Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering

Focus on technologies for early, pre-symptomatic disease detection, including micro/nano-scale systems, portable biosensors, advanced imaging and multi-omics approaches that enable early, non-invasive, and scalable detection of disease.  

Rationale: Rapid, accessible diagnostics are critical for epidemic preparedness, personalized medicine, and preventive care. 

Overarching Goal: Shift from reactive to proactive healthcare by identifying disease signatures before progression. 

Current Projects: 

Sensor-enabled Neuraminidase Detection for Influenza Surveillance  - SENSE-FLU

Revolutionizing biosenisng by 3D photonic printing of optoacoustic sensors - REVOPT

Microbiome Insight: Microfluidic Single-Cell Imaging Platform to Map Probiotic Effects on Multi-Drug-Resistant Gut Pathogens  - INSIGHT

Molecular MR Imaging of the Brain and the Body - MIB2

Develop (semi-)autonomous systems anchored in synthetic biology, protein engineering, smart delivery vehicles, and therapeutic cells for precise, minimally invasive interventions. These also include micro-/bio-robots for targeted treatment and real-time monitoring. 

Rationale: Overcoming the limitations of conventional therapies is critical for delivering precise, adaptive, and patient-centered treatment. 

Overarching goal: Move from systemic exposure towards targeted delivery by creating tools for minimally invasive, patient-tailored, individualized treatment and continuous monitoring. 

Current Projects: 

Micro-robotic Therapeutics Delivery and Sensing for Brain Tumor Treatment - RoboT3

CiliaBots powered by living cells for targeted cancer treatment - CILIAMAT

Harness generative AI and predictive modeling to design and optimize diagnostics and therapies. This includes AI-driven drug and protein engineering alongside digital pathology for accelerated discovery and precision medicine. 

Rationale: AI powers fast discoveries and facilitates immediate decision-making across scales - from molecular to global views.  

Overarching Goal: Leverage AI to accelerate discovery and drive proactive, data-informed decisions spanning from basic research to clinical practice. 

Current Projects: 

AI designed miniproteins against cancer resistance - ProtheraEGFR 

Using 3D Imaging and AI to Improve Colon Cancer Care - 3D-PREDICT

Develop clinically relevant human models such as organoids, human-on-chip and microphysiology systems to create safe, scalable, and regulatory-ready pipelines for rapid clinical translation through validated safety, GMP strategies, and iterative development. 

Rationale: Clinical translation is the key bottleneck to move advanced human models into real-world therapies. This pillar breaks barriers to deliver safe, scalable pipelines from bench to bedside. 

Overarching goal: Break away from fragmented development to streamlined clinical translation through human models that guarantee safety and regulatory compliance. 

Current Projects: 

New Approach for Sarcoma Treatment: Seeing and Destroying Every Cancer Cell - FOCUS

Enveloped Gene therapeutic vehicles for neurodevelopmental disorders - ENGENED

• DESY - Meytal Landau
• DKFZ - Mark Ladd
• DZNE - Marc Beyer
• FZJ - Francesca Santoro
• Helmholtz Munich - Vasilis Ntziachristos
• Hereon - Regine Willumeit-Roemer
• HZDR - Laryssa Baraban
• HZI - Kristin Metzdorf 
• KIT - Ute Schepers
• MDC - Mina Gouti

• DESY - Holger Sondermann
• DKFZ - Angelika Michel
• DZNE - Anke Witting
• FZJ - Svenja Caspers
• Helmholtz Munich - Thomas Schwarz-Romond
• Hereon - Berit Zeiler-Plumhoff
• HZDR - Christine Herrmann
• HZI - Birgit Grün
• KIT - Andrea Robitzki
• MDC - Oliver Mai-Kolerus
• HGF - Katja Großmann