People with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and more so with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and MASLD-associated hepatic fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, and cancers. Future research might be beneficial for implementing precision medicine in MASLD.

A recent study by the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research at the CIMH provides the first cellular insights into how psilocin promotes the growth and networking of human nerve cells.

Using a new combination of three sensors and artificial intelligence, researchers at Heidelberg Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital are recognising patterns in babies' movements that show whether their nervous system is developing healthily.

Researchers have developed a new method that enables a more precise analysis of individual tumor cells circulating in the blood. This allows not only the previously possible genomic investigation of such tumor cells, but also the focused analysis of single-cell signaling pathways at the functional protein level. The combined analysis of the mutated genome and signaling proteins opens up new avenues for more targeted treatment methods.

A research team including scientists from Heidelberg University Hospital has gained new insights into HIV-1. Researchers have discovered the mechanism behind an important step in the life cycle of HIV. Working together with teams at Heidelberg and Yale Universities, they found that the enigmatic “spacer peptide 2”, one of the virus components, plays a key role in converting immature HIV-1 particles into infectious particles.

Donating blood saves lives – but what long-term effects does this practice have on our bodies? Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the HI-STEM stem cell institute* and the German Red Cross Blood Donor Service, among others, have now discovered that frequent blood donations cause genetic adaptations in blood stem cells that promote the regeneration of blood cells.

Until now, doctors knew hepatic stellate cells mainly as drivers of liver fibrosis. The actual functions have hardly been studied to date. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center, the Mannheim Medical Faculty and Columbia University have now published that hepatic stellate cells control liver metabolism as well as liver regeneration and size. The results of the study could contribute to new therapeutic approaches for liver diseases.

University of Tübingen research team shortens the search for attackers that can wipe out multiresistant pathogens – with the aim of treating infections without antibiotics

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed a single-cell green microalgae coated with magnetic material. This miniature robot was put to the test: would the microalgae with its magnetic coating be able to swim through narrow spaces and, additionally, in a viscous fluid that mimics those found in the human body? Would the tiny robot be able to fight its way through these difficult conditions?

Sustainable food production: microorganisms produce nutrients in bioreactors - 12/03/2025

CO2 and H2 as starting materials for proteins and vitamins

Agricultural land needed to sustain the world's growing population is becoming increasingly scarce. To help address this challenge, researchers from the Environmental Biotechnology Group at the University of Tübingen have developed an innovative and sustainable power-to-vitamin technology. This breakthrough enables protein- and vitamin-rich foods to be produced with the help of microorganisms in a bioreactor using carbon dioxide and…

The Max Planck Society and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation (DSS) have embarked on a groundbreaking initiative. On March 13, 2025, they signed an agreement through which the foundation will support an innovative approach by the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg to translate basic research findings into practical applications. As part of this endeavour, two new departments of the institute will be established in Heilbronn.

With the goal of creating living cells from non-living components, scientists in the field of synthetic biology work with RNA origami. This tool uses RNA biomolecule to fold new building blocks, making protein synthesis superfluous. In pursuit of the artificial cell, a research team has cleared a crucial hurdle. Using the new RNA origami technique, they succeeded in producing nanotubes that fold into cytoskeleton-like structures.

Researchers have developed a promising cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of glioblastomas: They equipped T cells with a receptor that recognizes a protein of the brain tumors that is responsible for the dangerous stem cell properties. The therapeutic T cells directed against this target structure were able to specifically destroy human brain tumors in laboratory experiments and in mice.