Latest news with #HelmholtzMunich
Business Upturn
13-06-2025
- Health
- Business Upturn
Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will Help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies
Cambridge, England & Seattle, United States: The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Parse Biosciences, and the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich today announced a collaboration to build the foundation of a single cell atlas, focused on understanding and elucidating cancer plasticity in response to therapies. The collaboration will catalyze an ambitious future phase to develop a cancer plasticity atlas encompassing hundreds of millions of cells. Utilizing novel organoid perturbation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, the aim is to create a comprehensive dataset to fuel foundational drug discovery models and cancer research. Dr. Mathew Garnett, Group Leader at the Sanger Institute, and Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and Associate Faculty at the Sanger Institute, will be the principal investigators in the collaboration. Garnett's research team has generated novel 3D organoid cultures that serve as highly scalable and functional cancer models with the ability to capture hallmarks of patient tumors. The team will use vast numbers of these tumor organoids — mini tumors in a dish — as a model to better understand cancer mechanisms of plasticity and adaptability in response to treatments. Theis' research team has been widely recognized for pioneering computational algorithms to solve complex biological challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and single cell genomics, in this context for in silico modeling of drug effects on cellular systems. The initiative will be run through Parse Biosciences' GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose built for the generation of massive scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets at unprecedented speed. The Sanger, Helmholtz Munich, and Parse teams have developed automated methods to streamline laboratory procedures in addition to the computational methods required to analyze and discover insights within datasets of this size. The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to build a single cell reference map that will enable virtual cell modeling and potentially help predict the effect of drugs in cancer patients – where resistance might develop, from which compounds, and where to target future treatment efforts. Garnett, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaboration co-lead, said: 'We have developed a transformational platform to enable both large-scale organoid screening and the downstream data generation and analysis which has the potential to redefine our understanding of therapeutic responses in cancer. We aim to develop a community that brings the best expertise from academia and industry to progress the project. Studies of this magnitude are critical to the development of foundational models to better help us understand cancer progression and bring much needed advancement in the field.' Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and collaboration co-lead, said: 'Our vision of a virtual cell perturbation model is becoming increasingly feasible with recent advances in AI — but to scale effectively, we need large, high-quality single cell perturbation datasets. This collaboration enables that scale, and I'm excited to move toward AI-driven experimental design in drug discovery.' Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences, said: 'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to visionary partners. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality. Combining the expertise of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Helmholtz Munich with the speed and scale achieved by the GigaLab enable the opportunity to fundamentally change our understanding of cancer.' About Parse Biosciences Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™. Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit About Helmholtz Munich Helmholtz Munich is a leading biomedical research center. Its mission is to develop breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world. Interdisciplinary research teams focus on environmentally triggered diseases, especially the therapy and prevention of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and chronic lung diseases. With the power of artificial intelligence and bioengineering, researchers accelerate the translation to patients. Helmholtz Munich has around 2,500 employees and is headquartered in Munich/Neuherberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, with more than 43,000 employees and 18 research centers the largest scientific organization in Germany. More about Helmholtz Munich (Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH): About the Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
National Post
12-06-2025
- Health
- National Post
Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will Help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies
Article content CAMBRIDGE, England & SEATTLE — The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Parse Biosciences, and the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich today announced a collaboration to build the foundation of a single cell atlas, focused on understanding and elucidating cancer plasticity in response to therapies. The collaboration will catalyze an ambitious future phase to develop a cancer plasticity atlas encompassing hundreds of millions of cells. Article content Utilizing novel organoid perturbation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, the aim is to create a comprehensive dataset to fuel foundational drug discovery models and cancer research. Article content Article content Dr. Mathew Garnett, Group Leader at the Sanger Institute, and Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and Associate Faculty at the Sanger Institute, will be the principal investigators in the collaboration. Article content Garnett's research team has generated novel 3D organoid cultures that serve as highly scalable and functional cancer models with the ability to capture hallmarks of patient tumors. The team will use vast numbers of these tumor organoids — mini tumors in a dish — as a model to better understand cancer mechanisms of plasticity and adaptability in response to treatments. Article content Theis' research team has been widely recognized for pioneering computational algorithms to solve complex biological challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and single cell genomics, in this context for in silico modeling of drug effects on cellular systems. The initiative will be run through Parse Biosciences' GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose built for the generation of massive scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets at unprecedented speed. Article content The Sanger, Helmholtz Munich, and Parse teams have developed automated methods to streamline laboratory procedures in addition to the computational methods required to analyze and discover insights within datasets of this size. Article content The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to build a single cell reference map that will enable virtual cell modeling and potentially help predict the effect of drugs in cancer patients – where resistance might develop, from which compounds, and where to target future treatment efforts. Article content Garnett, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaboration co-lead, said: 'We have developed a transformational platform to enable both large-scale organoid screening and the downstream data generation and analysis which has the potential to redefine our understanding of therapeutic responses in cancer. We aim to develop a community that brings the best expertise from academia and industry to progress the project. Studies of this magnitude are critical to the development of foundational models to better help us understand cancer progression and bring much needed advancement in the field.' Article content Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and collaboration co-lead, said: 'Our vision of a virtual cell perturbation model is becoming increasingly feasible with recent advances in AI — but to scale effectively, we need large, high-quality single cell perturbation datasets. This collaboration enables that scale, and I'm excited to move toward AI-driven experimental design in drug discovery.' Article content Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences, said: 'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to visionary partners. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality. Combining the expertise of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Helmholtz Munich with the speed and scale achieved by the GigaLab enable the opportunity to fundamentally change our understanding of cancer.' Article content About Parse Biosciences Article content Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. Article content With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™. Article content Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit Article content About Helmholtz Munich Article content Helmholtz Munich is a leading biomedical research center. Its mission is to develop breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world. Interdisciplinary research teams focus on environmentally triggered diseases, especially the therapy and prevention of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and chronic lung diseases. With the power of artificial intelligence and bioengineering, researchers accelerate the translation to patients. Helmholtz Munich has around 2,500 employees and is headquartered in Munich/Neuherberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, with more than 43,000 employees and 18 research centers the largest scientific organization in Germany. More about Helmholtz Munich (Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH): About the Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
09-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Taconic Biosciences Enters Into an Exclusive License Agreement With Helmholtz Munich to Expand Its CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Services
RENSSELAER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing animal model solutions and services, entered into an exclusive license agreement with Helmholtz Munich, one of Germany's leading biomedical research centers, to provide preclinical researchers with advanced CRISPR gene editing services. By exclusively licensing Helmholtz Munich's groundbreaking gene editing techniques and applications, Taconic Biosciences strengthens its position as a leader in the commercialization of cutting-edge CRISPR gene editing services. Share Through this agreement, Taconic has acquired the exclusive rights to a patented CRISPR-based gene editing technology developed at Helmholtz Munich to improve the generation of genetically modified animal models for biomedical research. "Taconic is excited to expand our already extensive capabilities in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing through this new partnership with Helmholtz Munich,' said Mike Garrett, Chief Executive Officer of Taconic Biosciences. 'This technology significantly enhances Taconic's ExpressMODEL ® platform to deliver high-quality, precise CRISPR/Cas9-generated custom animal models on an accelerated timeline to our customers." Taconic has been a pioneer in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing services for over a decade and remains at the forefront of advanced gene-modification methodologies. By exclusively licensing Helmholtz Munich's groundbreaking gene editing techniques and applications, Taconic Biosciences strengthens its position as a leader in the commercialization of cutting-edge CRISPR gene editing services. "This agreement with Taconic will deepen our understanding of gene function by enabling the development of advanced, genetically engineered animal models," said Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wurst, co-inventor of the licensed technology at Helmholtz Munich. "By combining our innovative CRISPR technology with Taconic's expertise in animal model generation and breeding, we aim to accelerate the creation of precise models that uncover the genetic basis of diseases — supporting scientific discovery and paving the way for future medical breakthroughs.' This partnership marks a significant milestone in Taconic's commitment to providing researchers with advanced tools for biomedical research. By integrating novel CRISPR/Cas9 technologies with proven expertise in model generation, the collaboration supports the rapid development of scientific breakthroughs and improved translation of genetic research into therapeutic innovation. To learn more about the ExpressMODEL ® CRISPR Platform and our Custom Model Generation Solutions, visit Or call 1-888-TACONIC (888-822-6642) in the US, +45 70 23 04 05 in Europe, or email info@ About Taconic Biosciences, Inc. Taconic Biosciences is a fully licensed, global leader in genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic provides the best animal solutions enabling customers to acquire, custom-generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute valuable research models worldwide. Specialists in genetically engineered mouse and rat models, microbiome, immuno-oncology mouse models, and integrated model design and breeding services, Taconic operates service laboratories and breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe, maintains distributor relationships in Asia and has global shipping capabilities to provide animal models almost anywhere in the world.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Osteoarthritis study could lead to new treatments
More than 900 genetic links to osteoarthritis, including 500 which have never been reported, have been uncovered in a research study in Sheffield. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the "landmark" global study into osteoarthritis was the largest of its kind. The degenerative condition affects around 595 million people globally, and is the leading cause of disability and chronic pain worldwide, according to the hospital trust. The genome study used genetic information from nearly two million people, and was published in the journal Nature. Led by Helmholtz Munich, the largest scientific research organisation in Germany, genetic codes and DNA of almost half a million osteoarthritis sufferers globally - including 1,000 volunteers from Sheffield - were compared with that of 1.5 million people without the disease, the trust said. The team identified 962 genetic variations more commonly found in those with osteoarthritis; more than 500 of which had not previously been identified, it said. The number osteoarthritis sufferers was predicted to rise to a billion people by 2050 and despite the impact "no disease-modifying treatments are currently available", researchers said. However the new work "paves the way for potential new drug treatments and personalised therapies," they continued. Prof Mark Wilkinson, Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the trust and the University of Sheffield, said the findings were "hugely important" and would "open up exciting new avenues" for millions. "As well as identifying potential drug targets and opportunities for us to repurpose existing treatments that already target these genes in other conditions, this research has also significantly advanced our understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms associated with the disease," Prof Wilkinson said. Eight biological processes which regulate the body's internal systems and cell function were found, "shedding light on the disease's biological mechanisms", the trust said. Some of these genes contain proteins already targeted by drugs approved for other conditions, which could accelerate treatment development, it added. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust NHS: Osteoarthritis Nature Exercise to treat arthritis, new advice suggests
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Global NHS osteoarthritis study could lead to new treatments
More than 900 genetic links to osteoarthritis, including 500 which have never been reported, have been uncovered in a research study in Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the "landmark" global study into osteoarthritis was the largest of its degenerative condition affects around 595 million people globally, and is the leading cause of disability and chronic pain worldwide, according to the hospital genome study used genetic information from nearly two million people, and was published in the journal Nature. Led by Helmholtz Munich, the largest scientific research organisation in Germany, genetic codes and DNA of almost half a million osteoarthritis sufferers globally - including 1,000 volunteers from Sheffield - were compared with that of 1.5 million people without the disease, the trust team identified 962 genetic variations more commonly found in those with osteoarthritis; more than 500 of which had not previously been identified, it number osteoarthritis sufferers was predicted to rise to a billion people by 2050 and despite the impact "no disease-modifying treatments are currently available", researchers the new work "paves the way for potential new drug treatments and personalised therapies," they continued. 'Repurpose existing treatments' Prof Mark Wilkinson, Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the trust and the University of Sheffield, said the findings were "hugely important" and would "open up exciting new avenues" for millions."As well as identifying potential drug targets and opportunities for us to repurpose existing treatments that already target these genes in other conditions, this research has also significantly advanced our understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms associated with the disease," Prof Wilkinson biological processes which regulate the body's internal systems and cell function were found, "shedding light on the disease's biological mechanisms", the trust of these genes contain proteins already targeted by drugs approved for other conditions, which could accelerate treatment development, it added. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
