The event was opened by Helmholtz Senator and host Stephan Albani, Member of the German Bundestag, as well as Prof. Martin Hrabě de Angelis, Member and Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Helmholtz Munich (acting) and Dr. Michael Frieser, Administrative Managing Director at Helmholtz Munich. They emphasized that successful translation relies on close collaboration between research institutions, clinical partners, and political decision-makers.
Two examples highlighted the potential of translational research:
- Prof. Björn Eskofier, Principal Investigator for Translational Digital Health Group at AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich and Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at LMU University Hospital Munich, demonstrated how artificial intelligence can make large volumes of health data usable – improving the understanding of disease mechanisms and enabling personalized prevention and treatment strategies.
- Prof. Heiko Lickert, Director of the Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR) at Helmholtz Munich and Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), illustrated how new findings in diabetes research are gradually translated into innovative therapeutic approaches – from molecular insights to clinical application.
The presentations underscored that translation is not a single step but a continuous process that connects basic research, preclinical models, data-driven analysis, and clinical implementation.
In the subsequent discussion, participants highlighted the importance of appropriate policy frameworks to accelerate the transfer of research findings into healthcare and enable patients to benefit from innovations sooner.
With its Expert Hour, Helmholtz Munich provides a platform for direct exchange between science and politics – with the shared aim of making scientific breakthroughs impactful and bringing new solutions to the people who need them most.
