Initiatives

Neuherberg, 27.01.12. Disturbances in the lipid balance of mitochondria* and the related functional impairment of the mitochondrial membrane proteins are possible causes of cardiomyopathy*. This has been demonstrated by a study currently being conducted by scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, it underlines the importance of lipid membranes for energy metabolism.

Neuherberg, January 16, 2012. The activity of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in brain cells of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders may be increased by treatment with antipsychotic medication. Scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München show in the current issue of PLoS ONE that drugs such as valproic acid may influence HERV expression likely by inducing epigenetic alterations.

Neuherberg, September 10, 2010. Scientists of the Institute of Structural Biology of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München have succeeded in elucidating the structure of an important region of the Sam68 protein. The renowned Journal of Biological Chemistry has selected the report of these research findings as one of two “papers of the week” for its September 10, 2010 issue and has chosen the structural model as cover image. Using NMR spectroscopy, Professor Michael...

Neuherberg, July 21, 2010. A research team led by Dr. Heiko Lickert of Helmholtz Zentrum München has pinpointed a gene that is essential for the physiologically correct disassembly of cilia. Errors in the regulation of cilia assembly are implicated in a variety of human syndromes. Until now, however, the consequences of faulty cilia disassembly have not yet been elucidated. The findings are reported in the current issue of the prestigious journal Developmental Cell. Scientists led by Dr. Heiko...

Neuherberg, July 07, 2010. An international consortium of scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University of Toronto has identified previously unknown potential disease genes in humans and mice. Genes on the X chromosome, which regulate embryonic development, are the focus of the current publication in the renowned journal Genome Research. Men have only one X chromosome, and therefore mutations on this chromosome disproportionately affect males, frequently leading to serious diseases...

Neuherberg, February 9, 2010. In a computational model, systems biologists led by Fabian Theis of Helmholtz Zentrum München have succeeded in simulating gene expression in the region of the mid- and hindbrain boundary (MHB) of the neural tube in the murine embryo. This represents a further step forward in understanding the time-course and spatial pattern of brain development on the systems level. As the authors of the study noted, the mathematical model could also be used to gain information...

Munich, January 11, 2010. An international team of doctors and human geneticists has identified a new genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. The institutions involved in the study were the Institute of Human Genetics of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Technische Universität München, the Neurological Clinic of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) and the Mitochondrial Research Group of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. “Our study reveals the interaction of genetic and...

Munich, 22.October 2009 – Fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a recently recognized condition, which is actually one of the most prevalent heritable neurodegenerative diseases. It is assumed that the condition is caused by deficiency for the protein Pur-alpha, which is essential for normal neural function. Structural studies undertaken by a team under the leadership of Dr. Dierk Niessing of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Gene Center at Ludwigs-Maximilians-University (LMU) have...

Neuherberg / Munich, October 20, 2009. Scientists of the Department of Gene Vectors at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now shown how a special viral gene regulates the life cycle of B cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The viral protein is a candidate target structure for cancer therapy. (PLoS Pathogens)*Researchers of the Department of Gene Vectors of Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered a new role of the gene EBNA-3A in EBV-associated malignant diseases. “In a genome-wide...

Neuherberg, October 19, 2009. A team of stem cell researchers led by Professor Magdalena Götz of Helmholtz Zentrum München has discovered a molecular factor which influences how the cerebral cortex modulates its structure and function in different areas and layers. The scientists investigated the effect of the transcription factor AP2gamma on the maturation of progenitor cells to neurons during embryonic development of mice. Their results showed that AP2gamma is absolutely essential for the...

Neuherberg, July 15, 2009. The research team led by Dr. Timm Schroeder, stem cell researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum München, has developed a new bioimaging method for observing the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) at the single-cell level. With this method the researchers were able to prove for the first time that not only cell-intrinsic mechanisms, but also external environmental factors such as growth factors can control HPC lineage choice directly. The findings,...

Neuherberg, June 24, 2009. Scientists of the German Mouse Clinic at Helmholtz Zentrum München have made a major contribution to understanding human language development. Using a comprehensive screening method, they studied a mouse model carrying a “humanized version” of a key gene associated with human language. In the brains of the mice the researchers found alterations which may be closely linked to speech and language development. Their analyses comprise part of an international study led...

Neuherberg, April 18, 2009. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have developed a new mouse model that can be associated with deafness. With this model they succeeded for the first time in showing that microRNA, a new class of genes, influences hearing loss. The respective microRNA seed region influences the production of sensory hair cells in the inner ear, both in the mouse and in humans. The findings have been published ahead of print in the current online issue of Nature Genetics. This...

Neuherberg, (April, 1st, 2009). A team of scientists led by Dr. Timm Schroeder of Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen has proved the existence of hemogenic endothelial cells. The findings answer the question – unsolved until now – of how blood cells are generated during embryonic development and will enable scientists in the future to produce blood cells in the laboratory in a more target-specific manner. These new insights represent an important contribution to future clinical therapeutic approaches....

Neuherberg, March 22, 2009. An international science consortium led by Dr. Arne Pfeufer of Helmholtz Zentrum München has identified common gene variants in the human genome which influence the electrical activity of the heart muscle in humans and thus can be linked to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Building on these findings, the Helmholtz scientists and their clinical partners want to obtain further insights into the pathogenesic mechanisms of the disease and gain...