Prestigious visitors to Helmholtz Centers are nothing unusual. Queens and kings, princes and princesses, presidents and chancellors have all signed our guest books. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited two Centers within the space of a month, despite having to simultaneously practice international crisis diplomacy. In early August, he visited CISPA – Helmholtz Center for Information Security as part of his inaugural visit to Saarland. And in early September, he is expected to attend the official inauguration of JUPITER, Europe’s fastest supercomputer at the Jülich Research Center. For us, these visits are a clear sign: that future-oriented topics like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and supercomputing are also a top priority for politicians.

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BARB and the recently published paper are centered on the forward-looking idea of using radioactive ion beams (RIBs) for simultaneous treatment and imaging. This approach could significantly reduce what is known as range uncertainty – one of the greatest challenges in particle therapy. Though the idea was initially proposed almost 50 years ago at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, it has only now become feasible, thanks to the intense beams that can be produced during the “FAIR Phase 0” experimental operation at GSI/FAIR. The study demonstrates for the first time the concept’s feasibility and tremendous potential under realistic conditions.

As Marco Durante explains: “Particle therapy is growing rapidly and is possibly the most effective and precise radiation therapy technique available today. However, its application is still limited by technical constraints such as inadequate image guidance. The new idea of using the same beam for treatment and imaging during treatment could pave the way for even more precise and diversified applications. Improving accuracy is key to expanding the applicability of particle therapy.” This could also pave the way for better treatment of metastases or tumors near critical structures and small targets in non-cancerous diseases, such as ventricular ablations for cardiac arrhythmias.

The last experiments in the BARB project were completed in May and the outcomes are now being published in further high-impact scientific journals. The experience gained at BARB is also highly relevant to Marco Durante’s new endeavor, “Heavy Ion FLASH (HI-FLASH)”. For this project, the researcher recently received another of the European Research Council’s prestigious ERC Advanced Grants.

New approaches to tumor therapy: Key publication from ERC project BARB on radioactive ion beams published in Nature Physics

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Lake on the 79°N Glacier is splitting the ice – leaving permanent changes
In a new study, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute investigated how – due to global warming – a 21-square-km meltwater lake formed and developed on the surface of the 79°N Glacier. They found that, over the years, this lake has caused gigantic cracks and the outflowing water is now lifting the glacier. Read more

Fighting infections with the power of the microbiome
A balanced gut microbiome not only contributes to digestion, but is also an important protective factor against infections. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) led by Till Strowig, scientist in the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), want to harness the power of the microbiome to prevent serious infections. Read more

Image: HZDR

Magali Toussaint is a biologist and specialist in preclinical brain-tumor imaging at the Leipzig branch of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf.

The most thrilling part of my job is how varied the work is. As a biologist working on preclinical imaging tools for glioma, my work covers everything from designing in vitro-based models to doing in vivo imaging and assessing potential treatments. I also greatly value the collaboration with clinicians, chemists and physicists. The real challenge is to find solutions that address our shared goal – improving patients’ lives – while ensuring that the specific demands of each discipline help to reach that aim, rather than standing in our way.

If time and funding weren’t a concern, I’d love to create a collaborative platform to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo glioma models. The idea would be to develop clearly defined, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models for different glioma subtypes, alongside matching organoids. For each model, we would systematically provide MRI, PET, and histological data openly available to the research community. By building on great initiatives like the EuroPDX consortium and NIH programs, this platform could offer standardized, high-quality data to help accelerate glioma research and the development of better treatments.

If I could study again, I would like to go for sociology. I would love to have dinner with people like Ghada Hatem-Gantzer, whose dedication and initiative have a direct and lasting impact on people’s lives. She founded “La Maison des Femmes”, and I admire her tenacity. I would love to hear how her project came about, what challenges she faces, and explore with her how medical and social science can work together to create meaningful change.

Gravitational waves are waves in the fabric of space-time – triggered by collisions of extremely dense objects such as black holes and neutron stars – and we’ve only been able to measure them directly for less than ten years. This advance has opened a new window onto the cosmos. In addition to electromagnetic waves ranging from radio to gamma radiation and neutrinos, gravitational wave astronomy now also allows us to look into the universe itself.

Europe is now on the verge of the next big step: the Einstein Telescope (ET), a future observatory that will measure gravitational waves with unprecedented sensitivity. Built deep underground, shielded from interference, and equipped with state-of-the-art precision interferometry with arm lengths of at least 10 kilometers, it will allow us to see further and deeper into space than ever before. The ET will explore the formation and evolution of black holes and neutron stars, enable the rigorous testing of general relativity, be able to investigate dark matter and dark energy in new ways – and reach back nearly to the Big Bang.

But the ET is more than an observatory. The project is driving innovations in laser, cryogenic and vacuum technologies, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. It is providing impetus far beyond science and is a powerful symbol of international cooperation. Over 1,400 researchers from all over the world, mainly from Europe, are involved in the ET collaboration – which also means that Europe has an opportunity to take the lead in science and technology here. Germany plays a key role in this. With the GEO600 detector at the Albert Einstein Institute in Hanover, it laid important technological foundations for the project early on. Today, more than 200 researchers in Germany are contributing their expertise to the ET – in areas ranging from quantum optics, detector development, and theory to geophysics and data management.

The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) has now placed a preparatory project for the ET on its short list for future research infrastructures. The aim is to clarify open questions regarding the observatory’s location, technical implementation, costs and governance in the coming years. Helmholtz will be an essential player in this regard. DESY and KIT, two Helmholtz Centers with extensive experience in large research infrastructures, are involved. In addition, with the support of DESY, the new German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) is being established in Görlitz as a national research center to strengthen gravitational wave research in the long term.

It is still unclear where the ET will be built. The options currently on the table are the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, which combines parts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany; Lusatia in the German state of Saxony; and the Mediterranean island Sardinia. All locations are currently being thoroughly investigated, particularly with regard to geological conditions and costs. Reliable results will be available by the end of 2026, at which point a decision will be made. For Germany, this means keeping both options open with direct German participation and actively engaging in the European decision-making process.

The Einstein Telescope is an investment in the future: in our knowledge of the universe, in technological sovereignty, and in Europe’s leading position in research. It will open doors to previously unknown territories where surprising discoveries are sure to be made. Germany should now boldly lead the way – and help to open this new window into the universe even wider.

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Published by: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Str.2, 10178 Berlin

Editors: Sebastian Grote, Franziska Roeder, Martin Trinkaus
Questions to the editors should be sent to monthly@helmholtz.de

Photo credit: Phil Dera (Editorial)

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