International cooperation

How can AI transform scientific research? The Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative brought together a diverse group of experts during its first workshop. In an interview, Max Delbrück Center scientist Dagmar Kainmüller explains foundation models and why interdisciplinary collaboration is important.

Researchers from Mount Sinai, Max Delbrück Center and other international institutions have identified a novel cancer cell state that fuels resistance to therapy in colorectal cancer. The findings, which were published in “Nature Genetics,” reveal a new mechanism and potential drug target.

A group of Berlin researchers in collaboration with international scientists have found differences in heart inflammation caused by COVID-19, anti-COVID-19 vaccination, and non-COVID-19 myocarditis. The find paves the way for more personalized therapies, they report in “Nature Cardiovascular Research.”

Max Delbrück Center is part of two new European Marie Skłodowska-Curie networks that train PhD candidates in academia and industry. The NUCLEAR network will advance knowledge of how metabolism influences cell decisions and cancer, while the UNION network will explore healthy ageing and the immune system.

Doctoral student Philipp Roth went to New York as part of the Max Delbrück Center Exchange Program in Medical Systems Biology. In this interview, he discusses his research collaboration with a lab at NYU and how the exchange benefitted him in ways he could not have imagined.

The Francis Crick Institute in London and the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb officially joined EU-LIFE in January 2025. This broadens the representativeness of EU-LIFE and builds on the open and collaborative spirit that drives the alliance.

Probiotics are good for us, right? International experts – including Sofia Forslund – take on the literature in “Nature Reviews.” They find that more research is needed to determine what exactly makes for a healthy microbiome and if probiotics can restore healthy microbes killed off by antibiotics.

The Emerald program is shaping a new wave of physician-scientists by bridging clinical practice and biomedical research. Recently, fellows from all across Europe met in Berlin. We interviewed the organizers about the highlights and the community’s plans to improve healthcare.

Misha Kudryashev’s lab at the Max Delbrück Center has identified a molecular intermediate of a serotonin receptor that is involved in diseases such as depression and schizophrenia. Published in “The EMBO Journal,” the study points to a potentially new target for therapeutics.

The Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, and the biotech company AlgenScribe from Nice have agreed to cooperate to further develop their gene-editing tools. The aim is to utilize synergies, accelerate research, and ultimately develop cell therapies for genetically determined diseases.