Press Officer and Head of Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 6221 422854
Fax: +49 6221 422968
E-Mail: s.seltmann@dkfz.de
or presse@dkfz.de
Recent Press Releases
Stress in cells activates hepatitis viruses
Substances which suppress the immune system while simultaneously keeping viral infections in check would be an ideal drug for organ transplant recipients. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now demonstrated that specific substances with such an activity profile caused a state of stress in cells which promotes the replication of hepatitis B viruses.
Defects in the packaging of genetic material in malignant brain tumors
Glioblastomas are regarded as particularly aggressive brain tumors. In children with glioblastoma, Heidelberg scientists have now discovered genetic alterations that affect the function of DNA packaging proteins known as histones. In a cell, histones serve as coils around which the DNA wraps. At the same time, histones regulate gene activity. Mutations in histone genes have never before been tied to a disease. The group comprising scientists of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospitals and McGill University in Canada have now reported their findings in Nature.
German Cancer Aid Award for Peter Krammer
Professor Dr. Peter Krammer of the German Cancer Research (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is awarded the 2011 German Cancer Aid Award (Deutscher Krebshilfe-Preis 2011) jointly with Professor Dr. Klaus Michael Debatin of Ulm University Hospitals. The award is given to the two scientists in recognition of their pioneering research into signaling pathways which lead to cell death and can slow down cancer growth.
