Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering

29/08/2025

✨ New insights into the hidden world of lipids!
A research team led by Alf Honigmann (BIOTEC, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineer­ing (CMCB) of TU Dresden, TU Dresden) and André Nadler (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics) has developed a novel imaging method that makes it possible to visualize individual lipids inside cells. 🧫🔬

🔍 With this tool, they also uncovered the main transport mechanism for lipids within the cell – a big step toward understanding how our cells work at the molecular level.

The study was published in the Nature Magazine.

🔗 Read more ➡️

Lipidmoleküle, auch Fette genannt, sind für alle Lebensformen unverzichtbar. Sie sind aber mit Lichtmikroskopie nur schwer nachweisbar. Mit einer neuen chemischen Markierungsmethode hat ein Dresdner …

23/07/2025

New research from the Albert group:

🧠 ✨ How important is epigenetics for the developing human brain?

Researchers led by Prof. Mareike Albert (CRTD/CMCB, Technische Universität Dresden) combined brain organoids 🧠 🧫 and Epi-CyTOF, a new single-cell method.
The team found that histone methylation - one of epigenetic modifications - controls how brain cells multiply and how big the organoid grows.

Their findings were published in the journal Neuron, Cell Press.

Read more ➡️ https://tud.link/xt6ydx

📸 Ezgi Şenoğlu

23/07/2025

🧠 ✨ How important is epigenetics for the developing human brain?

Researchers led by Prof. Mareike Albert (CRTD/CMCB, Technische Universität Dresden) combined brain organoids 🧠 🧫 and Epi-CyTOF, a new single-cell method.

The team found that histone methylation - one of epigenetic modifications - controls how brain cells multiply and how big the organoid grows.

Their findings were published in the journal Neuron, Cell Press.

Read more ➡️ https://tud.link/xt6ydx

25/06/2025

🌙🔬What a night!
The 22. Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften Dresden was a big success!

🎉 Over 2,200 visitors joined us at the CMCB to discover the world of life sciences. We had 30 thematic booths, from hands-on experiments to zebrafish, axolotls, pipetting robots, and various games!

🎤 Finally, an English-speaking science slam ended the event. Four amazing talks made the audience appreciate bugs, find a connection between dating and molecular condensates, understand cutting-edge diagnostics approaches, and get convinced that we are indeed the descendants of some remarkable creatures 🤫

🙏 Huge THANK YOU to everyone who visited us! And an even bigger thank you to over 250 volunteers who made it all possible.

❤️ Special thanks to our sponsors: DKMS, Dussmann, Friends and Patrons of the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden e.V., and Thomas Frei from the Audience First! We couldn’t have done it without you!

See you next year at CRTD / Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden at TU Dresden? 😉

Photos by Julius Daßler and Magdalena Gonciarz

05/06/2025

A research team led by Prof. María Teresa Pisabarro (BIOTEC/CMCB) at Technische Universität Dresden and Dr. Jörg Mansfeld (ICR) has developed small molecules that interfere with the Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC/C) - a key regulator of cell division.

🧬 Targeting the APC/C has long been considered nearly impossible. But the team’s findings show that their molecules not only block APC/C activity in-vitro, but also stop cell division and induce cell death in specific human cancer cell lines.

🔬 This work opens exciting new possibilities for developing targeted cancer therapies by disrupting one of the most essential drivers of cell proliferation.

📖 Read more ➡ https://tud.link/3yy1ja

📸 M.T. Pisabarro

Unkontrollierte Zellteilung ist ein Hauptmerkmal von Krebs, weshalb viele Krebstherapien darauf abzielen, die Zellvermehrung zu stoppen. Nun wollen Forschende aus Molekular- und Computerbiologie des …

23/05/2025

🇩🇪🚨 4 Wochen bis zur Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften Dresden! Unser Programm finden Sie hier: https://tud.link/8daasb

🔬 Schlafende Würmer, tanzende Moleküle, kleine Fische und mächtige Axolotl. Egal ob Kind oder Erwachsener – hier entdecken Sie eine Vielzahl faszinierender Forschung 👩‍🔬

​Nehmen Sie Teil an Dresdens Langer Nacht der Wissenschaften im Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) der TU Dresden am 20. Juni.

Alle Veranstaltungen finden im CRTD / Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden at TU Dresden statt:
📍 Fetscherstraße 105, 01307 Dresden (Johannstadt)

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🇺🇸🚨 Only four weeks left until the Dresden Science Night! You can find our program here: https://tud.link/8daasb

🔬 Sleeping worms, dancing molecules, small fish, and powerful axolotls. Whether you're a kid or an adult – here you'll discover a myriad of fascinating research 👩‍🔬

Join us for Dresden's Long Night of Sciences at the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) at TU Dresden on June 20.

All events take place at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD):
📍 Fetscherstraße 105, 01307 Dresden (Johannstadt)

📸 Magdalena Gonciarz

30/04/2025

😴 People spend about a third of their life asleep - but how does the brain 🧠 actually control falling asleep and waking up? ⏰

Researchers led by Prof. Henrik Bringmann at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the CMCB showed that a single brain signal acts like a biological switch - triggering sleep and waking. 🛌🔁

Their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, were made possible by studying a tiny roundworm C. elegans, a powerful model organism in biology.

Read more: https://tud.link/c17vz4

01/04/2025

🚀 Applications are OPEN! 🚀

Ready to kickstart your career in Life Sciences? 🌿🔬 Join our Master’s programs at CMCB, Technische Universität Dresden and dive into hands-on research in cutting-edge labs!

✨ Study in English
✨ Gain practical experience
✨ Push the boundaries of modern biology

🔬 Enroll in the Regenerative Biology and Medicine MSc program at the CMCB and dive into an interdisciplinary curriculum that covers stem cell research 🧫, regenerative biology, molecular biology 🧬, tissue engineering 🏗️, and clinically-oriented human biology and pathology 🏥.

🔬 Join the Molecular Bioengineering MSc program and master the fundamentals of biology, biomedicine, and bionanotechnology. Combine life science with technology to unlock nature’s engineering secrets.⚙️

🔬 Enroll in Physics of Life and combine the power of physics ⚛️ and the complexity of biological systems 🧬 Apply mathematical models ➕📈 and physical principles to open the doors to cutting-edge research 🚀 at the crossroads of physics, biology, chemistry, and medicine.

Apply now ➡️https://tud.link/b672uf

20/03/2025

📅 Save the date! Visit us for Dresden Science Night on June 20, 2025! 🧬🔬✨

Join us for an exciting evening of discoveries and hands-on science at the CRTD / Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden at TU Dresden building (Fetscherstr. 105, Dresden).

🔍 Meet researchers, explore cutting-edge life sciences, and dive into interactive experiments! 🥼🧪

Stay tuned for more details - see you in June! 👩‍🔬🎉

19/02/2025

Beyond Nature, Nurture & Chance – How Our Choices Shape Our Brains 🧠

🤔 What drives brain development? Is it nature (genes) or nurture (environment)? New research from the Kempermann group (CRTD/DZNE), in collaboration with the Amin group (DZNE), shows that our own actions can play a substantial role!

📚 They show that mice that actively chose to learn grew new neurons and had stronger brain connections 🧩 The results show that brain development - and, by extension, personality and individuality - is not just shaped by genetics or environment, but also by our own choices and experiences.

🔍 The findings, published in Science Advances, could help explain why even identical twins, who are raised in the same environment, develop unique personalities.

Read more ➡️https://tud.link/kuabjm

📸 Warsha Barde

12/02/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Ekaterina Vorobevskaia!

🔬 Dr. Vorobevskaia has been awarded the 2024 Georg Helm Prize for outstanding PhD dissertation! 👏🏆

She completed her PhD in the Schlierf Lab at the B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering. In her thesis, Dr. Vorobevskaia uncovered a regulatory mechanism in a system that allows bacteria to gain antibiotic resistance

🧫 This mechanism could ultimately be exploited as a new approach to fight multiresistant bacteria. 🦠

💡 Curious about her research and career journey?
🔗 Read more ➡️ https://tud.link/6w6guy

05/02/2025

Why are there no head-on collisions in molecular transport? 🚦

ℹ️ Cilia are tiny, hair-like structures found on almost every cell in your body. They help move fluids, clear mucus from thelungs 🫁, and even help s***m swim 🏊‍♂️!

🚆 To function, cilia rely on intraflagellar transport (IFT) - a molecular railway system running along microtubule tracks.

🔬 The Diez group at B CUBE (CMCB, TU Dresden) found that posttranslational modifications of tubulin regulate this transport, helping to separate forward and reverse trains, preventing crashes and traffic jams! 🚋💨

Read more ➡️ https://tud.link/2rxmk4

📸 Chhatre, A., Stepanek, L., Nievergelt, A.P. et al. Nat Commun 16, 1055 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56098-0