Dear Readers,

Multiple myeloma is one of the most common forms of cancer of the immune cells in the bone marrow. It is considered incurable. Even when patients respond to treatment at first, the cancer comes back. To be able to intervene faster and on a more targeted basis, researchers at Charité, the BI), and the Max Delbrück Center teamed up with other partners for a comprehensive study of this disease at the molecular level. The team now describes how highly aggressive types of tumors can be detected early on in an article published in the journal Nature Cancer. They show how changes in genetic material affect the protein profile of the tumor cells, and thus the mechanisms involved in the disease.

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On June, 21, 2024, Charité, together with Bayer AG, presented plans for the construction of the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies. The project is being substantially financed and supported by Germany’s Federal Government as well as the State of Berlin. The aim of the joint project is to bring these groundbreaking technologies to patients more quickly while creating a leading biotech ecosystem for innovative therapies in Berlin. As an essential component of the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies, which was coordinated and overseen by the BIH, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is supporting the establishment of the Center with around 80 million euro.

Read the joint press release of Charité and Bayer

The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) has elected Professor Claudia Langenberg of the BIH, and of the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) at Queen Mary University of London, as a new member. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, EMBO supports talented researchers at all stages of their careers. EMBO Membership recognizes leading life scientists for their outstanding achievements. Our heartfelt congratulations!

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Watch the video portrait with Claudia Langenberg 

Immunotherapies harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer by influencing the interaction between immune cells and cancer cells. Such treatments have proved successful in combating certain types of cancers like leukemia, but they remain ineffective in some patients and cause resistance. A research group led by Professor Simon Haas, which is part of the joint research focus “Single-Cell Approaches for Personalized Medicine” of the BIH, the Max Delbrück Center, and Charité, has developed methods to analyze how immune cells and cancer cells interact. The researchers now want to translate the approach into a clinical tool that can accurately predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapies and which will not. Haas and his team have today received a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) worth €150,000. Congratulations!

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The BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program is being strategically expanded with a focus on the two topics of "digital translation" and "internationalisation": Thanks to the successful acquisition of third-party funding by the Stiftung Charité, the existing program will be enriched on the one hand by four specific positions for the implementation of digital components in everyday clinical and practical work as well as for AI-supported evaluations and for XR application. On the other hand, 20 internationalisation grants of 5,000 euros each have been acquired aiming at intensifying collaborations between fellows and international experts.

Read the joint press release of Charité, Stiftung Charité and BIH (in German)

The co-innovation program launched in March 2024 by Charité, BIH and Enterprise Singapore (ESG) to promote joint research and transfer projects between researchers and clinicians from Charité/BIH and start-ups from Singapore is now entering its second phase. Out of a total of ten applications, seven projects were able to qualify, including Acumen, QuantumTx, Articares, BioCheetah, Credo, Restalyst and Auristone. With the support of selected experts from Charité, the start-ups will develop a complete proposal by September 30, 2024 to qualify for funding from the ESG.

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About the start-ups

On June 26, 2024, UniWearables UG, supported by Charité BIH Innovation (CBI) and Charité/BIH, was awarded 2nd place in the "Science & Startups" prize of Berliner Sparkasse for its continuous patient monitoring on normal wards. In contrast to the status quo, in which vital data is recorded once per shift by nursing staff, continuous monitoring can make a significant contribution to recognizing developments at an early stage and thus avoiding complications and even death. The automated recording and storage of data in the patient file also reduces the burden on nursing staff, who can concentrate more on their core tasks. Congratulations!

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The Goal of Jonas Kath’s and Dimitrios Laurin Wagner’s SPARK-BIH project is to develop a virus-free platform technology for the generation of novel improved and cost-effective CAR-therapeutics that are suitable for autologous and/or allogenic use. The technology has been recently published in the magazine Blood and now received the “Paper of the Quarter” award by the German Society for Gene Therapies. SPARK-BIH and Charité BIH Innovation congratulate the team for their achievements and wishes continuous success in the implementation of their research to the clinic.

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More about the award (in German only)

Professor Alessandro Prigione (University Hospital Düsseldorf) and Professor Markus Schülke (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin) have now been awarded the 16th Eva Luise Köhler Research Prize for Rare Diseases for their groundbreaking work on maternally inherited Leigh disease (MILS), a previously untreatable rare and severe mitochondrial disease in children. The scientists identified in their project supported by SPARK-BIH a class of drugs that showed significant improvements in the treatment of patients classified as incurable. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved this treatment for MILS therapy under Orphan Drug Designation (ODD). A Europe-wide multicentre study for further clinical testing of the active substance is due to begin shortly. Our heartfelt congratulations!

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More on the website of the Eva Luise and Horst Köhler Foundation

On the occasion of the pilot project on genome sequencing, which began on April 1, 2024, the Working Group Gene Technology Report published a brochure on genomic data in May 2024 in cooperation with the German Human Genome-Phenome Archive GHGA. In the publication “In Focus: Genomic Data. A current stocktaking of the Working Group Gene Technology Report”, the possibilities of personal genome sequencing and its benefits for medical treatment and research into rare diseases and cancers are discussed, as well as important ethical and legal issues arising from the use of genomic data. On June 27, 2024, the publication was accompanied by the public event “Genomdaten: Ihre Bedeutung für die moderne Medizinforschung und Diagnostik”. The event was recorded, the video recording (in German) will soon be available on the website of the Working Group Gene Technology Report.

To the brochure

Since 1965, the Nobel Foundation has organized internationally renowned symposia dedicated exclusively to topics that represent significant scientific achievements and breakthroughs. The 195th Nobel Symposium took place on June 10 and 11, 2024 in Stockholm. The focus was on presenting groundbreaking developments and latest findings in spatial omics to characterize tissues and organs for cell-based basic and translational research. This year, Dr. Naveed Ishaque, group leader at the BIH Center of Digital Health, was one of the select few invited to this prestigious event to present and discuss his research findings among the most distinguished scientists in the field such as George Church, Fabian Theis and Sarah Teichmann. Congratulations!

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After six years, an international BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Symposium was once again held in Berlin on 20/21 June 2024, attracting around 170 participants to the "Villa Elisabeth" (Berlin Mitte). The aim of the symposium was to promote scientific exchange between the program participants as well as interdisciplinary networking and to establish and expand international cooperations. (Digital) Clinician Scientists had the opportunity to invite internationally renowned physicians and scientists as speakers giving them the chance to discuss their project with leading figures from their own field of research. Please click here for the follow-up report (in German) and the photo gallery of the symposium.

As a "satellite event" to the International Clinician Scientist Symposium, this year's award ceremony took place on the evening of 20 June 2024 in the "Villa Elisabeth". Since the last certificate ceremony in autumn 2023, around 50 fellows had completed their BIH Charité (Junior) (Digital) Clinician Scientist Program and the 300th alumnus (of all funding lines; including Junior Programs) was symbolically honored. We were delighted to celebrate our new alumni and wish them all the best for their future careers! Click here for the post-event report (in German) and the photo gallery of the award ceremony.

"The Long Night is far too short, you would need two nights to see everything you want," said one visitor at the longest night of the year on June 22, 2024. The joint teams from the BIH, Charité and the privileged partner Max Delbrück Center once again inspired young and old with fascinating insights into the world of research. Many thanks to all those involved! You can find a review of the BIH events here (in German only).

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.

As part of the funding guidelines of the National Strategy for Gene and Cell-Based Therapies (GCT), public and state-recognized German universities can apply for individual or collaborative projects for translational projects focused on product and/or process development of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches in the field of GCT. Non-university research institutions and private companies can participate as cooperation partners. Projects can be funded up to 90% with funds provided to the BIH at Charité by the BMBF for the development and implementation of the National GCT Strategy. A prerequisite for project funding outside Berlin is that the institution to be funded or the respective state of residence is willing to provide 10% of the funding. For institutions located within the state of Berlin, the funding of 10% is covered by the BIH funding from the state of Berlin. The funding regulations for companies are specified in the funding guidelines.

The funding includes financing, mentoring, coaching, and training based on the SPARK concept over 12-24 months. Project proposals must be submitted by August 27, 2024, 1:00 PM CET. You can find the call for proposals here.

For questions and comments, please contact: Email: Translation-GCT@dlr.de, Phone: +49 228 3821-1052.