The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) continues to support outstanding early-career researchers on their path to scientific independence during the 2027–28 funding period. As part of the DZD Young Talent Program, Merly Vogt (Helmholtz Munich)…

Düsseldorf

How does skeletal muscle influence metabolism and the development of cancer through the body's own messenger molecules? This is the question Dr. Melanie Mittenbühler, head of the Junior Research Group Crosstalk at the German Diabetes…

Munich / Heidelberg

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), have identified a previously unknown…

On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the 24th Düsseldorf Diabetes Day will open its doors at the Düsseldorf Chamber of Crafts. This year’s event will focus on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, gender medicine, and the weight-loss injection. Through…

Modern drugs for obesity and type 2 diabetes are based on the interaction of various biological signals. In the interview, Prof. Timo Müller of DZD partner Helmholtz Munich explains how new drug design concepts emerge and what prospects research…

Tübingen, 10.08.2026

Type 2 diabetes usually develops over many years, yet preventive measures often begin only once blood glucose levels are already elevated. An international panel of experts led by University Hospital Tübingen and the German…

The death of Johannes Beckers, who left us far too soon and quite unexpectedly, has deeply saddened all of us at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). With his passing, we have lost an outstanding scientist, a highly competent and helpful…

Research fully realizes its value where it reaches people – when findings translate into new treatment options from which those affected can benefit. How this can be achieved in practice for type 1 diabetes is demonstrated by the Institute of…

Scientific highlights, transdisciplinary research, and new collaborations will be the focus of DZG Munich Day on July 29, 2026. For the fourth time, the eight German Centers for Health Research (DZG) in Munich are inviting scientists at all career…

The Citizens' and Patients' Advisory Board (CAB) of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) convened in Frankfurt for its 10th meeting. The meeting focused on current developments in diabetes research, the topic of biobanking and clinical…

Excellent rating for the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD): The latest external evaluation attests to the DZD’s clear scientific vision, “outstanding” research, highly effective organizational and governance structures, and the successful and…

Following the success of the Pixi book "Finn Has Diabetes", the Pixi Wissen (Pixi Knowledge) series is releasing the sequel, "Finn and the Sleepover". Finn, who has been living with Type 1 diabetes for several years, is starting at a new school.…

Dr. Michael Witting from the DZD partner Helmholtz Munich has been awarded the Metabolomics Society Medal 2026. The international scientific society recognizes his contributions to the advancement and application of metabolomics methodologies. The…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

On July 1, 2026, the new department "Computational Precision Nutrition" commenced its research activities at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), led by Prof. Stefan Konigorski. The team’s core…

Prof. Heiko Lickert from the DZD partner Helmholtz Munich has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). The funding is intended to advance a novel regenerative therapeutic approach for type 2 diabetes…

Düsseldorf

For three days, Düsseldorf took centre stage in the European diabetes community: from 25 to 27 June 2026, the Congress of the Central European Diabetes Association (CEDA) took place at the German Diabetes Centre (DDZ), an affiliated…

At this year’s congress of the Central European Diabetes Association (CEDA) in Düsseldorf, two awards from the Anna Wunderlich and Ernst Jühling Foundation were presented: the Jühling Prize – awarded for the very first time – went to the CEDA…

At the Federal Government Open House, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), together with the German Centers for Health Research (DZG), presented itself to a broad audience at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).…

A major international distinction for Leipzig-based obesity research: Prof. Antje Körner has been awarded the Willendorf Award by the World Obesity Federation.

Tübingen

Can Prediabetes Remission Reduce Cancer?

Prediabetes remission seems to be much more powerful than to “simply” prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Prof. Dr. Andreas L. Birkenfeld, MD, from the German Center for Diabetes Research…

It is with great sorrow that we say farewell to Bastian Hauck. With his passing, the diabetes community has lost a leading voice and a tireless advocate for the interests of people with diabetes.

New Orleans / Düsseldorf

Dr. Kalliopi Pafili of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Düsseldorf was honored with the Young Investigator Award at this year’s Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The award recognizes her…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

A new study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam–Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin shows for the first time that targeted control of human breathing rhythm can influence decision behavior by…

Prof. Fabian Theis from the DZD partner Helmholtz Munich has been awarded the Akademiepreis of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The Academy honors his pioneering work in computational biomedicine and the development of novel…

The link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be studied even more intensively in the future: The German Research Foundation (DFG) has announced that it will provide funding for the multi-site Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1774,…

How does our metabolism work? What role does insulin play? And what is daily life like with diabetes? Answers to these and many other questions were recently provided by the exhibition “Diabetes in Focus” at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. It was…

Berlin / Düsseldorf

Scientists from the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Düsseldorf recently issued a strong warning at the German Diabetes Congress organized by the German Diabetes Society (DDG) about the risks of health misinformation online,…

At the 2026 Scientific Sessions, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) honored DZD researcher Prof. Timo Müller with the prestigious Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award. The award recognizes scientists whose research is distinguished by…

Berlin / Düsseldorf

At the annual congress of the German Diabetes Association (DDG) in May 2026, five researchers from the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) were honored with prestigious prizes. The awards recognize outstanding scientific achievements in…

The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) will have a prominent presence at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in New Orleans (June 5–8). Numerous DZD researchers will present the latest findings from diabetes and…

Men and women differ not only in appearance—their metabolisms also function differently in some respects. The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) is drawing attention to this fact on the occasion of International Women’s Health Day. New…

Neuherberg

For ten years, the Fr1da study, coordinated by Helmholtz Munich, has been investigating whether early stages of type 1 diabetes in children can be detected in routine pediatric care. The latest evaluation shows that the screening program…

Neuherberg

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and collaborating institutions have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework that maps disease-related changes throughout the entire mouse body at…

How to prevent diabetes? Under what conditions can type 2 diabetes be reversed? And what treatment options are available for people with type 1 diabetes? The 6th edition of the online event series “diabinfo in Dialogue” on Thursday, July 16, 2026,…

Prof. Stephan Herzig has been awarded the 2026 Friedrich Arnold Gries Award by the German Diabetes Association (DDG). The award recognizes his outstanding scientific work on “Molecular characterization and therapeutic exploitation of…

The DZG have contributed to the joint GFDI statement on the draft bill for the GeDIG and explicitly welcome its objectives. Their statement focuses on the proposed amendments to SGB V as well as on the further development of the GNDG, including the…

At this year’s Diabetes Congress (May 13–16) in Berlin, the German Diabetes Association (DDG) presented awards to numerous researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) in recognition of their successful research.

Berlin / Dresden

Prof. Dr. Dr. Michele Solimena received the Paul Langerhans Medal, the highest award of the German Diabetes Society (DDG), on May 15, 2026. The prize recognizes his outstanding lifetime scientific achievements in the field of…

Copenhagen / Tübingen

Weight loss followed by weight regain, commonly known as “yo‑yo dieting” or weight cycling, is often portrayed as harmful, even more damaging than remaining overweight. But a new comprehensive analysis published in ‘The Lancet…

As part of the Fr1da study, “Early detection and early treatment of type 1 diabetes”, led by researchers at the Institute of Diabetes Research at the DZD partner Helmholtz Munich, families can have their children aged two to ten tested for an early…

Düsseldorf

Until now, research into type 2 diabetes has focused primarily on insulin: if the body’s cells become less responsive to the hormone produced in the pancreas, blood glucose levels rise over the long term. A recent study by the German…

Neuherberg

A team led by metabolism researcher Prof Timo D. Müller at Helmholtz Munich has developed a new approach for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes: a hybrid molecule uses the well-known GLP-1/GIP signalling pathway as a “door opener” and…

Regular exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle and is particularly important for preventing type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Nevertheless, many people find it difficult to incorporate sufficient exercise into their…

Tübingen

A healthy diet, weight loss, and increased physical activity can effectively prevent type 2 diabetes. However, not all individuals at elevated diabetes risk benefit equally from lifestyle interventions. People classified in Tübingen’s type…

Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler from the DZD partner Helmholtz Munich has been named the recipient of the 58th Claude Bernard Prize, the highest honor awarded by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). The prize recognizes her…

Scientists from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) will present the latest findings from their research at the Diabetes Congress of the German Diabetes Association (DDG) in Berlin from May 13 to 16, 2026. Interested parties can also visit…

The new DZD Health Data Science & AI certificate program (DZD HeaDS) will begin with a three-day kick-off workshop in Munich on April 27–29, 2026. The program trains 35 selected students and early-career researchers from across Europe in data-driven…

Physician and DZD researcher Prof. Antje Körner has been elected as a new member of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig. On April 10, 2026, she was officially admitted to the Academy’s Mathematical and Natural Sciences Class…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and other partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have now identified a previously unknown function of the PICALM…

A population-based cohort study provides new data on the prevalence of early-stage type 1 diabetes in young adults, addressing a gap in epidemiological research. Using samples from the LISA and GINIplus cohorts and methodologies established in the…

How can scientific breakthroughs reach the people more quickly? This question was the focus of the Expert Hour of DZD partner Helmholtz Munich on March 25 in the German Bundestag. Under the title “From Research to Patients – Translation and AI in…

Neuherberg

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has announced the recipients of this year's National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards. Among this year’s awardees is DZD scientist Prof. Timo Müller, Director of the Institute for…

Neuherberg

EDENT1FI (“European action for the Diagnosis of Early Non-clinical Type 1 diabetes For disease Interception”), a research project led by Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler from Helmholtz Munich and Prof. Chantal Mathieu from the KU Leuven, has…

Two scientists from the DZD were featured as speakers at the F.A.Z. Conference on Health & Nutrition. In his keynote, Prof. Peter Schwarz highlighted why prevention is becoming increasingly important. Prof. Dr. Peter Achenbach discussed recent…

Düsseldorf

Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed based on blood values – but the actual changes take place in many organs, including the tissue of the pancreas, where insulin is produced. However, these changes are not visible to the human eye under a…

World Obesity Day on March 4 draws attention to the significance of severe overweight (obesity), its causes, possible complications, and treatments. The national diabetes information portal diabinfo.de devotes a detailed chapter to this topic in its…

The DZD partner Helmholtz Munich has been awarded a prestigious grant of up to 900 000 US Dollar from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization. The funding will support the research into…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

Whether we tend to eat carbohydrates or fats in the morning may help determine how our metabolism works. Prof. Olga Ramich from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin…

The journal 'Metabolism' honors DZD researcher Dr. Anja Schork with the Junior Faculty Award 2025. The physician and scientist receives the award for her significant contribution as first author of the publication “Differential risk assessment in…

Sugar can be enjoyable, but it can also make you ill. How much sugar is still healthy? And are sweeteners really a good alternative? Eckart von Hirschhausen addresses these questions in his new ARD documentary “Hirschhausen und der Zucker”…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

An international research group has examined how many people are affected by preclinical and clinical obesity and what health risks are associated with this. The team led by Prof. Matthias Schulze from the German Institute of Human…

From June 25 to 27, 2026, the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) will host the annual congress of the Central European Diabetes Association (CEDA). The focus will be on current, clinically relevant issues in modern diabetology – from cardio-diabetes and…

Explainable AI-based analysis of human pancreas sections identifies traits of type 2 diabetes.

Nature Communications 2026

The DZG Innovation Fund (DZGIF) is a joint research funding program of the German Centers for Health Research (DZG). The topic for the 2027/28 call for proposals is "Immune Dysregulation and Interorgan Mechanisms in Post-Infectious Conditions:…

Düsseldorf

Physical training is an important part of type 2 diabetes therapy and supports both blood glucose control and muscle energy metabolism. A new study by the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) shows that blood flow restriction training (BFRT)…

Unravelling the molecular mechanisms causal to type 2 diabetes across global populations and disease-relevant tissues.

Nature Metabolism 2026

In a new publication, researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the University Medical Center Greifswald show how research data can be processed to be FAIR on a step-by-step basis, i.e. such that they can be found, accessed…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

Prediabetes is an extremely heterogeneous metabolic disorder. Scientists from several partner institutes of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)* have now used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify epigenetic markers…

The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has published a detailed statement on combating the obesity epidemic in Germany. In its policy note in the “Leopoldina Focus” series, the Leopoldina recommends strategies for the prevention and…

Dr. Tim Mori, research associate at the Institute for Biometrics and Epidemiology at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ), a DZD partner, has received the Dr. Eickelberg Foundation Award 2026. Together with a team of scientists, he works on statistical…

Neuherberg

Cachexia is a metabolic disorder that causes uncontrolled weight loss and muscle wasting in chronic diseases and cancer. A new study by Helmholtz Munich, in collaboration with the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences…

What will medicine look like in the future? This question will be the focus of the kick-off event for Science Year 2026 – Medicine of the Future on 20 January 2026. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) cordially invites all…

Düsseldorf

Metabolic diseases have reached epidemic proportions in our society. This is not only due to a lack of exercise, but is also caused by staying up late, shift work, and artificial indoor light. The inner biological clock, the body’s…

On the occasion of an official visit, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and Helmholtz Munich welcomed a high-ranking delegation from Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Institut national de la santé et de…

Tübingen

For the first time, an international analysis has shown that when people with prediabetes bring their blood glucose back into the normal range through lifestyle changes, their risk of heart attack, heart failure, and premature death is cut…

In 2025, the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation is awarding nine Else Kröner Excellence Fellowships to outstanding physicians. Among them is Dr. Oana-Patricia Zaharia, DZD scientist at the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) and Heinrich Heine University…

The members of the DZD Citizens' and Patients' Advisory Board (CAB) met for their ninth meeting on November 20, 2025, in Munich at the Type 1 Diabetes Study Center of the Institute for Diabetes Research (IDF) at Helmholtz Munich. This marked the…

Integrative Metabolomics of Targeted and Non-targeted Analyses in T2D Progression.

Diabetes Care 2025

A new tool developed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Bonn makes spatial proteomics and lipidomics easier to use – no coding required. C-COMPASS allows scientists to profile where proteins and…

New issue of SYNERGIE: Regenerative medicine

Cell and gene therapies are opening up new possibilities in medicine. They have the potential to treat diseases differently and restore health that was thought to be lost, like a phoenix rising from the…

Düsseldorf

The liver plays a central role in storing and supplying energy to the body. In type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, commonly referred to as fatty liver disease), mitochondria—the cell’s…

“Exploring nutrition. Strengthening health,” under this headline the DZD partner German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) looks back on the years 2023 and 2024 in its latest report and presents the highlights of its research and…

Lifestyle intervention is more effective in high 1-hour post-load glucose than in prediabetes for restoring β-cell function, reducing ectopic fat, and preventing type 2 diabetes.

Metabolism 2025

As part of Berlin Science Week, Dr. Rachel Lippert, leader of the Junior Research Group of Neurocircuit Development and Function at the DZD partner German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), participated in the panel discussion…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

The time of eating influences the lipid metabolism in our body. A study conducted at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) shows: Eating earlier in the…

Neuherberg / Dresden

First results of the Primary Oral Insulin Trial (POInT) mark an important step towards the prevention of type 1 diabetes, pointing future efforts to personalized strategies. The group led by researchers from Helmholtz Munich and…

Potsdam-Rehbrücke

Contrary to common assumptions, a new study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, shows that intermittent fasting (time-restricted eating) with an unchanged…

Neuherberg

Pancreas development in pigs resembles humans much more closely than does the established mouse model. An international team headed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) has now produced a comprehensive…