Press releases
News and views on research at the Helmholtz Association - this is the place to look for all the press releases issued by the Helmholtz Association Research Centres. A comfortable search function helps you to view specific news items from the Helmholtz Research Centres in chronological order. Older press releases since 2003 can be found in our archive or on the website of the relevant Helmholtz Research Centre.
At present only a selection of press releases is available in English - switch to the German version with the topmost navigation bar for a complete overview.
13 May 2013, German Cancer Research Centre
A group of anticancer drugs known as HDAC inhibitors has shown effectiveness in preclinical trials against neuroblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer in children. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital have now found out that the drugs slow down tumor cell growth by promoting production of a cancer-inhibiting RNA molecule in tumor cells.
13 May 2013, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch
Mice that exercise in running wheels exhibit increased neurogenesis in the brain. Crucial to this process is serotonin signaling. These are the findings of a study by Dr. Friederike Klempin, Daniel Beis and Dr. Natalia Alenina from the research group led by Professor Michael Bader at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) Berlin-Buch. Surprisingly, mice lacking brain serotonin due to a genetic mutation exhibited normal baseline neurogenesis. However, in these serotonin-deficient mice, activity-induced proliferation was impaired, and wheel running did not induce increased generation of new neurons. (Journal of Neuroscience, Doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5855-12.2013)*.
10 May 2013, German Cancer Research Centre
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) discovered a previously unknown switch controlling how much of a protein a cell produces. The hairpin-shaped structure lies in the messenger RNA – the copy of a gene serving as a template for protein synthesis. As soon the hairpin is forming, various cellular components bind to and degrade the messenger RNA. This is to prevent producing too much of a harmful protein. The researchers headed by Georg Stoecklin published their results in the journal “Cell”.
08 May 2013, German Cancer Research Centre
Molecular biologist Dr. Maria Rohm pursues research on fat decomposition in the human body. Now she has won two prestigious awards at once for her research: the Novartis Young Endocrinologist Award, worth €10,000, of the German Society of Endocrinology (DGE), and the €7,500 sponsorship award of the German Diabetes Association (DDG), donated by Sanofi-Aventis Germany. Maria Rohm works as a scientist at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), where she is studying the molecular foundations of a disrupted lipid metabolism.
08 May 2013, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Getting to grips with a hammer, soldering iron or the computer: this year's Girls and Technology Day gave secondary school girls a taste of what awaits trainees in the areas of technology and IT. The girls who performed most competently during the day will be invited to come back to Jülich for work placements in the autumn.
