If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible.

Scientists at the University of Stuttgart have succeeded in controlling the structure and function of biological membranes with the help of "DNA origami". The system they developed may facilitate the transportation of large therapeutic loads into cells. This opens up a new way for the targeted administration of medication and other therapeutic interventions.

A new family of protein-based antagonists has been created by researchers that efficiently block the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR), which is essential for the development of leukaemia and other inflammatory illnesses. This groundbreaking work paves the way for targeted therapies that could revolutionise treatment options for patients suffering from these conditions.

A research team from Freiburg and Frankfurt has discovered how cells recognise and internally break down waste. The results are relevant for the development of therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Tumor cells circulating in the blood are the "germ cells" of breast cancer metastases. They are rare and could not be propagated in the culture dish until now, which made research into therapy resistance difficult. A team from the DKFZ, the Heidelberg Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM and the NCT Heidelberg has now succeeded for the first time in cultivating stable tumor organoids directly from blood samples of breast cancer patients.

Antibodies can improve the rehabilitation of people with acute spinal cord injury. Researchers at 13 clinics in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Spain have investigated this with promising results. For the first time, it was possible to identify patient groups that displayed a clinically relevant treatment effect. A follow-up study will start in December 2024.

Up to now, schizophrenia has mainly been treated symptomatically, as little is known about the exact underlying processes. Researchers at the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute in Reutlingen have succeeded in gaining a better understanding of the driving mechanisms of the disease. This offers opportunities for the development of new drugs. They have published their findings in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Prize 2025 goes to Prof. Dr Robert Zeiser for his outstanding research in haematology and immunology. Zeiser’s research at the University of Freiburg and the Medical Center – University of Freiburg have led, among other things, to new types of cancer therapy that has increased survival rates and the patients’ quality of life.

Researchers at the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and the Heidelberg University Hospital have used modified rabies viruses to label glioblastoma tumour cells and their direct cell contacts in the mouse brain. The new method showed that the tumour cells are connected to different types of nerve cells throughout the entire brain at a very early stage of the disease.

The NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement. This partnership combines the expertise of both institutions in the fields of production and characterization of materials for biological systems and energy storage as well as the application of statistical methods in medicine.

Cell division, cell differentiation, cell repair and cell death play fundamental roles in the human organism, its development, health and reproduction. Cellular transformation processes are governed by two regulatory mechanisms: chromatin modifications and cell signaling networks. The EpiSignal Research Training Group sheds light on the hitherto little-researched interplay between these two complex systems.

Researchers at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg and the University’s CIBSS Cluster of Excellence discover how mitochondria not only produce energy but also influence inflammation.