Archive Press Releases

  The patients have single short fingers (metacarpals) and toes (metatarsals) and can be restricted in growth due to a shortened skeleton. This hereditary disease is called brachydactyly type E (Greek for short fingers). Three years ago Dr. Philipp G. Maass from the research group of Professor Friedrich C. Luft at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch, has discovered an epigenetic mechanism, which, when dysregulated, causes this condition. Now, together with Dr. Sylvia Bähring (ECRC) he was able to show how this epigenetic regulator functions and influences the development of the skeleton and the extremities. Also, he shed light on a new principle of gene regulation (Journal of Clinical Investigation, doi: 10.1172/JCI65508)*.

To press release

Representatives of the Helmholtz Association and The Research Council (TRC), Oman’s research funding body, signed an agreement in Berlin last night in which they reiterated their plans to build a technology centre in Oman. Research at the new institute will focus on improved oil and gas extraction, water resources technology and renewable energies. Four Helmholtz centres are involved in this cooperation so far: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam ‒ German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

To press release

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) plan to develop a technique that will enable them to detect pediatric brain tumors in cerebrospinal fluid. The biology and extent of the cancers – both decisive factors in determining therapeutic choices – will also be assessed using this method. The James S. McDonnell Foundation will provide funds of almost half a million US dollars to support the project led by Professor Dr. Stefan Pfister.

To press release

Ein neues internationales Forum für den Austausch zwischen experimenteller und theoretischer Forschung auf dem Gebiet radioaktiver Schwermetalle (Aktinide) findet vom 5. bis 7. November 2012 am HZDR statt.

To press release

With the attendance of Germany´s Federal Minister Professor Dr. Annette Schavan and State Minister Theresia Bauer, the official launch of the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) was celebrated today in Heidelberg.

To press release

The research ship POLARSTERN sets off in the early morning hours of 27 October 2012 for an unusual expedition to the Antarctic. This time the ship will not be returning to Bremerhaven as usual at the end of the Antarctic summer, but will be spending the winter in the South Polar Sea for research purposes.

To press release

Is a paradigm shift imminent in the field of implant materials? Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht are engaged in research on biodegradable magnesium biomaterials which can be used as bone replacements in medical applications. They will present their research results from the 1st to 3rd November at the annual congress of the DGBM (German society for Biomaterials) in Hamburg.

To press release

Researchers from Germany and Slovakia have pointed out that the chemical triclosan is one of those particularly harmful substances for the ecological status of rivers that are still not sufficiently monitored. With extensive monitoring conducted in the Elbe river basin that was more comprehensive than standard monitoring procedures, concentrations of the chemical at numerous test sites exceeded the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) for algal communities up to a factor of twelve. From the 500 river basin-specific pollutants investigated, triclosan (normally used as an anti-bacterial agent) ranked sixth as one of the most particularly harmful substances in Europe. It is therefore imperative to include this substance in routine monitoring programmes at the European scale, according to what researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Environmental Institute in Slovakia have written in the journal „Environmental Science Pollution Research“.

To press release

The Dietmar Hopp Foundation will fund the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI-STEM) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) for another five years.

To press release

When polymer filaments flow through microscopic channels, they may buckle and take the form of a spiral. Using a physical model, scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich determined the physical forces that play a decisive role in this process. A better understanding of these tiny systems is important for the development of microfluidic systems, which are used in laboratories to study DNA and other flexible macromolecules. The results have been published in the renowned journal Physical Review Letters.

To press release