Research Highlights

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…

The largest repository of human biosamples in Germany is located at the Helmholtz Munich campus. It features cutting-edge robotics and stores a valuable scientific collection at extremely low temperatures of up to -180°C. Researchers use these…

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)…

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…

A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has developed an advanced delivery system that transports gene-editing tools based on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system into living cells with significantly greater…

Even in the case of uncomplicated infections, the body prepares itself early on for the possibility of a more severe course. A research team from Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich has now uncovered this mechanism. The scientists…

A new study by Helmholtz Munich and LMU shows how pathogens control changes in their cell surface to evade the immune system.

Ethics of AI in Healthcare: The use of AI in healthcare requires ethical guidelines to address bias, ensure transparency, and maintain patient trust in medical practices. AdobeStock_1055051906

A landmark consensus paper introducing the FUTURE-AI framework for trustworthy AI in healthcare has been published by a collaboration of leading institutions, in which Helmholtz Munich is also involved. This important work sets a new standard for…

Brain illustration depicting addiction with clouds of junk food floating in a clear sky

Study shows: The brain plays a central role in the development of obesity.

The number of obese persons has grown significantly in recent decades, which presents significant difficulties for those who are impacted, healthcare systems, and those who…

Proliferative Astrocytes in the white matter of the murine brain.

A research team led by Dr. Judith Fischer-Sternjak from Helmholtz Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, alongside Prof. Magdalena Götz from Helmholtz Munich, LMU and the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), has…

A new platform, Adiposetissue.org, is set to enhance obesity and metabolism research by centralizing and simplifying access to adipose tissue data. Developed by researchers from Helmholtz Munich, Karolinska Institutet and Steno Diabetes Center…

Studying bacterial communities, or microbiomes, is a complex challenge. Distortion effects often arise, potentially compromising the accuracy and reliability of crucial scientific and clinical findings. Researchers at the Institute of Environmental…

Bauchspeicheldrüse einer erwachsenen Maus nach chronischem Intervallfasten

A recent study reveals that age plays a significant role in the outcomes of intermittent fasting. Researchers from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and LMU Hospital Munich discovered that chronic intermittent fasting…

Our bodies are made up of around 37 trillion cells. But what function does each individual cell perform and how greatly do a healthy person’s cells differ from those of someone with a disease? To draw conclusions, enormous quantities of data must be…

Artistic representation of stages of human embryonic development emphasizing cell division differentiation organ formation - AdobeStock_917188904

Thanks to a new technology called Moscot (“Multi-Omics Single-Cell Optimal Transport”), researchers can now observe millions of cells simultaneously as they develop into a new organ—for example, a pancreas. This groundbreaking method was developed by…

Research Highlights

Research Highlights

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

Germany’s Largest Biorepository

New Research Findings

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

Engineering Smart Delivery for Gene Editors

New Findings on T Cells: The Body Prepares Early for Mild to Severe Disease

Antigenic Variation: Decoding the Mechanism Controlling Antigen Activation in Trypanosomes

International Experts Establish FUTURE-AI Guidelines for Trustworthy Healthcare AI

Obesity Starts in the Brain

New Study Identifies Unique White Matter Astrocytes with Regenerative Potential

New Knowledge Portal Adiposetissue.org Enhances Obesity and Metabolism Research with Centralized Data

Microbiome: Researchers Improve Bacterial Analysis for Clinical Applications

Intermittent Fasting Could Be Unsafe for Teenagers

A key to analyzing millions of individual cells

AI in Cell Research: Moscot Reveals Cell Dynamics in Unprecedented Detail