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Dear Reader,
On June 12, we presented the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies to the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research had commissioned the BIH in fall of 2022 to coordinate and oversee the development of such a strategy with the involvement of relevant stakeholders. The strategy aims to give patients access to gene and cell therapies and strengthen Germany as a location for research, production and accelerated approval of these therapies. You can learn more in this month’s newsletter.
This newsletter edition also highlights the success of our exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists,” which is garnering a great deal of international attention. The exhibition tour – which has already included stops in Prague, Tokyo and Budapest – is organized in collaboration with Goethe-Institut branches and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Further stops are planned in London and other partner cities of Berlin. In addition, we keep you up-to-date on the latest findings by BIH researchers as well as the awards they have recently received. Happy reading!
Your BIH Board of Directors, Christopher Baum and Michael Frieser
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On June 12, 2024, the BIH officially handed over the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies to Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP). Some 150 experts from various stakeholder groups drew up the paper and developed a road map for improving healthcare and strengthening Germany as a hub for gene and cell therapies. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) had commissioned the BIH to coordinate and oversee the drafting of the strategy. Some 250 stakeholders from science, business, politics and society from across Germany attended the handover event at the Futurium in Berlin. Read the press release and view the photo galleryDownload National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapy (in German)
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The course of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections depends not only on how aggressive the virus is, but also on the immune response of the infected individual. Using single-cell analyses, a group of researchers led by Samantha Praktiknjo of the BIH, Markus Landthaler of the Max Delbrück Center and Jakob Trimpert of Freie Universität Berlin identified two distinct patterns that are typical for moderate and severe disease courses, respectively. The scientists were able to track over time what happens in molecular biology from the onset of infection to organ damage. The key players at the cellular level are neutrophils (immune cells) and endothelial cells (blood vessel lining cells), as the group writes in Cell Reports. Read the press releaseRead the publication
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Scientists from the BIH around Ludovic Vallier and Open Targets together with colleagues from the University of Cambridge, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK, uncovered mechanisms driving regeneration of the liver during chronic liver disease. This regenerative process allows the liver to repair itself when chronically injured but could also result in progression toward cancer. The researchers were able to demonstrate this first by performing single-cell analyses on many biopsies obtained from patients with progressive Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). The results obtained in vivo were validated using cultured organoids in the laboratory. The scientists have now published their results in the journal Nature. Read the press releaseRead the publication
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When bone fractures occur, there is a 10 to 15 percent chance that the fracture will not heal properly despite state-of-the-art surgical care. This complication, called pseudarthrosis, can often only be treated with several complicated follow-up surgeries. A study by scientists from the BIH, in collaboration with colleagues from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and Charité, has now shown for the first time that fracture healing can be improved by an increased activation of beta-adrenergic receptors in the membrane around the bone, the periosteum. Several BIH research groups were involved in the research, which was made possible in part by funding from the Clinician Scientist Program and the Junior Clinician Scientist Program as well as through collaboration with the Julius Wolff Institute for Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Regeneration, the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) and the BIH Core Unit Bioinformatics. The trauma surgery researchers have now published their findings in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Read moreRead the publication
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The BIH's Strategic Research Program 2023-2027 was published at the beginning of June 2024. With the Strategic Research Program we pursue three interconnected and collaborative Research Objectives: (1) responsible translational methodologies, (2) computational and functional precision medicine, (3) advanced regenerative therapies. The Research Objectives are driven by the BIH’s Research Groups and rely on support from the BIH’s translational Platforms and Programs. In summary, we see translation as successful if it has an impact in these four areas: (1) Accelerated Translation to Patient Care, (2) Open Access and Use, (3) Open Innovation, (4) Entrepreneurship. The strategy process was coordinated by the BIH Business Division Strategic Science Management and developed in a participatory process by the BIH Faculty.
Read more To the download of the strategy
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The exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” is garnering international attention as it travels to Berlin’s partner cities. The exhibition tour – which has already included stops in Prague, Tokyo and Budapest – is organized in collaboration with Goethe-Institut branches and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The traveling exhibition is a continuation of the project “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists,” which was launched under the auspices of Science Year 2021 as a cooperation between the Berlin Senate Chancellery and the BIH.
Read more
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Sylvia Thun
Professor Sylvia Thun, Director of the Core Unit Digital Medicine and Interoperability at the BIH, has been elected to the International Academy of Health Science Informatics (IAHSI) following her nomination. The Academy through its members can advise governmental and non-governmental organizations about the contribution of informatics professionals and the importance of informatics-based knowledge and provide problem solving strategies. Fellowship in the Academy is honorific, prestigious, and indicative of substantial achievements, with international impact, in the area of biomedical and health informatics. Congratulations!
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Sophie Van Linthout
Sophie Van Linthout, BIH Professor for Translational Immunocardiology, has recently been elected Coordinator of the Basic Science Section on the Heart Failure Association (HFA) Board 2024-2026. She is looking forward in promoting interaction between clinical and basic scientists within the HFA community, increasing the visibility of basic/translational research to address unmet medical needs, assisting in the innovative training of the next generation of heart failure scientists, and raising awareness of the need of sex-specific translational research. Congratulations!
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News From the Lab Stem Cell Dynamiks & Mitochondrial Genomics
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Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for Stephania Contreras-Castillo
Dr. Stephania Contreras-Castillo, post doc in the Lab Stem Cell Dynamics & Mitochondrial Genomics of Dr. Dr. Leif S. Ludwig has been awarded with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship this year. This Fellowship is a program from the European Commission aimed at postdoctoral researchers to help with the transition towards independence. Dr. Contreras-Castillo completed her PhD in Cancer Genetics at King’s College London and spent three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bordeaux. Starting in December 2024, she will be funded for two years. Her project will explore the effects of chemotherapy on the blood of young cancer survivors using advanced single-cell sequencing technologies. Our heartfelt congratulations!
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News From the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy
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Recruitment of New Clinician Scientists Completed
In a two-stage selection process of the Call 2024_I, a total of 16 new fellows were selected for the BIH Charité (Junior) (Digital) Clinician Scientist Program. In total, seven candidates were qualified the BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program (CSP). For the first time, two grants from the CSP are being funded by the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ). In addition, seven candidates were accepted for the BIH Charité Junior Clinician Scientist Program (JCSP). Two candidates were included in the Digital Clinician Scientist Program (DCSP). A pleasing number of women were admitted to all three programs (57 % for the CSP and JCSP and 50 % for the DCSP). The new fellows are expected to start their fellowships on September 1, 2024. Welcome aboard to all of them!
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Clinician Scientist Receives Basic-Clinical Translational Research Award
The German Society for Endocrinology annually awards the Basic-Clinical Translational Research Award to recognize outstanding collaboration in translational projects between young basic scientists and clinical researchers. This year, Dr. Lisa Ruck, Fellow of the BIH Charité Junior Clinician Scientist Program and medical resident in the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at CVK, and Dr. Lara Lechner, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Institute for Experimental Pediatric Endocrinology, were honored with the award. The prize money of 20.000€ serves as seed funding for innovative projects, thereby expanding the methodological possibilities for the young researchers. Congratulations!
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News From Charité BIH Innovation (CBI)
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Captain T Cell, a former SPARK-BIH project, raised 8.5 million € in a seed round. The Max Delbrück Center spin-off seeks to develop off-the-shelf treatments for solid tumors by generating enhanced TCR-T cells. The funds will support the progression of their lead candidate to the clinics as well as to establish further their proprietary TCR-ALLO platform.
Read more
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News From Team Campus Development & Infrastructure
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Café Rahel Opened in the Rahel Hirsch Center
Café Rahel has been open in the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine (RHC) on Campus Charité Mitte since June 10, 2024. From 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., visitors can enjoy a selection of vegan food and drinks in the RHC foyer or in the outdoor area from Monday to Friday. The café is operated by Charité CFM Facility Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. We cordially invite you to drop by!
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Project "BIH NetWork” Launched
In order to master the challenges of the new hybrid working world, the “BIH NetWork” project was launched, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (Fraunhofer IAO). The project started with two workshops at the beginning of June 2024. The project examines the options and possibilities for developing a stronger, cross-location culture and identity at the BIH.
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News From the BIH QUEST Center
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The BIH Digital Health Accelerator held its 7th Demo Day on May 28, 2024, highlighting nine new Charité/BIH teams whose digital health solutions address real-life medical needs. The capstone event of the accelerator calendar, the BIH DHA Demo Day showcased the result of their intense product development work to an audience of more than 400 in-person and online attendees.
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All BIH events are noted in our event calender. If you would like to receive a regular overview of upcoming BIH Events, please register here. Many thanks.
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Scientists and clinicians at all career levels at Charité, including the BIH, are invited to apply for the SPARK-BIH program with their translational projects in the fields of therapies and preventives (small molecules, biologics, ATMPs, gene and cell therapy, drug repurposing), medical devices and diagnostics in all medical fields. The funding consists of financing, mentoring, coaching and further training and extends over a period of 12-24 months. Project proposals can be submitted until July 8, 2024 (14:00 CET). SPARK-BIH is part of Charité BIH Innovation (CBI), the joint technology transfer of Charité and BIH. More details about the call
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