Press and Public Relations
Press Officer and Head of Press and Public Relations (in ch.)
Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
Im Neuenheimer Feld 28069120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 6221 422854
Fax: +49 6221 422968
E-Mail: s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
or presse@dkfz.de
Recent Press Releases
Chronic cell death promotes liver cancer
A model for chronic liver disease: In this genetically modified mouse liver...
© Heikenwälder/DKFZ
Liver cancer occurs predominantly in patients whose liver has been damaged as a result of chronic disease. Until now it has remained in the dark how these events are linked at molecular level. An international team of scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Zurich has now shown that chronic cell death promotes the development of cancer. The more cells die, the more the remaining cells have to divide. In this process, they accumulate mutations: fertile ground for liver cancer to develop.
Chaos in cell division – How chromosomal defects arise in cancer cells
Cell division with surplus centrioles at both spindle poles. The upper pane...
© Alwin Krämer/DKFZ
Cancer cells often have aberrant numbers of chromosomes. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now discovered a new mechanism that plays a role in these typical chromosomal aberrations. The new findings question the current concept of how cancer cells survive the chaos during cell division. This might also make it necessary to rethink specific treatment approaches that interfere with the distribution of chromosomes.
Using barcodes to trace cell development
© Nicole Schuster/DKFZ
There are various concepts about how blood cells develop. However, they are based almost exclusively on experiments that solely reflect snapshots. In a publication in Nature, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg now present a novel technique that captures the process in a dynamic way. Using a "random generator", the researchers label hematopoietic stem cells with genetic barcodes that enable them to trace which cell types arise from the stem cell. This method will facilitate whole new insights into the development of various tissues as well as cancer.
