because they had found that a 10 degree difference did not affect performance.  

“Many of the actions involve looking at what equipment uses a lot of energy and trying to find ways to reduce the impact,” Shih adds. Data storage, for example, also consumes a lot of energy. Shih now tries to backup only data that is absolutely necessary and avoids duplicating files. Many labs have also implemented other sustainability actions tailored to their specific work, such as choosing to purchase sterile pipette tips that are packaged in boxes that can be partially recycled. 

Reducing environmental impact isn’t the only benefit of LEAF. One task on the Bronze certification list, for example, requires labs to do periodic checks of all instruments and reagents to ensure they are adequately calibrated and labeled and that none are expired. Experiments that fail because of avoidable mistakes use a lot of resources, Shih adds, because they must be repeated. “Any researcher would want to ensure the quality and reproducibility of their research. It’ just good science.” 

Tools and changing people’s mindset 

To calculate energy usage and plastic waste, the LEAF platform offers online calculators. But Katrin de la Rosa's team, led by Lisa Spatt and Mikhail Lebedin, have taken the exercise even further. They measured the energy consumption of every device equipped with a standard plug in their lab. To their surprise, they found that the 230V devices alone consume well over 220 kWh per week – the same amount of energy required to fully charge two Teslas. This value does not include the largest energy consumers such as ultra-low temperature freezers and building services equipment. 

In fact, ventilation systems usually account for the largest chunk of a lab’s energy use. That’s because many Max Delbrück Center labs exchange air eight times an hour as part of a safety feature. The certified labs in our more modern facilities, however, can control the air exchange manually, which ensures the highest setting is used only when necessary. This is especially important during weekends, when the labs are largely empty.  

But perhaps the biggest change wrought by the program is in the way that people think. The Poulet lab, for example, uses isoflurane gas to anesthetize research animals. Isoflurane is also a potent greenhouse gas. With some investigation, Dr. Svenja Steinfelder, Lab Manager in the Poulet lab, figured out a way to return excess gas collected in a filter system back to the supplier. It can then be reprocessed into new isoflurane gas. While this measure is not part of LEAF certification, the process of going through the LEAF check list has made her think about all the additional ways the lab can conserve resources, she says.   

“Achieving Bronze does not take a lot of effort,” adds Steinfelder.  “Much of the focus is on raising people’s awareness of our energy usage and to get people thinking about ways to conserve.”   

Expanding LEAF to other labs 

“The Bronze tier is a brilliant way to get our lab teams thinking about the impact of their day-to-day work and where they can optimize – without piling extra work on anyone,” says Panetzky. “Frankly, every one of our labs could hit Bronze with very little effort.” 

By the end of 2026, Panetzky and his team would like at least half of all Max Delbrück Center labs certified Bronze. To achieve that goal, Panetzky’s team will approach labs systematically and encourage them to join LEAF. At the Summer Science Day on July 3, as well as at the quarterly Sustainability Ambassadors meeting, to which each lab and department is requested to send a delegate, results will be showcased. 

Although there are currently no plans to make LEAF compliance mandatory in Germany, labs applying for international grants will quickly notice that funding institutions such as Cancer Research U.K. and the Wellcome Trust among others, now require a green-lab certificate just to submit an application, Panetzky notes.  

Going for Gold 

All labs should of course aspire to Silver or Gold LEAF status, Panetzky says, which are more demanding. Labs are required to implement best practices for using fume hoods and safety cabinets, check the energy efficiency of software code, or cut and reuse consumables even further, among other measures. 

“Getting all labs on board will take real initiative and more time,” he adds. “This is a long-term goal and perhaps we can encourage it by rewarding the extra effort. Letting labs keep a share of any energy and resource savings they generate could be the way to go. Incentives like that turn sustainability into a win-win for science and the budget.” 

Text: Gunjan Sinha 

Further information

• Sustainable Development at the Max Delbrück Center
• Driving sustainable transformation by Christian Panetzky
• Greening the lab
• Interview with former Sustainability Officer Michael Hinz

The European Molecular Biology Organization has elected Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center 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.

Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center and Vice President of Helmholtz Health, has been elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) – one of the largest molecular biology organizations in Europe. She is one of 69 new EMBO Members and Associate Members who have been selected this year for their outstanding achievements in the life sciences.

EMBO members are nominated and elected by existing members. Among other tasks, members guide and support EMBO activities. They evaluate funding applications, serve on EMBO Council and committees, or join the editorial boards of EMBO Press journals. Members also help shape the direction of life science research, support early-career scientists, and strengthen research communities.

“It’s an honor to join the EMBO community, whose members have shaped breakthroughs in the life sciences. I look forward to contributing to the EMBO mission and advancing research that improves human health,” says Sander.

The new members will be formally welcomed at the next EMBO Members’ Meeting in Heidelberg, Germany, on 22-24 October 2025.

Leading the charge against diabetes

Sander’s research has focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern how insulin producing beta cells form and function. Her aim is to develop novel therapies to treat diabetes.

Beta cells are located inside islets, cell clusters in the pancreas that house several different types of hormone-secreting cells. She and her team have developed approaches to grow islet cell organoids from human pluripotent stem cells, which they use to study why beta cells become dysfunctional in diabetes. They modify the organoids to mimic different conditions and use single-cell genomics and other tools to chart the molecular signals that cue cells to produce insulin – and to understand what disrupts this process in disease.

Her lab recently developed an organoid model of stem cell-derived pancreatic islets with integrated vasculature, which more closely resembles the native environment of beta cells in the human body. Further research aims to improve this model even more. By using microfluidic chips to expose organoids to immune cells, she aims to better understand how immune cells destroy beta cells in Type 1 diabetes. Uncovering how beta cells are destroyed in Type 1 diabetes – and why they stop making insulin in Type 2 diabetes – she hopes will lead to better diabetes treatments.

About Maike Sander

Professor Maike Sander is Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center and Vice President of Helmholtz Health. She is an elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Investigation. She is a recipient of the Grodsky Award of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award, and the 2022 Albert Renold Prize by the European Society for the Study of Diabetes.

Further information:

Sander Lab
First vascularized model of stem cell islet cells
Profile of Maike Sander
EMBO press release (with all new 2025 members)
 

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.

In an ageing society, extending health-span will require not only treating illness, but also stopping disease before it starts. Such precision prevention will require a detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular changes that unfold as a person’s health gradually transitions into disease. To gain such insight, researchers must generate and analyze vast molecular and clinical data from both healthy individuals and patients. Advanced AI models will be essential to uncover patterns and mechanisms within these complex data. These insights will drive new tools, diagnostics, and therapies – advancing precision medicine to prevent disease even before symptoms appear. 

The Center for AI-Accelerated Molecular Innovations in Medicine (AI2M) will help turn this vision into reality. Backed by €30.8 million in funding from the Helmholtz Association for construction and equipment, AI2M is set to break ground in 2026. The center will be located at two strategic hubs in Berlin – Mitte and Buch. Construction of the Spatial and Single-cell Biomedicine and AI hub at the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology in Mitte is scheduled to be completed by 2029, with the Human Cell Model and Bioengineering hub in Buch following in 2033.

 “As medicine shifts from reactive to predictive, innovation hubs like AI2M will play a pivotal role in transforming medical care – making earlier, more personalized, and more effective interventions not only possible, but a part of everyday healthcare,” says Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center and Vice President of Helmholtz Health.

Combining technology and expertise

At both hubs, researchers will work in interdisciplinary teams that will include academic medical centers and industry partners. Taking advantage of large population studies that are collecting vast amounts of data from volunteers, AI2M researchers will harness the power of AI to mine these datasets to discover biomarkers that signal disease before clinical symptoms appear, or to develop new targeted therapies. 

Max Delbrück Center scientists are at the forefront of developing the technologies that AI2M will bring to bear in medical innovation. For example, the laboratories of Professor Nikolaus Rajewsky, Dr. Ashley Sanders, and Dr. Fabian Coscia have shown that single-cell and spatial multi-omic approaches can map disease progression with unprecedented resolution. Drs. Jakob Metzger, Mina Gouti, and Sebastian Diecke have pioneered high-throughput, screening platforms that use organoids grown from individual patients’ cells as models — enabling researchers to precisely map disease trajectories and test personalized therapies. 

In Berlin, the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité will serve as key local partners to help accelerate the translation of laboratory-based medical innovations into clinical practice.

“Tackling today’s most pressing scientific challenges demands breaking down disciplinary silos. AI2M will create powerful new links between AI, engineering, biology, and medicine –enabling ideas to move more freely, technologies to converge, and diverse teams to collaborate seamlessly, says Dr. Stan Gorski, Head of Strategic Initiatives at the Max Delbrück Center. “Breakthroughs arise at the intersections.”

Text: Gunjan Sinha

Source: Press Release Max Delbrück Center
Biomedical innovation in Berlin gets €30 million boost

Visiting the Campus Berlin-Buch: Master's students in Biology at Freie Universität Berlin learned about career opportunities and start-ups at the BiotechPark Berlin-Buch on June 11, 2025.

During a tour of the campus with Campus Manager Dr. Ulrich Scheller, they were first given an overview of the closely cooperating research institutions and biotech companies as well as the location of future innovation Berlin-Buch, whose profile focuses on biomedicine and health.

Dr. Uwe Lohmeier, Head of the Berlin BioScience Academy, and Trendelina Rrustemi, Senior Scientist at Alithea Biotechnology GmbH, gave an insight into their career paths at the Career Panel Talk in the BerlinBioCube start-up center building. Dr. Lohmeier explained the development opportunities offered by the Berlin BioScience Academy (BBA).

Trendelin Rrustemi presented her start-up Alithea Biotechnology GmbH. It offers pioneering HLA peptide characterization with innovative immunopeptidomics, highly sensitive mass spectrometry and applied AI.

The students were then given an insight into the start-ups CUTANEON - Skin & Hair Innovations GmbH, Cultimate Foods GmbH and FyoniBio GmbH

The BiotechPark on the Campus Berlin-Buch is one of the leading technology parks in Germany. Buch has been renowned for its clinics and cutting-edge research for around 100 years and is now one of the largest biomedical locations in Germany.

www.campusberlinbuch.de

The Berlin BioScience Academy (BBA), formerly known as "Gläsernes Labor Akademie (GLA)", supports young scientists throughout Germany in their professional orientation and entry into the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

www.glaesernes-labor-akademie.de

At BIO 2025, June 16-19 in Boston, Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH will be showcasing the location of future innovation Berlin-Buch

The BIO International Convention is the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, representing the entire biotechnology scene with 20,000 industry leaders from across the globe.

Meet our Managing Director, Dr. Christina Quensel, in the German Pavilion and find out more about our innovation location. Excellent biomedical research and one of the largest biotech parks in Germany characterize the science and technology campus Berlin-Buch. It is a vibrant ecosystem - from innovations from cutting-edge research to new marketable therapies that find their way into application. Campus Berlin-Buch offers start-ups and companies from the biotech and medtech sectors state-of-the-art laboratory and office space on a gross floor area (GFA) of around 45,000 m². For start-ups, the campus offers attractive, subsidized lab and office space in the BerlinBioCube start-up center. The inspiring life science community on site enables direct exchange and joint projects.

We look forward to discussing with you how we are shaping the future of biotechnology. You will find us at booth number 2865. See you there!

Create the future of medicine in Berlin!

Eckert & Ziegler (ISIN DE0005659700, SDAX) congratulates Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (Telix) on the approval of its prostate cancer PET imaging agent, Illuccix® (kit for the preparation of gallium-68 gozetotide injection) in Germany, where Eckert & Ziegler Radiopharma GmbH is the official distributor.

With Illuccix®, Eckert & Ziegler will now significantly extend its portfolio in nuclear medicine with a widely clinically validated PSMA tracer, which perfectly complements its proprietary ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga Radionuclide Generator, GalliaPharm®. GalliaPharm® is widely used as a high-quality GMP grade generator for Gallium-68 in Germany and globally, supporting the production of radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, particularly in oncology.

"Our collaboration with Telix on Illuccix® leverages our established distribution network and market expertise to ensure broad access to this important PSMA-PET imaging agent in Germany. This partnership reinforces our commitment to delivering advanced diagnostic solutions for prostate cancer care", commented Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler SE.

Raphaël Ortiz, Chief Executive Officer, Telix International added: “We are pleased that Illuccix®, which has played a key role in the advancement of PSMA-PET imaging internationally, has been approved in Germany. We are looking forward to working with Eckert & Ziegler to make our gallium-based PSMA-PET imaging agent accessible here.”

About Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler SE, with more than 1,000 employees, is a leading specialist in isotope-related components for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
 

Source: Press Release Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler: Illuccix® PSMA-PET Imaging Agent Receives Approval in Germany

Data-driven research is crucial for tackling societal challenges. In a collaboration that is so far unique, Berlin's Universities of Excellence, the Max Delbrück Center, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, together with the Zuse Institute Berlin, aim to establish a powerful Data and AI Center.

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB), the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin's Universities of Excellence including Charité – Universitätsmedizin, and the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) recently signed a joint declaration of intent for this purpose. The goal is a flagship project of outstanding importance for the future of Berlin as a research hub. 

The partners aim to create a regionally anchored and internationally competitive infrastructure that enables high-performance, cross-institutional, data-driven cutting-edge research. It will effectively complement the national high-performance infrastructure at the ZIB. The partners agree that complex scientific simulations and the use of artificial intelligence in particular require new, high-performance data infrastructures. Joint planning and use of resources represents a particularly sustainable approach. 

A high-performance data center

As a first step, a new high-performance research Data Center is to be built at the HZB site in Berlin-Adlershof in cooperation with the ZIB. The HZB and ZIB have been engaged in intensive planning for the past year and aim to implement the first phase of the data center as quickly as possible. In the long term, computing capacity is to be expanded to up to 5 megawatts through new construction. 

In the next phase, the partners will jointly explore potential funding models, administrative structures, and usage scenarios. These will be incorporated into a detailed cooperation agreement to ensure long-term, cross-institutional access to and operation of the Data Center. 

Karsten Häcker, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Max Delbrück Center, emphasizes that the Berlin science network BRAIN is a crucial component for the technical implementation. After all, the fiber optic network financed by the Berlin Senate connects all the locations of scientific institutions in Berlin. “We are very much looking forward to working together,” he says. “In this project, we are collaborating even more closely with the ZUSE Institute and, for the first time, with the data center infrastructures of the other institutions.” 

Further information

Data Science and AI at the Max Delbrück Center

BOSTON, Mass., 30 May 2025. Eckert & Ziegler successfully completes the 3rd annual Boston Radionuclide Theranostics Forum, underscoring its continued leadership in the radiopharmaceutical industry. Building upon the success of the previous editions, this year's event gathered around 100 decision makers, renowned experts, key partners, and influential industry leaders to explore the transformative potential of radionuclides in precision oncology.

Held on May 29, 2025, the Forum focused on the central question whether radionuclide theranostics is coming of age discussing its potential and recent successes as a transformative force in precision oncology. Through insightful panel discussions and expert-led presentations, participants examined advancements in radiopharmaceuticals and supply chain questions as well as challenges in clinical development. Another key discussion focused on deal stories in the radiotherapeutic field. The full 2025 agenda is available here.

“The rapid growth and innovation in the radiopharmaceutical market are undeniable,” said Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler SE. “Organizing the third edition of the Boston Radionuclide Theranostics Forum reinforces our commitment to advancing precision oncology. The discussions and collaborations emerging from this platform have the potential to accelerate progress and expand patient access to life-changing therapies.”

The Boston Radionuclide Theranostics Forum is initiated and created by Eckert & Ziegler, sponsored by Solomon Partners, hosted by Morrison Foerster and organized with the support of the German American Business Council of Boston. It has established itself as a premier event on the nuclear medicine calendar. The half-day gathering featured insights from over a dozen international experts representing clinical practice, industry innovation, and cutting-edge research. With engaging dialogue and strategic networking opportunities, the Forum continues to serve as a vital platform for shaping the future of radiotheranostics.

The event was held by invitation only and once again achieved full attendance, reflecting the strong interest and commitment of the global radiopharmaceutical community. The next edition of the Forum is scheduled for May 28, 2026, as Eckert & Ziegler remains dedicated to fostering collaboration and driving innovation in precision oncology worldwide.

About Eckert & Ziegler
Eckert & Ziegler SE, with more than 1,000 employees, is a leading specialist in isotope-related components for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
Contributing to saving lives

Researchers led by Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center, have developed a vascularized organoid model of hormone secreting cells in the pancreas. The advance, published in “Developmental Cell,” promises to improve diabetes research and cell-based therapies.

An international team of researchers led by Max Delbrück Center Scientific Director Professor Maike Sander has for the first time developed an organoid model of human pluripotent stem cell-derived pancreatic islets (SC-islets) with integrated vasculature. Islets are cell clusters in the pancreas that house several different types of hormone-secreting cells, including insulin-producing beta cells. Researchers in the Sander lab at the University of California, San Diego, found that SC-islet organoids with blood vessels contained greater numbers of mature beta cells and secreted more insulin than their non-vascularized counterparts. The vascularized organoids more closely mimicked islet cells found in the body. The study was published in “Developmental Cell.” 

“Our results highlight the importance of a vascular network in supporting pancreatic islet cell function,” says Sander. “This model brings us closer to replicating the natural environment of the pancreas, which is essential for studying diabetes and developing new treatments.”  

Engineering vascularized stem cell islets

SC-islet cell organoids – mini-organs that mirror the insulin producing cell clusters outside the body – are widely used to study diabetes and other pancreatic endocrine diseases. But beta cells in these organoids are typically immature, making them suboptimal models for the in-vivo environment, says Sander. Although several approaches have been developed to promote beta cell maturation, their effects have been modest, she adds. 

To better mimic the in-vivo environment, the researchers added human endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, and fibroblasts, cells that help form connective tissue, to islet organoids grown from stem cells. The team experimented with different cell culture media until they found a cocktail that worked. The cells not only survived, but matured and grew a network of tube-like blood vessels that engulfed and penetrated the SC-islets.  

“Our breakthrough was devising the recipe,” Sander says. “It took five years of experimenting with various conditions, involving a dedicated team of stem cell biologists and bioengineers.” 

Vascularized stem cell islet organoids are more mature  

When the researchers compared vascularized organoids to non-vascularized organoids, they found the former secreted more insulin when exposed to high levels of glucose. “Immature beta cells don’t respond well to glucose. This told us that the vascularized model contained more mature cells,” says Sander.  

The researchers next wanted to explore how specifically vasculature helps organoids to mature. They found two key mechanisms: Endothelial cells and fibroblasts help build the extracellular matrix – a web of proteins and carbohydrates at cell surfaces. The formation of the matrix itself is a cue that signals cells to mature. Secondly, endothelial cells secrete Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), which in turn stimulates beta cells to mature. 

Recognizing that mechanical forces also stimulate insulin secretion, the team then integrated the organoids into microfluidic devices, allowing nutrient medium to be pumped directly through their vascular networks. They found that the proportion of mature beta cells increased even further.  

“We found a gradient,” says Sander. “Non-vascularized organoids had the most immature cells, a greater proportion matured with vascularization, and even more matured by adding nutrient flow through blood vessels. A human cell model of pancreatic islets that closely replicates in-vivo physiology opens up novel avenues for investigating the underlying mechanisms of diabetes,” she adds.  

In a final step, the researchers showed that vascularized SC-islets also secrete more insulin in-vivo. Diabetic mice grafted with non-vascularized SC-islets fared poorly compared to those grafted with vascularized SC-islet cells, with some mice showing no signs of the disease at 19-weeks post-transplant. The research supports other studies that have shown that pre-vascularization improves the function of transplanted SC-islets.   

A better model to study Type 1 diabetes 

Sander now plans to use vascularized SC-islet organoid models to study Type-1 diabetes, which is caused by immune cells attacking and destroying beta cells in the pancreas – in contrast to Type-2 in which the pancreas produces less insulin over time and the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin.  

She and her team at the Max Delbrück Center are growing vascularized organoids from the cells of patients with Type-1 diabetes. They are transferring the organoids onto microfluidic chips and adding patients’ immune cells. “We want to understand how the immune cells destroy beta cells,” Sander explains. “Our approach provides a more realistic model of islet cell function and could help develop better treatments in the future.” 

Text: Gunjan Sinha

Picture: Researchers have devised the right conditions to grow vascularized stem cell islets. The image shows vasculature (red) tightly wrapped around insulin-producing cells (green) in the islets (blue). © Sander lab

Further information 

Sander Lab
Pancreatic Organoid Research and Disease Modeling
The innovator: Profile of Maike Sander 

Literature 

Yesl Jun, Kim Vy, et al. (2025): “Engineered vasculature induces functional maturation of pluripotent stem cell-derived islet organoids.” Developmental Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.04.024

Eckert & Ziegler SE (ISIN DE0005659700) has once again been honored with the “Best Managed Companies Award”. The award, presented by Deloitte Private, UBS, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Federation of German Industries (BDI), recognize excellently managed medium-sized companies throughout Germany. Eckert & Ziegler has now received this coveted award the second time.

The award is the result of a comprehensive, multi-stage application process in which companies are assessed for their excellence in the core areas of strategy, productivity and innovation, culture and commitment as well as finance and governance. A consistently high level of performance in all four categories is a prerequisite for selection. The final decision is made by an independent jury made up of renowned experts from business, science and the media.

“We are proud to once again receive the “Best Managed Companies Award,” says Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler SE. " The award encourages us to continue expanding our leading position as a supplier of isotopes for nuclear medicine and measurement technology. I would like to thank our more than 1,000 employees worldwide who have contributed significantly to this success.”

“Strategic foresight and innovative strength are the key characteristics of a Best Managed Company such as Eckert & Ziegler. The award winners navigate the constantly changing market conditions with foresight, set trends in a dynamic environment, and shape the future with the necessary caution. Eckert & Ziegler demonstrates how companies in their region can make a significant contribution to development and open up new perspectives for the economy and society,” emphasizes Dr. Christine Wolter, Partner and Lead at Deloitte Private.

About Eckert & Ziegler.
Eckert & Ziegler SE with more than 1.000 employees, is a leading specialist for isotope-related components in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
 

Source: Pressemitteilung Eckert & Ziegler SE
Eckert & Ziegler Wins “Best Managed Companies Award” for the Second Time

Researchers in Nikolaus Rajewsky’s lab at Max Delbrück Center combined high-resolution, single-cell spatial technologies to map a tumor’s cellular neighborhoods in 3D and identify potential targets for personalized cancer therapy. They describe their findings in two separate papers in “Cell Systems.”

Understanding not just what cells are present in a tumor, but where they are located and how they interact with other cells around them – their cellular neighborhoods – can provide detailed insights that help doctors determine which treatments or therapies might be most effective for a specific patient.

An international research team led by the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC-BIMSB) combined spatial transcriptomics in 3D and extracellular matrix imagining to gain unprecedented detail about the inner workings of an early-stage lung tumor. The proof-of-concept study was published in “Cell Systems”.

“Tumors are complex ecosystems where tumor cells live in close contact with the surrounding extracellular matrix. They interact with many other cell types,” says Professor Nikolaus Rajewsky, director of the MDC-BIMSB, head of the Systems Biology of Regulatory Elements lab and senior author on both papers. “The data we can obtain now in tumor tissues from a patient are becoming so precise and comprehensive that we can computationally predict the molecular mechanisms which are driving phenotypes. This is new and fundamentally important for making personalized medicine a reality.”

From 2D to 3D

Transcriptomics documents what RNA is being actively expressed in cells, which indicates the activities the cell is engaged in and reveals the cell types present in a sample. Spatial transcriptomics does this but for individual cells to build a 2D map. The team got early access to the CosMx instrument from the company NanoString, which does this at extremely high resolution – 1,000 different RNA molecules can be detected at one time, compared to traditional methods that identify just a handful of molecule types at once. The team analyzed 340,000 individual cells from the lung tumor, identifying 18 cell types.

The 3D analysis was powered by a new computational algorithm, STIM, which aligns datasets to reconstruct 3D virtual tissue blocks. “We realized that spatial transcriptomics datasets can be modeled as images,” says Dr. Nikos Karaiskos, a postdoctoral researcher in the Rajewsky lab and co-corresponding author of the second “Cell Systems” paper describing STIM in detail. Leveraging imaging techniques, STIM marries the fields of computer vision and spatial transcriptomics. The team worked closely with Dr. Stephan Preibisch, a former principal investigator at MDC-BIMSB who is now at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus in the U.S., to bring this collaborative effort to fruition.

They then worked with the Systems Biology Imaging Platform in Mitte to apply a separate imaging technique, called second harmonic generation, to map elastin and collagen in cellular neighborhoods, which in the lung are the main extracellular matrix constituents. Areas with more elastin were healthier, while those with more collagen surrounded the tumor cells, which indicates harmful tissue remodeling.

“So not only do we know what cell types are present, we know how they are grouped with their neighbors, and we could begin to understand how tumor cells rewire non-malignant cells at the tumor surface to support tumor growth,” explains Tancredi Massimo Pentimalli, MD, the first paper author who is pursuing a PhD in the Rajewsky Lab and the Berlin School of Integrative Oncology at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Cells talk

But the analysis did not stop there. The team was able to understand precise phenotypes – for example, if fibroblasts, which form connective tissue, were activated and remodeling the tissue or not. They were also able to listen in on cell-to-cell communication and determine how tumor cells were blocking immune cells from entering the tumor.

“This immune suppression mechanism is well-known and suggests immunotherapy would help,” Pentimalli says. “Immune checkpoint inhibitors would reverse the suppression and then you have this army of immune cells that are already in position ready to attack. It was exciting to see how our approach identified this dynamic and could help direct a personalized immunotherapy plan.”

Notably, these key insights were only possible with data in 3D – in 2D it was impossible to distinguish between the tumor and other immune cells embedded in the tumor surface.

Pathology 2.0

The beauty of this approach is that, while very high-tech, it starts with a routine tissue sample found in any pathology lab. For this study, the group used a tissue sample of a lung tumor that was several years old, preserved with formalin and embedded in paraffin wax – the standard method pathologists use to preserve archival tissues.

“We were able to extract all this wealth of molecular information from one very thin section of a sample that has been sitting around at room temperature for years,” Pentimalli says. “This is pathology 2.0 – not just looking at the cells under a microscope to make a diagnosis, but bringing molecular insight to the clinic.”

Next steps

Now that the proof-of-concept has been established, the team plans to apply the approach to larger datasets. They are currently working on 700 samples from 200 patients and collaborating with Dr. Fabian Coscia, who leads the Spatial Proteomics Lab at Max Delbrück Center, to integrate protein activity into the analysis.

Text: Laura Petersen

Illustration: 

The image shows that the tumor core is surrounded by multiple immune niches in an early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient. Analyses of these multicellular niches using single-cell resolution spatial transcriptomics identified several druggable targets. Inhibition of these targets could have prevented tumor progression in this patient, who instead received conventional chemotherapy and succumbed to the disease one year later. © Rajewsky Lab, Max Delbrück Center

Source: Press Release Max Delbrück Center
Towards understanding tumors in 3D

Top scientists and companies will meet in Berlin-Buch for the 2025 Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference from April 28-30 to discuss RNA drugs, PROTACs, AI in drug discovery, and chemoproteomics and to form new collaborations.

This year, the Max Delbrück Center will host the international Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference (HDDC) in Berlin-Buch from April 28-30. The meeting will feature an exciting list of speakers discussing advances in new kinds of therapeutics such as RNA, both as a drug and a target, and Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) – a promising class of drugs that are more effective than traditional small molecules. The three-day conference will also assemble a panel of experts discussing the application of artificial intelligence to identify novel drug candidates and advances in chemoproteomics – a more accurate and sophisticated method of developing new therapeutics.

The biannual HDDC is organized by the Drug Research Initiative, a consortium of all Helmholtz Centers participating in the Helmholtz Health research area. “The Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference reflects our commitment to accelerating the development of innovative therapeutics that address some of the most pressing health challenges of our time,” says Professor Maike Sander, Vice President of Helmholtz Health and Scientific Director of Max Delbrück Center. “By bringing together leading minds from academia, clinical research, and industry, we are creating a dynamic environment for collaboration that can truly drive medical breakthroughs. I am particularly excited to see how emerging technologies – like AI and chemoproteomics – are shaping the future of drug discovery.”

“The bulk of the talks will focus on RNA strategies,” says Professor Michael Bader, Head of the Molecular Biology of Peptide Hormones lab at the Max Delbrück Center and co-organizer of the conference. “It’s a topic that hasn’t been discussed much in previous meetings but is becoming increasingly important,” he adds.

For example, Professor Thomas Thum, Head of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapy Strategies at Hannover Medical School, will discuss how he has used ultra-thin sections of human cardiac tissue to study miR-21 – a microRNA (miRNA) that regulates inflammatory and fibrotic genes that trigger stiffening of heart muscle tissue. His research team has developed an antisense RNA molecule that acts as a mirror image, binding to the microRNA and switching it off. The molecule can partially reverse the stiffening, making heart tissue more elastic.

Other speakers include doctoral student Isabell Drath from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, who will present research on a new nanoparticle-based nose-to-brain delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) or miRNA to treat Parkinson’s disease. And Professor Michelle Hastings from the University of Michigan Medical School will explain how she and her team have developed splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides – short sequences of nucleic acids that pair to an RNA target and change how it is translated into proteins – to treat Batten disease, a fatal genetic disorder.

Workshop, industry reps to give “Flash Talks”

In addition to scientific talks and discussions, this year’s HDDC will also feature a workshop on the drug screening platform EU-OPENSCREEN, and talks by start-ups and established companies. EU-OPENSCREEN is a non-profit European Research Infrastructure Consortium for chemical biology and early drug discovery, explains Dr. Edgar Specker, Head of Compound Management at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) and a co-organizer of the conference. EU-OPENSCREEN’s central office and compound management laboratory are located on the research campus in Berlin-Buch. It provides open access to cutting-edge compound screening, medicinal chemistry, chemoproteomics, and spatial MS-based omics platforms to researchers around the world.

“We wanted to make this meeting a forum for more than just exchange among scientists,” says Bader, “but also a place where companies and start-ups working in these fields could introduce themselves and form collaborations with other researchers.” During the start-up session on Tuesday afternoon, several companies will present their work including Absea Biotechnology and FyoniBio, which were spun-off by Max Delbrück researchers and are located at Campus Buch. High-Tech Gründerfonds, a public-private venture capital investment firm based in Bonn, will also be participating in the discussions.

Developing novel drugs, getting industry involved

The invited companies are engaged in developing RNA based and other types of therapeutics, including PROTACS – which work differently than traditional small molecule drugs by actively degrading disease-causing proteins rather than simply inhibiting them and are consequently more effective. Chemoproteomics, which combines the study of all proteins in cells with technologies such as mass spectrometry to locate and understand exactly where drugs bind inside cells, will also be discussed by both researchers and companies.

“Previous conferences have consistently served as dynamic platforms for exchange among researchers and industry. HDDC2025 will follow this tradition,” says Bader. “We aim to help companies gather new ideas for commercialization and inspire researchers to spin off companies to transform their research findings into real benefits for patients.”

International Helmholtz Drug Discovery Conference

When?
April 28, 2025, 12:00PM – April 30, 2025, 1:30PM

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

Further information

• Event website with program

Eckert & Ziegler Radiopharma GmbH (EZR), a 100% subsidiary of Eckert & Ziegler SE, today announced the signing of a manufacturing agreement with Pentixapharm, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Under the terms of the agreement, EZR will produce and distribute patient-specific doses of Y90-PentixaTher, Pentixapharm’s lead CXCR4-targeting radiotherapeutic, for use in clinical trials.

Y90-PentixaTher is a radiolabeled peptide therapeutic designed to deliver targeted radiation to cancer cells that overexpress the CXCR4 receptor - commonly found in malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and various solid tumors. Used alongside the radiodiagnostic Ga68-PentixaFor, it supports a theranostic approach that allows physicians to visualize the disease before and after treatment.

As part of the newly signed agreement, EZR will manufacture Y90-PentixaTher under GMP conditions and manage the direct shipment of individual patient doses to trial sites. The agreement is limited to the clinical development phase and does not extend to commercial-scale manufacturing. Pentixapharm retains full strategic flexibility under this agreement to determine its future development and commercial supply.

“With this agreement, we are proud to support the advancement of Pentixapharm’s clinical oncology program,” said Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler SE (EZAG). “Reliable access to high-quality radioisotopes is critical for the development of next-generation radiopharmaceuticals and we are pleased to contribute our manufacturing excellence to accelerate the delivery of innovative cancer therapies.”

"Securing a reliable Y90-PentixaTher GMP production is a significant milestone for Pentixapharm," said Dr. Dirk Pleimes, CEO of Pentixapharm AG. "This agreement marks a critical step in securing reliable clinical supply as we advance our targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies toward late-stage development."​

About Eckert & Ziegler

Eckert & Ziegler SE, with more than 1,000 employees, is a leading specialist in isotope-related components for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy. The company offers a broad range of services and products for the radiopharmaceutical industry, from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution. Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed in the TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse. Contributing to saving lives

About Pentixapharm

Pentixapharm is a clinical-stage biotech company discovering and developing novel targeted radiopharmaceuticals with offices in Berlin and Würzburg, Germany. It is committed to developing ligand-based, first-in-class radiopharmaceuticals with strong differentiation and commercialization potential across high-need diagnostic and therapeutic areas. Its pipeline comprises CXCR4-targeted compounds in clinical development and a portfolio of early-stage radionuclide-antibody conjugates, aimed at treating hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems.

We are excited to continue also in 2025 the Talks in the Cube starting with a further expert discussion focused on International cooperation and Funding programs in Life Sciences on May 15, 2025.

This event will feature four esteemed experts in the field who will share their insights and experiences on the  importance of collaboration across borders and the role of funding in advancing life sciences research. 

With
Kerem Can Akkaya, Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH
Gustavo Reis de Ascencao,  Fraunhofer Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik (IPK), Berlin
Dr. Daniel Schubart, Consultech GmbH, Berlin
Mike Schüßl, Investitionsbank Berlin
Dr. Uwe Lohmeier, Berlin BioScience Academy (BBA), Campus Berlin-Buch GmbHm Berlin (Moderation)

Join us as we explore background, options and challenges when Life Sciences inventions leave national borders.  
Whether you are a seasoned investor, a biotech entrepreneur, or simply interested in the future of biotechnology, this discussion promises to provide valuable perspectives and foster meaningful conversations. The talk will be followed by a networking event where you can socialize over snacks and drinks.
Don’t miss out on this valuable event!

Target audience
Founders & scientists from start-ups, small and medium-sized life science companies and scientific institutions. 

Costs
Participation is free of charge. Registration is requested. 

When: Thursday, 15.05.2025
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Where:
BerlinBioCube (Building D95), Campus Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13125 Berlin 

Further information: 
Uwe Lohmeier per E-Mail: u.lohmeier@campusberlinbuch.de 

Further topics planned for 2025

• IP Strategies in Biotechnology
• CROs in diagnostics and therapeutics development

About "Talk in the Cube"
With the event series "Talk in the Cube", we bring business and science together on the Berlin-Buch campus and connect founders of start-ups or life science companies with scientists, e.g. from the Max Delbrück Center, FMP, Charité and BIH. We invite experts on business topics or trends in the life sciences and highlight aspects such as

• What innovations are there in the start-ups and who is driving them forward?
•  How does the life science business world work and where can synergies with science be created?
• How does the "networked laboratory" work and how do you live "sustainability in the laboratory"?

Picture credits: Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH

International Cooperation and Funding programs in Life Sciences

The Helmholtz Association is pooling its commitment to prevention research with the launch of the Helmholtz Health Prevention Task Force. In a strategy paper published in “Nature Medicine,“ the committee outlines initial concepts for integrating prevention more effectively into medical practice.

As Germany's largest scientific organization, the Helmholtz Association encompasses six health research centers with approximately 10,000 employees. Its researchers develop strategies for early disease detection and risk assessment across various conditions, including infectious diseases, cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. The newly established task force unites experts from all six Helmholtz Health centers and the German National Cohort (NAKO) to advance prevention research.

“By bringing together top experts across disciplines, we can transform prevention into a powerful tool for better health worldwide,” says Professor Matthias Tschöp, CEO at Helmholtz Munich, who helped to initiate the task force as former Helmholtz Health Vice President. “Our goal is to move beyond treatment and fundamentally rethink how we predict, prevent, and mitigate disease before it occurs.”

Closing the gaps in prevention research

Despite its critical role in healthcare, prevention research faces significant challenges. A lack of a long-term, comprehensive strategy and insufficient funding have slowed progress. Additionally, the task force has identified key gaps: Health inequalities (i.e., differences in health among population groups due to social, economic, or geographical conditions) and environmental factors are often overlooked, limiting the effectiveness of preventive measures. Many diseases remain undetected in their early, symptom-free stages due to a lack of awareness and research – such as high blood pressure, which requires intervention before symptoms appear. Existing prevention programs are often inadequately monitored, leading to underutilization of valuable health data.

“Our goal is to make prevention a central pillar of a sustainable healthcare strategy,” says Professor Eleftheria Zeggini, co-chair of the task force and Director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich. “To tackle major health challenges – such as aging, multimorbidity, and the impact of climate change on human health – we must strengthen collaboration among researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers.”

Health solutions that improve lives

Harnessing the power of big data and advanced analytics, the task force will develop new frameworks for prevention strategies. “By integrating advanced technologies such as multi-omics, machine learning, and bioengineering, we aim to uncover personalized health trends and risk factors that enable earlier detection and intervention for common diseases,” explains Professor Maike Sander, current Vice President of Helmholtz Health and Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center. “Through better data connectivity and sharing, we can transform research into predictive, effective, and lasting health solutions that improve lives.”

The experts are also dedicated to aligning their findings with public health strategies and fostering health-promoting environments. “We are committed to developing evidence-based recommendations that align with public health policies and promote healthier environments and behaviors," adds Professor Ute Mons, task force co-chair and division head of Primary Cancer Prevention at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). In addition to chronic diseases, the focus of the task force includes infectious disease prevention – through targeted immunization, preventive therapies for at-risk populations, and a One Health approach to reduce zoonotic risks.

Further information

• Helmholtz Health
• At the helm of Helmholtz Health: Maike Sander
• Perspectives for the medicine of the future

An African and European research consortium receives €1.5 million from the European Union and additional resources from the Swiss government to support the accumulation of knowledge, skills and innovative capacities for drug discovery in sub-Saharan Africa. The associated project “RAFIKI”, which launched in January 2025, will tackle pressing public health challenges and build new avenues for cooperation between African and European researchers.

Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of global infectious diseases, with significant ramifications for the public health and development of the African continent. Although recent years have seen promising progress for drug discovery in Africa, local research
communities still lack sufficient infrastructure to develop tailored solutions for these critical public health needs.

Under the European Union’s Horizon Europe funding scheme, the RAFIKI project – short for “EU-Africa Research Infrastructure Alliance to Foster Infectious Disease research, Knowledge sharing and Innovation” (spelling “rafiki”, Swahili for “friend”) – unites key players from the African
and European drug discovery scenes to bring accelerated and sustainable growth to the sub-Saharan African drug discovery community and connect them with global research networks.

Supporting emerging networks for drug discovery in Africa

RAFIKI will complement the Grand Challenges African Drug Discovery Accelerator (GC ADDA). This first-of-its-kind initiative, coordinated by the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Foundation, supports cutting-edge drug discovery research at institutions across Africa to identify new medicines for infectious diseases. Several members of the GC ADDA network are also partners in RAFIKI, allowing RAFIKI to position its holistic capacity building initiatives around existing collaborations.

Building skills and infrastructure

A central mission of RAFIKI is to offer essential training opportunities to sub-Saharan African drug discovery researchers. This investment in training, particularly for early-career researchers, will be pivotal for fostering a highly skilled research ecosystem across Africa.
Prof. Richard Amewu of the University of Ghana, discussing the urgent need to enhance local capacities, shared that the planned training opportunities “will close the knowledge gap in drug discovery and prepare [young scientists in Africa] for venturing into drug discovery research.”
Planned opportunities will include in-person workshops at regional research hubs, mentorship programmes for early-career scientists, and fellowship visits for researchers to learn new skills from partner laboratories.

From the perspective of the Zambian research arena, Dr Peter Cheuka of the University of Zambia is keen to “give an opportunity to Zambian scientists [through the RAFIKI project] to contribute to finding solutions to diseases that afflict the country and the entire continent.” RAFIKI will also establish a small-molecule library and data repository – an effort spearheaded by partners at the H3D Centre at the University of Cape Town and the University of Ghana.
Jessica Akester, Project Manager at the H3D Centre, emphasised that “developing robust sample and data management systems at partner institutions will ensure sustainable data integrity and foundational infrastructure to accelerate research across the continent.”

Fostering international partnerships

Through its international network of expertise, RAFIKI promises to strengthen global collaborations and drive impactful research. EU-OPENSCREEN, a European Research Infrastructure Consortium and coordinating institution of RAFIKI, brings in its consortium of 36 European institutions to support drug discovery in Africa and globally.
Dr Bahne Stechmann, Deputy Director of EU-OPENSCREEN, is eager to strengthen EU- OPENSCREEN's collaborations with African researchers to advance global drug discovery. “Through this initiative, we aim to demonstrate that research infrastructures can have a transformative impact that extends across continents.”
Dr Susan Winks, Chief Operations Officer at the H3D Foundation and leader of the GC ADDA initiative, is further optimistic that RAFIKI will “strengthen the nascent drug discovery ecosystem in Africa, while building stronger connections with European partners in Global Health.”
Dr Elizabeth Kigondu of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, who will focus on establishing a drug discovery hub in Eastern Africa, also noted the RAFIKI consortium’s chance to “cement and enhance the existing collaborations between some African and European institutions, to find
health solutions that not only impact the African continent but the rest of the world.”
The Director General of KEMRI, Prof. Elijah Songok, is “proud to support Dr. Elizabeth Kigondu in her efforts to establish a drug discovery hub in Eastern Africa,” noting that “this initiative represents a significant step toward building Africa’s capacity to develop medicines and therapies tailored for
our populations.”
By connecting partners internationally, RAFIKI will enable critical discussions with external stakeholders and potential funders, as emphasised by Suze Farrell of the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee: “Combined with infrastructure development and stakeholder engagement, the RAFIKI award will help accelerate the growth of drug discovery in the African continent.”
Alice Neequaye of the Equitable Partnership platform at Medicines for Malaria Venture added: “The challenges faced by infectious disease researchers globally require collaborative efforts, shared expertise, and equitable access to training and infrastructure. By empowering the next
generation of African drug discovery researchers, RAFIKI aims to advance science that benefits everyone.”

The RAFIKI consortium comprises EU-OPENSCREEN, headquartered in Berlin, Germany; the H3D Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa; the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom; the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana; the Kenya Medical
Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya; Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa; the H3D Centre, University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa; the University of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia; and the Medicines for Malaria Venture in Geneva, Switzerland.

How does research actually work? What do data scientists and animal caretakers do? This year, 17 girls visited the Max Delbrück Center for Girls' Day – and five boys took part in Boys' Day.

Half of mathematics students are women, and in her own research group, women are well-represented too. “It still shocks me a bit that we’re still talking about girls and women in computer science or math like it’s something unusual,” says Professor Jana Wolf. As a systems biologist, she and her team model cellular processes at the Max Delbrück Center. She’s passionate about giving students a behind-the-scenes look at her work – and at the many paths that lead into biomedical research. She wants girls to pursue their interests without being discouraged by negative comments. “Whether you end up choosing to study physics, biochemistry, systems biology, computer science, or math – is irrelevant,” she tells the 17 girls, aged 13 to 16, who joined the Girls' Day program in Berlin-Buch and Mitte. “We need experts trained in all of these disciplines!”

Lea Wöllner knows just how crucial that kind of advice can be. She's currently working toward her Master’s degree in molecular medicine in the lab of Dr. Markus Mittnenzweig. Before graduating high school, she was overwhelmed by the array of subjects she could study at the university level. The surprised reactions she received when she became interested in bioinformatics applications in medicine confused her even more. “But it’s actually super cool,” she says.

Coding to help Axolotl Amy

Together with PhD students Aurora Elhazaz Fernandez and Meghan Kane, Lea Wöllner guided three girls aged 13 to 15 on a two-and-a-half-hour expedition into the world of single-cell biology – where data is absolutely essential. The scientists created a story: Axolotl Amy gets injured in a competition and loses an arm – the wound needs to heal, and the limb must regrow.

Step by step, they explained what happens inside the body. The right antibodies need to fend off viruses and bacteria, but at the same time, the immune system should not overreact. Their first coding challenge? Finding the right balance in the body. What types of cells does Amy need for her arm to regenerate? Pia, Marilou, and Fatima learned how to use marker genes to identify and annotate different cell groups. The task was no problem for these three young scientists.

Seven labs host students

The Girls' Day event at the Max Delbrück Center was coordinated by Gender Equality Officer Dr. Christiane Nolte and her deputies Dr. Grietje Krabbe and Dr. Ulrike Ohnesorge. This year, they were supported not only by researchers from the Mittnenzweig group, but also by teams led by Dr. Fabian Coscia, Professor Dominik Müller, Professor Jan Phillip Junker, and Dr. Leif Ludwig, as well as by Dr. Inga Patarcic from Research Data Management and Deborah Schmidt, who heads the Image Data Analysis technology platform. Each team developed interactive activities, and the data scientists gave the girls a glimpse into their everyday work.

At the same time, five boys took part in Boys' Day and visited an animal facility on the Buch campus. They got hands-on experience on adhering to strict hygiene protocols, and heard from animal caretaker Jannis Walter about how to care for mice in a research setting.

In the Mittnenzweig lab, Aurora Elhazaz Fernandez placed a petri dish of zebrafish embryos under the microscope. The fertilized eggs develop rapidly, some even within a single day. “They’re moving!” exclaimed Pia. The 14-year-old is a ninth grader at Heinrich-Hertz-Gymnasium in Friedrichshain, a school that specializes in math and science. The girls asked lots of questions – and Elhazaz Fernandez answered them all. “I’ll be back in three months,” Pia said. After a student exchange in France, she plans to intern in the Junker lab, where she hopes to take a closer look at the zebrafish.

The Max Delbrück Center mourns the loss of Professor Peter M. Schlag (1948–2025). He was a pioneer of cancer research and a passionate physician. Schlag worked as a group leader at our research center for more than two decades.

A trailblazing researcher, dedicated doctor, visionary, and key figure in cancer research and treatment in Berlin – the Max Delbrück Center mourns the loss of its long-standing colleague and research group leader Professor Peter M. Schlag, who passed away on February 28, 2025.

Schlag belonged to the founding generation of the Max Delbrück Center. Born in Bavaria, he studied medicine at the University of Düsseldorf and completed his medical training at the University of Ulm. He later specialized in surgical oncology and also worked in the United States. In 1982, he was appointed a professorship at the University of Heidelberg. Ten years later, in 1992 – the year our research center was established – he moved to Berlin. On the Berlin-Buch campus at the Max Delbrück Center, he led the Surgical Oncology group until 2013.

Together with Professor Ulrike Stein and his lab team, he made a major contribution to cancer research: They identified a new gene (MACC1) that promotes tumor growth and metastasis in colorectal cancer. When the activity of this gene is low, patients have a better prognosis. Based on this discovery, the researchers developed a blood test to assess the likelihood of a tumor metastasizing. They also showed that MACC1 gene activity is linked to patient prognosis in other types of cancer as well.

Founder of the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center

Peter Schlag combined scientific curiosity and pioneering spirit with a deep passion for medicine and patient care. “From bench to bedside” – this principle defined his work: From 1992 to 2008, he also served as Director of the Department of Surgery and Surgical Oncology at the Robert Rössle Clinic, Charité, and from 2001 to 2008 as its Medical Director. Providing the best possible treatment to his patients was always his top priority. In 2008, he founded the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which he led until 2013.

Schlag was ahead of his time in recognizing the potential of computer-assisted surgery. He developed 3D visualization tools for surgical planning and helped shape clinical practice through the introduction of new technologies. He also conducted research on innovative therapeutic approaches such as tumor cell vaccination, hyperthermia and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy – a method that combines surgery with chemotherapy for certain abdominal cancers.

A member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2002, Schlag received numerous awards, including the K. H. Bauer Prize of the German Society for Surgery (1981), the Scientific Award of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (1984), and the Carlo Erba Research Award (1986). In 1999, together with Professor Walter Birchmeier of the Max Delbrück Center, he was honored with the German Cancer Award.

Beyond the lab and the clinic, Schlag also advocated for cancer research and patient care, serving as chair of the Berlin Cancer Society (2005–2015) and founder of the Berlin Cancer Foundation.

Schlag was an outstanding scientist and physician. At the Max Delbrück Center, we remember him as a valued colleague, dedicated mentor, and inspiring role model for clinician scientists. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and all who worked with him.

Max Delbrück Center and Helmholtz Imaging scientists 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.

At first glance, the human body may appear symmetrical. But a closer look might reveal many asymmetries – a crooked smile, or a foot larger than the other. On a microscopic level, our cells too are not uniform, but rather show cell polarity – an asymmetry in their shape, structure or the organization of their cellular components. Studying cell polarity with florescence microscopy can yield clues about health and disease. But turning microscopy data into knowledge has been hampered by the incompatibility of existing tools.

In a study led by Dr. Wolfgang Giese in the Integrative Vascular Biology lab of Professor Holger Gerhardt at the Max Delbrück Center and Jan Philip Albrecht, a computer scientist working with Deborah Schmidt (Image Data Analysis platform) at Helmholtz Imaging, researchers introduce Polarity-JaM – an open-source, freely available and user-friendly tool to analyze cell polarity data from fluorescence microscopy images. The study was published in “Nature Communications.”

“We wanted to create a tool that enables scientists, including those with minimal programming experience, to explore and analyze cell polarity data in a straightforward and reproducible way,” says Giese. “By integrating circular statistics and user-friendly visualization, Polarity-JaM helps researchers uncover patterns in cell behavior that were previously difficult to analyze quantitatively.”

Addressing a challenge in cell image analysis

Researchers study cell polarity to better understand processes such as tissue repair, organ development and immune responses. But despite advances in fluorescence microscopy that have made it easy to capture detailed images of cell polarity, tools to analyze the data remain fragmented, time-consuming, or require specialized coding skills. This makes large-scale, reproducible research nearly impossible. 

Polarity-JaM combines analyses of cell polarity, morphology, and cell-cell contact formation among other features into a single, holistic software package that takes advantage of deep learning.

The tool quantifies and helps to visualize multiple aspects of cell polarity, including the position of Golgi organelles with respect to cell nuclei, cell shape and orientation, and the location of cellular organelles, to name just a few examples. To demonstrate the tool’s capabilities, the researchers showed that they could study how endothelial cells alter their shape, orientation, and signaling responses when exposed to different shear stresses – conditions that mimic blood flow.

Understanding cell polarity can help to explain how the body maintains healthy organs and tissues and what goes wrong in diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and inflammation, says Gerhardt. “The ability of machine learning-based segmentation tools to accurately identify and outline cells within a microscopic image almost as well as a human expert exceeded our expectations,” he adds. “It demonstrates the potential for further automation in biological research and beyond, freeing up scientists to focus on higher-level analysis and discovery.”

An open-source solution

The researchers have made Polarity-JaM documentation and tutorials available at https://polarityjam.readthedocs.io. The site includes a how-to video, ensuring that users can easily learn and apply the tool to their research. In addition, a web-based application hosted at www.polarityjam.com enables researchers to perform circular statistical analyses – which involves analyzing data that is circular in nature such as angles or the orientation of cellular structures in 3D space – and visualize their data without requiring users to install software, making the tool accessible to a broader audience.

“The open-source nature of Polarity-JaM allows researchers, developers, and the wider scientific community to contribute, improve, and expand its capabilities, ensuring continuous development and adaptation to new research challenges,” says Albrecht. The team is now looking to expand the capabilities of PolarityJaM to be able to analyze 3D tissue and organoid models, for example. They also hope to include analyses of other subcellular structures, time lapse imaging and dynamic tracking to study how cell polarity evolves over time, and to add other features as well.

Figure: The image shows how cell polarity changes when endothelial cells are exposed to different shear stress parameters – conditions which mimic blood flow. © Julia Kraxner, Emir Akmeric (Gerhardt Lab), Jan Philipp Albrecht (Helmholtz Imaging)