Diabetes

Our research at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC) aims to understand the molecular bases underlying all forms of diabetes, its heterogeneity, and risk factors, including obesity, as well as its complications and comorbidities. We combine world-leading basic research with clinical intervention and cohort studies to develop tomorrow’s diabetes precision medicine.

Our research at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC) aims to understand the molecular bases underlying all forms of diabetes, its heterogeneity and risk factors, including obesity, as well as its complications and comorbidities. We combine world-leading basic research with clinical intervention and cohort studies to develop tomorrow’s diabetes precision medicine.

Molecular model of insulin molecule, 3D illustration

We identify risk factors for diabetes in children and adults and its complications. Our world-class basic research enables us to define new biomarker for its development and progression and therapeutic targets.

Institut für Diabetesforschung Studienzentrum

We are leading in early detection and prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as development of innovative personalized therapies to combat diabetes and obesity.

3d rendering of Human cell or Embryonic stem cell microscope background.

We develop new venues for cell-based therapies, to reestablish a health metabolic function. We jointly work to identify the molecular basis of diabetes complications and means for their remission.

Diabetes in Children

Early detection tests for a world without type 1 diabetes

At Helmholtz Munich, scientists are working to ensure that no child will have to suffer from the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes in the future.

Networks

Our partnerships for a world without diabetes

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich are working toward a world without diabetes. They are not doing so alone, but with a network of organizations, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies. Their goal is to use experts’ knowledge to create something new: innovative prevention and treatment of diabetes.

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Metabolism and Longevity

Longevity Treatments Do Not Slow Aging

Three approaches with a reputation for slowing aging processes have proven largely ineffective. For their study, researchers developed a new method to measure aging, which accounts for the complexity of aging in organisms.

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Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Martin Hrabě De Angelis

Member and Spokesperson of the Executive Board (acting), Research Director Helmholtz Munich, Full Professor and Chair of Experimental Genetics Technical University Munich, Director of the Institute of Experimental Genetics Helmholtz Munich

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Prof. Dr. Stephan Herzig

Research Director Helmholtz Munich, Head of Diabetes Department and Head of Research Unit "Diabetes and Complications"

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Prof. Dr. Heiko Lickert

Director, Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research, IDR

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Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler

Institute Director, Chair of Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes, Klinikum rechts der Isar and Technical University of Munich, Director of the Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes (GPPAD)

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Prof. Dr. Timo Müller

Institute Director, Head of Research Unit Molecular Pharmacology, IDO

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Prof. Dr. Michele Solimena

Director of the Institute for Pancreatic Islet Research, IPI

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Prof. Dr. Tor Henrik Semb

Director, Institute of Translational Stem Cell Research, ITS

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PI-/MA-Bilder Matthias Blüher_EH6A7638_Hintergrund freigestellt

Prof. Dr. Matthias Blüher

Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research and Head of Research Group Clinical Obesity Research, HI-MAG

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Henriette Uhlenhaut Porträt freigestellt

Prof. Dr. Nina Henriette Uhlenhaut

Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Endocriology, IDE

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Prof. Dr. Paul Pfluger

Head of Research Unit NeuroBiology of Diabetes, NBD

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Prof. Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld

Director of the Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) Helmholtz Munich at the University Hospital Tübingen

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Prof. Dr. Matthias Hebrok

Director, Institute for Diabetes and Organoid Technology, IDOT

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Dr. Siegfried Ussar

Director of Research Unit Adipocytes and Metabolism, ADM

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Prof. Carolin Daniel

Director of the Institute for Metabolism and Immunology, IMI

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Banner 13. Diabetes Konferenz für Homepage der Konferenz

The 13th Helmholtz Diabetes Conference will be hosted by Stephan Herzig and co-organized by Antje Körner and Raffaele Teperino. This year, a special focus will be put on "Diabetes Across The Lifespan".

To the conference website

Thanks to basic research, groundbreaking innovations against obesity as well as in the field of diabetes prevention and therapy are emerging at Helmholtz Munich.

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For ten years, the Fr1da study, coordinated by Helmholtz Munich, has been investigating whether early stages of type 1 diabetes in children can be detected in routine pediatric care. The latest evaluation shows that the screening program is…

Whole-body 3D reconstructions, AI segmentations and supplementary videos are available via the interactive online atlas at https://discotechnologies.org/MouseMapper/. High-resolution figures and animations are available on request.

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and collaborating institutions have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that maps disease-related changes throughout the entire mouse body at cellular…

With the launch of its first funding period, the M1 – Munich Medicine Alliance is entering its active translation phase in Munich. As part of the “Innovations for Patients” program, the alliance is funding seven research projects with a total of…

Prof. Stephan Herzig has been awarded the 2026 Friedrich Arnold Gries Award by the German Diabetes Association (DDG). The award recognizes his outstanding scientific work on “Molecular characterization and therapeutic exploitation of…

Prof. Michele Solimena received the Paul Langerhans Medal, the highest award of the German Diabetes Society (DDG), on May 15, 2026. The prize recognizes his outstanding lifetime scientific achievements in the field of diabetes research. The…

Screenshot pancreas für research area "type 1 diabetes pathology" (Teresa Rodgriguez-Calvo)

Dr. Teresa Rodriguez-Calvo from Helmholtz Munich has been awarded two prestigious grants from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization. The funding will support two innovative projects at the…

Loft A, Schmidt SF, Caratti G, Stifel U, Havelund J, Sekar R, Kwon Y, Sulaj A, Chow KK, Alfaro AJ, Schwarzmayr T, Rittig N, Svart M, Tsokanos FF, Maida A, Blutke A, Feuchtinger A, Møller N, Blüher M, Nawroth P, Szendrödi J, Færgeman NJ, Zeigerer A, Tuckermann J, Herzig S.

A macrophage-hepatocyte glucocorticoid receptor axis coordinates fasting ketogenesis.

Karlina R, Flexeder C, Stephanie M, Bhattacharyya M, Schneider E, Altun I, Gschwendtner S, Neumann AU, Nano J, Schloter M, Peters A, Schulz H, Schmidt-Weber CB, Standl M, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Alessandrini F, Ussar S.

Differential effects of lung inflammation on insulin resistance in humans and mice.

Karl FM, Winkler C, Ziegler A-G, Laxy M, Achenbach P

Costs of Public Health Screening of Children for Presymptomatic Type 1 Diabetes in Bavaria, Germany.

Xu CS, Pang S, Shtengel G, Müller A, Ritter AT, Hoffman HK, Takemura SY, Lu Z, Pasolli HA, Iyer N, Chung J, Bennett D, Weigel AV, Freeman M, van Engelenburg SB, Walther TC, Farese RV Jr, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Mellman I, Solimena M, Hess HF.

An open-access volume electron microscopy atlas of whole cells and tissues.