Dear Readers,

A new collaborative study by researchers from the BIH, Queen Mary University of London, University College London, University of Cambridge and the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) shows that proteins measured in a single drop of blood can predict risk for a variety of diseases. The research results of the study lead by Professor Claudia Langenberg, head of the BIH research group Computational Medicine were published in July 2024 in Nature Medicine and show that protein ‘signatures’, combinantions of a small number of 5-20 proteins, predict the risk of 67 different diseases. 

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HIV researcher Professor Christian Gaebler, head of a lab at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine at Charité and the BIH, has a goal: to develop treatments that cure HIV infection in patients or prompt the immune system to keep the virus in check in the long term, even without medications. To that end, Gaebler plans to conduct a detailed study of patients who are already living without medication. His research project has now persuaded the European Research Council (ERC), which has awarded him about 1.5 million euros in funding under an ERC Starting Grant. Congratulations!

Read the press release of Charité

Professor Rogier Versteeg can continue his research in Berlin for another two years. Since 2019, he has been an Einstein Visiting Fellow at the BIH, where he is dedicated to cancer research. During this funding period, the Professor of Genetics at the University of Amsterdam, together with Einstein Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research Angelika Eggert, is investigating the causes of relapses in neuroblastoma, the third most common cancer in children. Neuroblastoma often returns, even after previous medical treatment. One reason for this could be phenotypic plasticity, i.e. the high adaptability of cells to their environment. In the search for a promising combination of drugs, the current project pools resources at Charité, BIH, Max Delbrück Center and the University of Amsterdam. The experts are investigating rare preserved tumor cells that have survived the temporary absence of the disease.

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Interview by Stiftung Charité with Rogier Versteeg and Angelika Eggert (2019)

Dr. Lucie Loyal, postdoc in the research group Regenerative Immunology and Aging at the at the Center of Immunomics, has been awarded this year's Işıl Berat Barlan (IBB) Award in the “Women Scholars in Immunology” category. The Işıl Berat Barlan Awards were established by the Turkish Society of Immunology (TSI). The society presents this award annually in memory of Professor Işıl Berat Barlan, a distinguished physician-scientist and educator who made invaluable contributions to the fields of Allergy and Immunology in Turkey and internationally. The IBB Award is presented to a female scientist and two young scientists in the fields of immunology and primary immunodeficiency diseases. The award ceremony took place on September 1, 2024 as part of the opening ceremony of the European Congress of Immunology (ECI2024). Our warmest congratulations!

The Berlin startup Lucid Genomics, a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and Charité, uses AI-based tools to decode previously undiscovered parts of human DNA. Founders Uirá Souto Melo and Hossein Moeinzadeh have now received 1.3 million euros in pre-seed funding to further develop their innovative technology. Their aim is to revolutionize healthcare through AI-based solutions that convert 100% of genetic information into valuable knowledge for better patient care and accelerated drug development. An exclusive license between Lucid Genomics and the originating institutes was agreed with joint support from Max Planck Innovation, Charité BIH Innovation and Ascenion, the Charité’s technology transfer partner. 

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This year, the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA) once again actively participated in the GAIN Annual Conference (German Academic International Network). From August 23–25, 2024, the conference was held again after six years on the West Coast of the USA in San Francisco. The GAIN Annual Conference is aimed at scientists from Germany who are currently conducting research in North America and who wish to return to Germany and therefore want to exchange ideas with representatives from the German science policy community, politics and industry. Dr. Nathalie Huber and Dr. Iwan Meij represented the BIH with a booth at the "Talent Fair" and held talks with promising applicants for the BIA funding programs and provided general information about BIH.

More information about the GAIN24 Annual Conference

Reproducibility starts with methods. The PRO-MaP recommendations to improve methodological clarity in life sciences publications, recently published as a European Commission Science for Policy Report, outline actions that researchers, research institutions and departments, publishers and editors, and funders can take to improve reporting of methods and reusable step-by-step protocols in the life sciences. This work was initiated by Sofia Batista Leite; preparation of the report was led by Tracey Weissgerber from the BIH QUEST Center.

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The BIH QUEST Center is now an Associate Member of the Ensuring Value in Research (EViR) Funders’ Forum! EViR members collaborate to enhance health-related research and funding practices, maximizing the value of research worldwide. Germany is now represented in EViR by two institutions: the BIH QUEST Center and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). We look forward to contributing to the global mission of improving research outcomes!

The BIH was a cooperation partner at the Diversithon on deck of the MS Wissenschaft, the floating science center with exhibits to try out and participate in, organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), with a stopover in Cologne. Many people search for information on Wikipedia. But who does Wikipedia represent? And who writes and edits the entries? Just 19 percent of biographical entries on Wikipedia are dedicated to women. In order to improve this proportion of women at least a little, the Diversithon on August 19, 2024 on the BMBF's floating science center started right here. Together with committed participants, articles about female scientists were edited, completely redesigned and rewritten.

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The Max Rubner Award, endowed with a total of 100,000 euros, supports the implementation of innovative ideas at Charité. The prize money shall act as an initial funding for intrapreneurs, i.e. individuals or teams addressing challenges within the Charité with an entrepreneurial approach by developing new services, products or initiatives. All professional groups and students at Charité can take part. Applications can be submitted until October 13, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

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Stiftung Charité, together with the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA), supports the international scientific exchange of BIH Charité (Digital) Clinician Scientists by providing Internationalization Grants. The new funding format was developed together by BIA and Stiftung Charité who finances the grants. As part of the pilot call, four internationalization grants can be acquired competitively. Only Fellows of the (D)CSP are eligible to apply. Applications for the pilot call are open until September 30, 2024 exclusively online via the BIH application and reporting portal.

Read more about the call

Win up to 100K € in prize. Why submit to this prize?

• It has a remarkable funding rate of 100%.
• It is a bottom-up opportunity open to all sectors.
• It is open to  - SMEs, non-SMEs, and startups.
• Eligible Countries: European Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries

The deadline is September 25, 2024. More information can be found HERE or book an evaluation meeting HERE.

Apply for the Hit the Jackpot 2024 grant and receive up to 10,000 euros to build international networks and collaborations. Elevate your research impact on a global scale and connect with like-minded scholars around the world. In this open call, we are willing to support a wide range of activities and formats as long as your own career development remains the main goal. The application deadline is October 4, 2024.

Infos on the Postdoc Academy website

ICT&health, 7 Aug 2024: Prof. Petra Ritter: 'We decipher the principles of human cognition'