Neuherberg, 04.05.2012. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) not only causes various infectious diseases in man, it can also induce certain types of cancer. Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the LMU have now identified the molecular components that allow EBV to efficiently establish its genome in infected cells.

Neuherberg, May 3, 2012. In a joint endeavor with the two elite universities in Munich, Helmholtz Zentrum München is establishing the Helmholtz Research School of Radiation Sciences. The Helmholtz Association has allocated EUR 300 000 in funds over a six-year period for the graduate school, which will enroll up to 25 international doctoral students.

Berlin, 27 March 2012. Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Helge Braun today presented the first concrete results achieved by the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) in Berlin.

Neuherberg, 14.03.2012. The Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, which is headed by Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, has discovered that autoimmune antibodies against insulin-producing betacells in the pancreas and the age at which these antibodies emerge depend upon the metabolic profile. This emerged during the evaluation of the BABYDIAB study. This result provides a new starting point for primary prevention and immune therapy in early childhood. The results of the...

Neuherberg, 09.03.2012. Personalized medicine in the field of diabetes is the goal of DIRECT*, a joint initiative of partners from academia and the pharmaceutical industry, including Helmholtz Zentrum München. The project, which is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)*, was officially launched on February 1, 2012. Altogether, 45 million euros have been provided to advance the development of diabetes drugs and therapies. Of this sum, 2.4 million euros have been allocated to...

Neuherberg, 14.02.2012. The incidence of autoantibodies against antigens of the insulin-producing beta cells has a peak between the age of nine months and two years. In turn, children who develop autoantibodies at this early age have a very high risk of developing type 1 diabetes by the age of ten. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich have for the first time shown a concrete link between the incidence of so-called islet autoimmunity* and age. The...

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, 18.01.2012. HIV uses macrophages of the immune system as a hideout, where viral particles can persist without being attacked by antibodies. From these reservoirs, viruses can be directly transferred to non-infected cells. These are the results of a study carried out by scientists from Hamburg and München and published in the renowned Journal of Virology.

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, 12.01.2012. Prof. Carsten Schmidt-Weber has taken up his position as Director of the new Institute for Allergy Research at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, with effect from 1 January 2012. Prior to his appointment, he led the “Allergy and Environment” clinical cooperation group, a joint undertaking between the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He currently holds the chair of Molecular Allergology at the Medical Faculty of TUM. With this latest...