Three DKFZ researchers elected as new EMBO members
Ursula Klingmüller, Ana Martin-Villalba, and Aurelio Teleman have been admitted to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) for their outstanding research. EMBO is an organization of more than 1,800 researchers deemed to be among the best in the world in their areas of research.
Membership of EMBO is regarded as a recognition of scientific excellence throughout the world. Every year, the organization adds new researchers to its network after they have been nominated and selected by existing members for their outstanding research in the field of life sciences. Members can play an active role in shaping the organization's work as a member of the Council, by evaluating funding applications, or as a mentor to junior scientists. In this year's selection process, EMBO announced three researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) as new members.
Ursula Klingmüller
© DKFZ/Jung
Systems biologist Ursula Klingmüller has been conducting research at the DKFZ since 2003. She uses mathematical models and time-resolved data to examine cellular networks that determine the fate of a cell – survival, division, differentiation, or death. Klingmüller studied biology at the universities of Bayreuth and Heidelberg and earned her doctorate at the Center for Molecular Biology in Heidelberg (ZMBH). She has been a member of the German Ethics Council since 2016.
Ana Martin-Villalba
© DKFZ/Jung
Ana Martin-Villalba studies the degenerative processes in the central nervous system in old age and in diseases, comparing them with regeneration after damage to the pancreatic gland, among other things. She focuses on the regeneration potential of stem cells and their role in carcinogenesis. Ana Martin-Villalba studied medicine at the University of Murcia in Spain and in Leeds, UK before obtaining a doctorate from the University of Heidelberg. She has already received the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Award and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize.
Aurelio Teleman
© DKFZ/Schwerdt
Aurelio Teleman studied biochemistry at Harvard University before completing a doctorate at Imperial College London and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. He has been investigating the regulation of cell growth at the DKFZ since 2007. His achievements include the discovery of a new and surprising signaling pathway: He established that stearic acid, a fatty acid, is not only a metabolic product, but also steers important biochemical processes in the cell. In addition to other honors and awards, Teleman was awarded the EMBO Young Investigator Award back in 2010.
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.
To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
