Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center Signaling and Translation

Kamyar Hadian and his Team from Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology Honored with m4 Award from BioM.

Dr. Kamyar Hadian and his team from Helmholtz Munich received the prestigious Bavarian m4 Award, a recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of future medicine and two different groundbreaking research efforts at the center.

In Oktober 2023 the Group Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology publishes an Article in Nature Communications:

A New Guardian of Ferroptosis: Farnesoid X Receptor

Understanding ferroptosis is essential for addressing degenerative diseases and certain cancers. Researchers, led by Dr. Kamyar Hadian from Helmholtz Munich, revealed that the Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR), activated by bile acids, serves as a master regulator of ferroptosis, suggesting potential therapeutic avenues for disease treatment.

Aggressive Blood Cancer: Contribution of Enzyme MALT1 Uncovered

A team of researchers from Helmholtz Munich (Prof. Dr. Daniel Krappmann, Director of Signaling and Translation at the Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Center at Helmholtz Munich and Prof. Dr. Michael P. Menden, Principal Investigator at the Institute of Computational Biology at the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich) in cooperation with scientists at the University Hospital Münster (UKM) has uncovered a new pathway that promotes the growth of aggressive blood cancer, so-called lymphomas. Survival of many lymphomas relies on an enzyme that cuts and inactivates other cellular proteins, which is called mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1).

In August 2023 the Group Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology publishes a manuscript in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery reviewing the therapeutic potential of targeting non-apoptotic cell death

In July 2023 the Group Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology publishes an Article in Cell Death Discovery "CellDeathPred: a deep learning framework for ferroptosis and apoptosis prediction based on cell painting"

In June 2023 The Group Signaling and Immunity publishes an Article in Cancer Treatment Reviews "Function and targeting of MALT1 paracaspase in cancer"

Photoshooting at the SAT Kickoff Meeting at our Campus February 2023

On January 1, 2023, the new independent research unit 'Signaling & Translation' (SAT) was established at Helmholtz Munich (Neuherberg campus) under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Daniel Krappmann. As part of the 'Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center' (MTTC), SAT investigates cellular signaling pathways with the goal of translating novel discoveries into effective new therapies.

The research focus of SAT is to investigate molecular mechanisms of cellular signaling in response to environmental stimuli and immune stimulators. The goal is to understand the physiological significance of signaling pathways and to uncover dysfunctions in these processes in the development of disease. With these findings, SAT is developing new therapeutic methods to enable targeted and improved therapies for human diseases. Key areas for clinical translation are the development of new concepts for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. The work of SAT is supported by four research groups (see graphic). To support drug discovery research at Helmholtz Munich, SAT operates the 'Compound Screening Platform' led by Dr. Kamyar Hadian.

In January 2023 The Group Signaling and Immunity publishes manuscript in Frontier in Immunology on the tight crosstalk of TRAF6 and MALT1 in T cells.