Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells News

Verleihung des Bayerischen Maximiliansordens

Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, this year’s Leibniz Prize winner, has received the Bavarian Maximiliansorden for Science and Art. Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder presented the distinguished state honor to her at the State Chancellery,…

The Helmholtz Munich Talent Forum took place on November 18–19, 2025, at the Helmholtz Munich Conference Center, bringing together eight outstanding early-career scientists from around the world working in the fields of Epigenetics and Nucleic Acids…

Exhibition Stem Cells at Deutsches Museum_For Website

How do the many different cells in the human body emerge from a single stem cell – and what makes each one unique? The Epigenetics Community at Helmholtz Munich explores these questions in a special exhibition at the Deutsches Museum. From 14. to 16.…

Cellular Reprogramming Necklace by Anna Dumitriu photo credit Audrey Rose Mizzi large_QUER

In a world where scientific innovation is increasingly interconnected, the RepliFate-Artist in Residence program seeks to further unite the realms of art and science. Led by Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla at Helmholtz Munich and supported by…

Develop a protocol for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells in the in vitro laboratory _AdobeStock_760802337

Stem cells are transforming the way we think about treating disease, repairing damaged tissues, and even regenerating entire organs. As a cornerstone of regenerative medicine, they offer hope for conditions previously thought untreatable. In their…

The sperm is directed towards the egg. To do human mating. A pre-fertilization model between an egg and a sperm. 3D Rendering

An international research team led by Helmholtz Munich has, for the first time, provided a detailed insight into how the spatial organization of genetic material is established in the cell nucleus of early embryos within the first hours after…

A Powerful Tool for Modeling Early Human Development

A research team led by Dr. Eva Hörmanseder from the Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells (IES) has uncovered crucial factors that limit the success of nuclear reprogramming, a process used to change one type of cell into another. While this…

A team of researchers led by Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla has identified a new factor that plays a crucial role in regulating retrotransposons and genes at the earliest stages of embryonic development. This discovery sheds new light on the moment…

"Transcription-replication conflicts drive R-loop-dependent nucleosome eviction and require DOT1L activity for transcription recovery".

Nucleic Acids Research. 28 February 2025.

Werner M*, Trauner M*, Schauer T., Ummethum H., Márquez-Gómez E.,…

"Epigenome dynamics in early mammalian embryogenesis".

Nature Reviews Genetics. 27 February 2025.

Adam Burton & Maria Elena Torres-Padilla.

Epigenetics Summer Interns 2024 - poster

Epigenetics Summer Internship Call for Applications CLOSED

Development of an embryo - AdobeStock_927855706

Over half of our genomes consists of thousands of remnants of ancient viral DNA, known as transposable elements, which are widespread across the tree of life. Once dismissed as the "dark side" of the genome, researchers at Helmholtz Munich and…

Leibniz-Preisträgerin 2025_© DFG David Ausserhofer Kopie_KI-Erweiterung des Hintergrundes

International Top Scientist from Helmholtz Munich Honored with Germany's Most Prestigious Research Award

The second "Helmholtz Summer School on Chromatin Biology: A Hands-on Expedition", organized by the Helmholtz Munich Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells (IES) and the Institute of Functional Epigenetics (IFE) in collaboration with the life science…

Five prestigious Starting Grants from the European Research Council have been granted to researchers with Helmholtz Munich as the host institution. The funding will enable scientists at Helmholtz Munich to advance innovative projects across various…

A new paper published in Developmental Cell is the result of a collaboration between the Scialdone (Helmholtz Munich) and Srinivas (Oxford) groups. The two teams combined their respective experimental and computational expertise to unravel the…

Helen Pynor Artist in Residence_KI-Erweiterung

Fostering creativity and out-of-the-box thinking – this is one of the key goals of the EU-funded project RepliFate spearheaded by Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla at Helmholtz Munich. The multidisciplinary and intersectoral consortium focuses on…

This multidisciplinary workshop will bring together 15 OUTSTANDING SPEAKERS with the objective of tackling the various dimensions of epigenetic mechanisms in resilience and adaptation, by providing a platform for researchers to exchange knowledge,…

Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla im Interview

Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla about empowering a team and her enthusiasm for epigenetics.

The new findings about DNA replication can serve as a tool to reprogram cells.

The Leopoldina as German National Academy of Sciences provides science-based advice to policymakers and the public, promoting a scientifically enlightened society and responsible application of scientific insights. Prof Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla…

It is commonly known that DNA assembles into heterochromatin, a densely composed structure, thereby preventing access to the information encoded by the DNA and gene expression. Until now it is not completely understood how this structure forms during…

Human embryo on the stage of 16 cells on background with DNA

In the perspective article "In preprints: improving and interrogating embryo models", Antonio Scialdone from the Institute for Epigenetics and Stem Cells, the Institute of Functional Epigenetics, and the Institute of Computational Biology at…

The ability to reprogram cells holds great promises for regenerative medicine. Cells from the embryo at the beginning of life divide and produce all cell types in the body. What can embryos teach us so that we can generate cells ‘à la carte’ to cure…

DNA replication in mouse embryonic stem cells

Replacing sick or damaged cells with healthy cells: this is a major goal of regenerative medicine. One of the most promising approaches is cellular reprogramming, whereby one cell type in our body converts to another cell type. Research carried out…

For the first time, scientists based at Helmholtz Munich and the University of Oxford were able to shed light on one of the most critical stages of human embryonic development (gastrulation). The finding, published in the journal Nature, will…

Cellular competition is a crucial quality control process that ensures that the development of an organism relies on healthy cells. Researchers revealed the secrets underlying cell competition and what features can pre-determine whether a cell will…

Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla and Robert Schneider

After a rigorous peer review process, the board of trustees of Academia Europeae, the pan-European academy of science, humanities and letters, has elected the Stem Cell expert Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla as well as the Epigenetics expert Robert…

Exploring the dynamics of chromatin structure and function across physiological states

The German research foundation DFG funds the collaborative research center ‘Chromatin Dynamics’ (SFB 1064) for four more years. Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität München, Technical University of Munich and the Max Planck…

News & Highlights

Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla Honored With the Maximiliansorden

A Platform for Emerging Talent: The Helmholtz Munich Talent Forum 2025

Exhibition on Cell Identity at the Deutsches Museum

Science Through an Artistic Lens

Interview Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla and Magdalena Götz: The Power of Stem Cells

How DNA Self-Organizes in the Early Embryo

A New Frontier in Human Development Research: Advanced 3D Gastruloid Models Enable Exploration of Early Lineages

Cell Fate Changes: The Role of Transcriptional Memory in Reprogramming

SRF: A New Regulator of Retrotransposons and Genes in Early Embryonic Development

New paper from Stephan Hamperl lab

New Review on Epigenome dynamics

Call for Applications CLOSED

Ancient Viral DNA Shapes Early Embryo Development

Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla Awarded the Leibniz Prize 2025

2nd Helmholtz Summer School on Chromatin Biology - a Great Success

Five ERC Starting Grants for Helmholtz Munich

New paper unravels the molecular mechanisms underlying a key event which lays down the anatomical foundation of the body

Breaking Boundaries Between Art and Sciences

FROM DNA TO PHENOTYPE Workshop. Join us in Jaen!

Empowering Cells’ and Scientists’ Potential for Cell Therapies

Cells of the Future: A Key To Reprogramming Cell Identities

Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla is elected new member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Developmental Heterochromatin Formation Is Accompanied by Changes in Biophysical Properties

The use of embryo models to study development - a perspective

Understanding Embryonic Development

A Speed Limit Could Be a Breakthrough for Stem Cell Therapy

Scientists Open the Black Box of the Milestone Stage of Human Embryonic Development for the First Time

Revealing the Secrets of Cell Competition

The Prestigious Academia Europeae Has Elected Two Helmholtz Munich Researchers as Members

Boost for Epigenetic Research at Helmholtz Zentrum München