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Dear Reader,
In order to bring cutting-edge biomedical research to patients faster, the BIH is teaming up with BioLabs to launch the BIH Clinical Incubator (CLIC). The initiative aims to streamline the path from lab discovery to clinical use – particularly for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) – while supporting start-ups working on regenerative and personalized medicine. CLIC offers not only fully equipped laboratory and office spaces, but also expert mentorship, regulatory guidance and access to a robust innovation network. Scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs will find the tools and expertise needed to transform promising innovations into real-world therapies – paving the way for more effective and individualized patient care. The program is now open for applications and officially kicks off on July 15. You'll find more details about the application process and our partnership with BioLabs in this newsletter.
Also in this issue, we highlight the latest research from our scientists, providing intriguing insights into biomechanics, precision diagnostics, and gender differences in health. And we look back on the openings of our traveling exhibition “Berlin - Capital of Women Scientists” in Paris and Brussels!
We hope you find this newsletter informative.
Your BIH Newsletter Team
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Aiming to bridge the gap between cutting-edge biomedical research and real-world clinical application, the BIH entered into an agreement with BioLabs, an internationally known innovation laboratory platform with a network of shared lab and office workspaces, to support operations at the full-service BIH Clinical Incubator (CLIC). The incubator is designed to foster novel advanced therapies for patients and support entrepreneurship in the field of regenerative medicine. The CLIC program is already open for applications and will start operations on July 15 this year. Read the press releaseTo the online application formLearn more about the BIH Clinical Incubator
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A team around Mine Koprulu and Claudia Langenberg at the BIH and Queen Mary University of London’s Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) shed new light the underlying biological mechanisms which cause differences in health risks, symptoms and outcomes between males and females. The results of this international study have just been presented in "Nature Communications". Read the press releaseRead the publication
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Researchers from the BIH, the Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery at Charité, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces have uncovered a novel mechanism that links the water-binding properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissue to its mechanical behavior. They found that there is a correlation between quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters and changes in the water-binding behavior of the ECM during swelling (e.g. due to inflammation or edema), which could enable the non-invasive detection of mechanical ECM properties. The reason for this lies in the electrostatic properties of ECM components such as charged proteoglycans. The study has now been published in "Nature Biomedical Engineering". Read moreRead the publication
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Researchers at the BIH and Charité have developed a customized single-cell approach that enables precision diagnostics in myelodysplastic neoplasia. In an interview, Dr. Samantha Praktiknjo, head of the study and last author of the publication, talks about her research results. Read the interview
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The traveling exhibition “Berlin - Capital of Women Scientists” was recently on display in Paris and Brussels - in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Maison Heinrich Heine and supported by the German embassies. The aim of the project is to make women in science visible and to strengthen them. In Paris, the opening of the exhibition was accompanied by a panel discussion with female academics from Berlin and prominent guests such as Nobel Prize winner Emmanuelle Charpentier. In Brussels, the vernissage focused on the topic “Celebrating Women and Diversity in Science” – with impulses from research, EU politics, science organizations and international networks. The exhibition is on display in French, Dutch, English and German at the Press Club Brussels until June 2, 2025. Read more
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Minh Duc Do, research assistant in the "Artificial Intelligence" team of the BIH research group Digital Health, took second place in the Master's thesis category at this year's DMEA sparks Award. In his award-winning thesis, he investigated the potential of Transformer models in medicine. ChatGPT, the best-known representative of this technology, has already changed many areas of life. Together with colleagues, Minh Duc Do has developed and trained a so-called Vision Transformer (ViT), which can not only predict brain-related diseases such as Alzheimer's before the onset with a high discrimination accuracy of up to 94% using brain MRI images alone, but can also detect non-brain-related diseases such as heart attacks, diabetes or depression. For their study, Do and his team trained various ViT models with MRI data from different modalities. The result: their AI recognizes the finest patterns and signals in medical 3D MRI images – even those that remain invisible to the trained eye of a doctor. Congratulations! Read more about the DMEA sparks AwardTo Minh Duc Do's short video about his master's thesis
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News From Charité BIH Innovation (CBI)
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Do you have an innovative idea, or questions concerning IP and patents? The Idea Office is a service offered by Charité BIH Innovation, the joint technology transfer of Charité and BIH. It has been organized by Dr. Bettina Otto and Dr. Thomas Marek Wallach since 2022 and was initially funded by Stiftung Charité as part of the Detect & Dispatch project. The Idea Office serves as the first point of contact for scientists and clinicians to translate their research ideas into medical products. We interviewed our innovators Dr. Philippa Seika, Professor Dr. Denecke, Lennard Shopperly, M.Sc. and Jacob Spinnen, M.D./Ph.D., about their idea and their experiences with the service.
Read the interview
To the Idea Office
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News From the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA)
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In April 2025, the new fellows for the second cohort of the BIH PhD Program were finally selected. First, in stage 1, twelve projects out of 17 were pre-selected by an internal committee. These twelve projects were then opened for applications, and a total of 139 applications were received from around the world. After a formal review of all applications received, in stage 2 the Principal Investigators assessed the scientific quality and motivation of the candidates using various interview formats. Six candidates (three women, three men) were evaluated particularly highly and will now receive three years of funding within the program (two years funded by the BIA and one year funded by the working group). A warm welcome to all newly funded candidates! Read more
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News From the BIH QUEST Center
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Llife science startups need a well-functioning ecosystem to be successful. Joining forces and closing the gaps in the value chain from technology transfer to financing clinical trials therefore is necessary. The Life Science Investors' Day on September 25, 2025, in Heidelberg represents an important milestone in promoting the continuous exchange between investors and founders. Life science start-ups are now invited to present their company as part of a pitch. Application is possible until June 23, 2025. Learn more about the Life Science Investors' Day
To the application form
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Are you passionate about Open Science and want to help your colleagues implement the topic in their everyday research? Would you like to organize events with guests from whom you and your colleagues can learn? Get involved and become an Ambassador for Open Science at your faculty or department! Send us a letter of motivation and your CV to open-science@berlin-university-alliance.de by June 2, 2025. We also welcome applications from tandems or small teams! The program starts on August 1, 2025. Read more
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