Research

A double-edged sword: Chronic cellular stress promotes liver cancer – but at the same time renders tumors vulnerable to immunotherapy

A key molecular mechanism drives the growth of liver cell cancer while simultaneously suppressing the body’s immune response to the tumor. This has now been published in the journal Nature by a team led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University Hospital of Tübingen, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery […]

AI learns from animals: New approach to improve surgical imaging

Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), and Mannheim University Medical Center (UMM) are presenting a method that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to learn how to transfer medical image data from animals to humans. This “xeno-learning” could help make surgical procedures safer and more precise in the future – without […]

Risk of recurrence in meningiomas: Not only tumor cells, but also their “neighbors” are taken into account in molecular classification.

Scientists at Heidelberg University’s Medical Faculty, the German Cancer Research Center, and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg have shown that the molecular classification of brain tumors using artificial intelligence can be significantly influenced by the microenvironment in the tumor—in particular, the immune cells that have migrated there. Classic tissue assessment by […]

Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary-scale, new study finds

In the largest study of its kind, EMBL scientists reveal that certain microbes can thrive across different ecosystems, contributing to the global spread of antimicrobial resistance Summary In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical […]

Weight Loss in Cancer: Organs Respond to the Disease in a Coordinated Way

Cachexia is a metabolic disorder that causes uncontrolled weight loss and muscle wasting in chronic diseases and cancer. A new study by Helmholtz Munich, in collaboration with the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Heidelberg University Hospital, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), and the German Center for Cardiovascular […]

How cells control inflammatory responses

Inflammation has to work fast against pathogens—but it can’t get out of control. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now deciphered in more detail how the organism masters this balancing act. Their work shows that cells use two different strategies to precisely control inflammatory genes and thus precisely regulate the inflammatory response. […]

Bayer to expand into molecular imaging with acquisition of innovative pan-amyloid radiotracers from Attralus

Bayer bolsters development portfolio by acquisition of two investigational imaging agents (AT-01 and AT-05) from Attralus, Inc. to advance diagnosis for cardiac amyloidosis / PET tracer AT-01 in Phase III and SPECT tracer AT-05 in Phase I of clinical development specifically designed for the diagnosis of cardiac as well as other types of systemic amyloidosis […]

Predicting the Ever-Changing World of Protein Dynamics

In July 2025, a team of researchers from HITS and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) developed a model that learns how to generate proteins with highly flexible structures. A new, complementary deep learning model — Back Bone Flow (BBFlow) — can now predict the dynamics of proteins, providing insights into how they function. Their […]

Cell map unlocks secrets of how reproductive organs form

A new single-cell map reveals how human reproductive organs form and respond to environmental influences New research has mapped the cell types that specialise to form reproductive organs in both sexes, identifying key genes and signals that drive this process. The findings offer important insights into conditions affecting the reproductive organs and how environmental chemicals […]