Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center

Our goal is to unravel novel biological pathways and molecular mechanisms that control physiological and disease-related cellular processes to identify novel targets and design innovative therapeutic concepts.

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Human cell death , 3D realistic illustration of Healthy Human Cell infected and dying Macro Illustration

Misdirected signaling processes are triggers and accelerators of most human diseases. Only a profound understanding of all biological details is the prerequisite for the development of innovative and highly effective therapeutic approaches to serious and cost-intensive diseases such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, and cancers.
One process that is particularly crucial for health and disease is cell death. If it is possible to specifically trigger cell death in certain diseased cells (e.g. cancer cells), this opens up the possibility of curing cancer and other diseases.

Genetic engineering and gene manipulation concept. Hand is replacing part of a DNA molecule.

Epigenetics investigates which factors determine the activity of individual genes - and thus the development of a cell and also its daughter cells. At the MTTC, the mechanisms underlying transgenerational inheritance due to metabolic or environ-mental influences (e.g. high-fat diet) are studied.
In the area of gene regulation, long non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins are interesting new drug targets. To develop innovative therapeutic concepts, novel approaches combining integrative structural biology with chemical probing are applied to study long non-coding RNAs and large RNA structures as well as protein/RNA interactions in protein-RNA complexes.

White pills spilled on blue wooden background

The huge number of incurable diseases and increasingly frequent epi- and pandemic waves of infection require the constant development of totally new highly innovative therapies. This is made possible by the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of cellular metabolic pathways in health and disease. Advanced structural biology, systematic omics approaches and data integration guide target- and structure-based drug development. The portfolio of therapeutic developments ranges from small molecules to protein or RNA therapeutics, genetically modified cells and viruses, including immunomodulators, therapeutic antibodies, innovative vaccines and cell therapies.

Our experts at Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center

Prof. Dr. Michael Sattler

Head of the Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Centers, Director Structural Biology

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Protzer

Deputy Head of the Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Director Virology

Dr. Marcus Conrad

Director Metabolismus und Zelltod

Prof. Robert Schneider

Director Functional Epigenetics

Prof. Oliver Plettenburg

Director Medicinal Chemistry

Prof. Dr. Pascal Falter-Braun

Director Network Biology

Prof. Stephanie E. Combs

Director Radiation Medicine

Prof. Vigo Heissmeyer

Head of Molecular Immune Regulation

Prof. Horst Zitzelsberger

Head of Radiation Cytogenetics

Prof. Daniel Krappmann

Head of Signaling and Translation

Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, February 16, 2023

On January 1, 2023, the new independent research unit “Signaling & Translation” (SAT) was established at Helmholtz Munich under the leadership of Daniel Krappmann. As part of the “Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center” (MTTC), SAT investigates…

Collage of bright neon circuit lights in direct stream and big data circle

Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, AZS, TOXI, September 30, 2022

Relaunch of our new TOXI Webpage

New Research Findings, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, AMIR, July 25, 2022

Researchers gain a fundamental insight for epitranscriptomics and immune response. The research group around Vigo Heissmeyer and Taku Ito-Kureha of Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München has revealed the essential function of m6A…

Awards & Grants, Environmental Health, LHI, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, MCD, July 22, 2022

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding research of new treatment strategies for preventing tissue ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) as part of the FERROPath consortium. Starting in July 2022, the consortium receives…

Awards & Grants, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, VIRO, July 14, 2022

The EU grant “PerForM-REACT” supports an infrastructure in the greater Munich area for pandemic management and prevention. Helmholtz Munich will receive new equipment for a biosafety level 3 laboratory where researchers can conduct important studies…

2023 Journal of Hepatology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2022.12.013

Oz A, Sacherl J, Frank G, Kerth HA, Thiele F, Wiegand M, Mogler C, Aguilar JC, Knolle PA, Collin N, Kosinska AD*, Protzer U*

Activation of CD4 T cells during prime immunization determines the success of a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine in HBV-carrier mouse models

2023 Nucleic Acids Research https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac1206

Keil P, Wulf A, Kachariya N, Reuscher S, Hühn K, Silbern I, Altmüller J, Keller M, Stehle R, Zarnack K, Sattler M*, Urlaub H*, Sträßer K*

Npl3 functions in mRNP assembly by recruitment of mRNP components to the transcription site and their transfer onto the mRNA

2022 Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05022-3

Mishima, E. ; Ito, J.* ; Wu, Z.* ; Nakamura, T. ; Wahida, A. ; Doll, S. ; Tonnus, W.* ; Nepachalovich, P.* ; Eggenhofer, E.* ; Aldrovandi, M. ; Henkelmann, B. ; Yamada, K.i.* ; Wanninger, J. ; Zilka, O.* ; Sato, E.* ; Feederle, R. ; Hass, D, ; Maida, A. ; Mourao, A. ; Linkermann, A.* ; Geissler, E.K.* ; Nakagawa, K.* ; Abe, T.* ; Fedorova, M.* ; Proneth, B. ; Pratt, D.A.* ; Conrad, M.

A non-canonical vitamin K cycle is a potent ferroptosis suppressor

2022 Nature Biotechnology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01475-z

Kim, D.-K. ; Weller, B. ; Lin, C.-W. ; Sheykhkarimli, D.* ; Knapp, J.J.* ; Dugied, G.* ; Zanzoni, A.* ; Pons, C.* ; Tofaute, M.J. ; Maseko, S.B.* ; Spirohn, K.* ; Laval, F.* ; Lambourne, L.* ; Kishore, N.* ; Rayhan, A.* ; Sauer, M. ; Young, V. ; Halder, H. ; Marin De La Rosa, N.A. ; Pogoutse, O.* ; Strobel, A. ; Schwehn, P. ; Li, R.* ; Rothballer, S.T. ; Altmann, M. ; Cassonnet, P.* ; Coté, A.G.* ; Elorduy Vergara, L. ; Hazelwood, I.* ; Liu, B.B.* ; Nguyen, M.* ; Pandiarajan, R. ; Dohai, B.S.M. ; Rodriguez, P.A. ; Poirson, J.* ; Giuliana, P.* ; Willems, L.* ; Taipale, M.* ; Jacob, Y.* ; Hao, T.* ; Hill, D.E.* ; Brun, C.* ; Twizere, J.C.* ; Krappmann, D. ; Heinig, M. ; Falter, C. ; Aloy, P.* ; Demeret, C.* ; Vidal, M.* ; Calderwood, M.A.* ; Roth, F.B.* ; Falter-Braun, P.

A proteome-scale map of the SARS-CoV-2-human contactome.

2022 Molecular Cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2021.12.031

Biebl, M.M.* ; Delhommel, F. ; Faust, O.* ; Zak, K.M. ; Agam, G.* ; Guo, X.* ; Mühlhofer, M.* ; Dahiya, V.* ; Hillebrand, D.* ; Popowicz, G.M. ; Kampmann, M.* ; Lamb, D.C.* ; Rosenzweig, R.* ; Sattler, M. ; Buchner, J.*

NudC guides client transfer between the Hsp40/70 and Hsp90 chaperone systems.

Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center

Our Research Areas

Cell Death and Immunity

Epigenetics and RNA Regulation

Novel therapeutic concepts

Our Institutes

Structural Biology

Virology

Metabolism and Cell Death

Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology

Medicinal Chemistry

Functional Epigenetics

Network Biology

Molecular Immune Regulation

Radiation Cytogenetics

Radiation Medicine

Signaling & Translation

New Research Unit Signaling & Translation (SAT) established

Institute News September 2022

How Tiny Changes Help T Cells to Survive

FERROPath Consortium: Helmholtz Munich Researchers Receive BMBF Research Funding

Preventing the Next Pandemic: EU Funds Research Infrastructure in the Munich Area

Our Research Groups

Bartzsch Group

Bauer Group

Cabianca Group

Combs Group

Deng Group

Dobiasch Group

Doll Group

Ebert Group

Falter-Braun Group

Göttlicher Group

Groth Group

Hadian Group

Hagn Group

Hansen Group

Heissmeyer Group

Hess Group

Jürjens Group

Kieser Group

Krappmann Group

Mautner Group

Niessing Group

Noessner Group

Peeken Group

Plettenburg Group

Popowicz Group

Proneth Group

Protzer Group

Reif Group

Sattler Group

Schick Group

Schmid Group

Schmoller Group

Schneider

Scialdone Group

Selmansberger Group

Tetko Group

Unger Group

Vicendeau Group

Zeidler Group

Zischka Group

Zitzelsberger

Protein Expression and Purification Facility

X-ray Crystallography Platform

Highlight Publications

Latest publications of MTTC

Contact Director of Operations

Dr. Eva Schlosser

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