Research Highlights

Nurse and patient in hospital bed with medical monitors

How can we bring new scientific insights to patients more quickly? At Helmholtz Munich, we work hand in hand with leading clinics across Germany to translate research findings directly and purposefully into new therapeutic approaches — and,…

An AI powered system automating remote patient monitoring by analyzing real time health data and vital signs, futuristic AI-driven healthcare platform

AI-powered foundation models like GPT have evolved from everyday tools for simple tasks to powerful systems capable of revolutionizing industries. Researchers at Helmholtz Munich are harnessing the potential of these models to drive advancements in…

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…

Bennu polycam mosaic obtained before spacecraft arrival

What connects Helmholtz Munich with space research? The globally unique analytical methods developed by Prof. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin not only decipher metabolic processes – such as those involved in environmentally triggered diseases or diabetes –…

Imagine a world where the most intricate networks and processes within whole bodies are visible – down to the level of individual molecules. This is what Ali Ertürk’s pioneering research makes possible, opening up new possibilities for medicine and…

Cell death is indispensable to life, as it ensures the removal of damaged or unnecessary cells. Among the many ways a cell can die, ferroptosis is a unique and regulated form of cell death. This process plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of…

Nanotechnology in Cholesterol Research AdobeStock_822311587

A team at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a new microscopy technique that can distinguish lipid species in living cells – in particular cholesterol and sphingomyelin – and map them without the need for…

EDENT1FI (“European action for the Diagnosis of Early Non-clinical Type 1 diabetes For disease Interception”), a research project led by Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler from Helmholtz Munich and Prof. Chantal Mathieu from the KU Leuven, has reached an…

Numerous genetic studies have identified many risk variants for type 2 diabetes (T2D) – but which genes and proteins are actually involved in the disease mechanisms? An international team led by Helmholtz Munich has now used globally collected…

Healthy gut bacteria concept with natural probiotics for immune support.

Bacteria in the human gut can directly deliver proteins into human cells, actively shaping immune responses. Led by researchers at Helmholtz Munich, with participation from Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU), Aix Marseille University, Inserm, and…

Intricate network of red capillaries, a detailed view of microscopic blood vessels conveying vitality

Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed “fast-RSOM”, a new imaging technology that can capture detailed images of the smallest blood vessels directly through the skin – without the need for…

Big data technology data science analysis

A new artificial intelligence (AI) method called BioPathNet helps researchers systematically search large biological data networks for hidden connections – from gene functions and disease mechanisms to potential therapeutic approaches. BioPathNet was…

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,…

A magnified view of the large intestine's surface, showing its muscular wall and fatty tissue

Abdominal fat is not a uniform tissue. A new study from Helmholtz Munich, Karolinska Institutet and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, published in Cell Metabolism, reveals that fat located close to the large intestine contains an unusually high…

Detailed view of a computer interface used by geneticists showing a complex genome mapping software with colorful DNA strands without displaying any personal identity in a modern research lab

With single-cell technologies, researchers can measure millions of cells in parallel and track how each one responds to specific perturbations – targeted interventions such as drug treatments, changes in gene activity or disease-like conditions.…

Researchers have conducted the most comprehensive analysis to date linking plasma proteins to genetic variation in individuals from continental Africa. Their work addresses a long-standing gap by studying a population grossly underrepresented in…

For the first time, an international analysis has shown that when people with prediabetes bring their blood glucose back into the normal range through lifestyle changes, their risk of heart attack, heart failure, and premature death is cut in half.…

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich uncovered a mechanism that protects nerve cells from premature cell death, known as ferroptosis. The study provides the first molecular…

A new tool developed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Bonn makes spatial proteomics and lipidomics easier to use – no coding required. C-COMPASS allows scientists to profile where proteins and…

Woman's hands checking diabetes and hyperglycemia with digital blood sugar meter.

An elevated blood glucose level one hour after the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) signals a critical metabolic state – even before prediabetes. Affected individuals respond particularly well to lifestyle interventions. This value could become a…

First results of the Primary Oral Insulin Trial (POInT) mark an important step towards the prevention of type 1 diabetes, pointing future efforts to personalized strategies. The group led by researchers from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical…

Children with a family history of type 1 diabetes (T1D) have an increased risk of developing the disease. However, children born to mothers with T1D are less likely to develop the disease than those whose fathers or siblings have T1D. A new study…

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed Nicheformer, the first large-scale foundation model that integrates single-cell analysis with spatial transcriptomics. Trained on more than 110 million cells,…

Oat is an important crop with many health benefits and diverse applications. Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) have decoded the…

Human (animal) cell under microscope. 3d illustration

Fabian Theis and Danish colleagues have found a better understanding of how blood cell differentiation from stem cells happens, and further studies might give us an answer to why some cells turn against us and become a health issue.

Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the Medical University of Vienna have developed an advanced imaging technique called "O2E" that allows clinics to detect cancerous lesions in the esophagus with…

Many people with cancer experience dramatic loss of muscle and fat tissue. In many cases, even the heart muscle is affected, which further weakens the body. This wasting syndrome, known as cachexia, affects around half of all cancer patients. It is a…

Researchers from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich have developed a novel method to track cancer treatment responses in individual cells – without the need for dyes or labels. Their mid-infrared optoacoustic microscopy (MiROM)…

Digital brain interface activated by a man, highlighting the connection between human cognitive abilities and artificial intelligence in a hightech, futuristic environment

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich have developed an artificial intelligence model that can simulate human behavior with remarkable accuracy. The language model, called Centaur, was trained on more than ten million decisions from psychological…

A hexagonal grid of digital connections, representing the global network and data transfer in artificial intelligence. AdobeStock_1334177573

Researchers from more than 50 international institutions have launched Open Problems (https://openproblems.bio) a collaborative open-source platform to benchmark, improve, and run competitions for computational methods in single-cell genomics. Co-led…

Having a dog at home could help to prevent eczema in children who are genetically prone to the condition, a study suggests.

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich have developed a new microscope that significantly improves how bioluminescent signals in living cells can be observed. The system, known as QIScope, is built around a highly…

Drugs that bind to and activate the receptors for the hormones GLP-1 and GIP are effective in the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Surprisingly, active substances are currently being developed that not only activate the GIP receptor (agonists) but…

Angioplasty Procedure: Stent Deployment in a Coronary Artery

A research team from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the TUM University Hospital has developed DeepNeo, an AI-powered algorithm that automates the process of analyzing coronary stents after implantation. The tool…

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…

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability and chronic pain worldwide, affecting an estimated 595 million people globally. Projections suggest that this number will rise to 1 billion by 2050. Despite its profound impact on individuals and…

Research Highlights

Research Highlights

Translation: Where Medical Research Reaches People

How Foundation Models Are Shaping Biomedical Research

Science Through an Artistic Lens

Tracing the First Building Blocks of Life

Ali Ertürk’s Journey in Transformative Biomedical Imaging

Ferroptosis: Controlling Life or Death of Cells

New Research Findings

Lipid Identification: Chemical Fingerprint Instead of Dye

100,000 Participants Screened for Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetes in the EDENT1FI Project

Big Data Make Hidden Genetic Drivers of Type 2 Diabetes Visible

More Than Just Gut Cohabitants: How Gut Bacteria Control Immune Responses

New Imaging Technology Detects Early Signs of Heart Disease Through the Skin

BioPathNet: New AI Uncovers Hidden Patterns in Biomedical Knowledge Graphs

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

Not All Belly Fat Is the Same: Colon-Adjacent Fat Interacts With the Immune System

Pertpy: A Software Toolbox Reveals How Individual Cells Respond to Therapies

Mapping Proteins in African Genomes Reveals New Paths to Fight Type 2 Diabetes

Normalizing Blood Sugar Can Halve Heart Attack Risk

Single Enzyme Failure Found to Drive Neuron Loss in Dementia

C-COMPASS: AI-Based Software Maps Proteins and Lipids Within Cells

One-Hour Blood Glucose Level: A Better Chance to Prevent Diabetes

New Milestone Towards Personalized Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes

Maternal Type 1 Diabetes May Protect Children Through Epigenetic Changes

New Foundation Model Reveals How Cells Are Organized in Tissues

Decoding Oat Diversity for a Climate-Resilient Future

Zooming in Reveals a World of Detail: New Method Unveils the Inner Workings of Our Cells

New Endoscopy Technology Enables Early Detection of Esophageal Cancer

Cancer Cachexia: Liver Identified as Driver of Body Wasting

New Label-Free Imaging Tracks Cancer Treatment in Single Cells

AI That Thinks Like Us – and Could Help Explain How We Think

Open Problems: Cracking Cell Complexity with Collective Intelligence

Pet dogs could combat genetic eczema risk in children

New Microscope Brings Glowing Cells into Focus

GIP Receptor: Activation and Blockade Support Weight Loss

AI-Powered Analysis of Stent Healing

How DNA Self-Organizes in the Early Embryo

Osteoarthritis: Largest Genome-Wide Association Study Uncovers Drug Targets and Therapy Opportunities