Patient care, Education / 31.03.2025
Curious minds at UniStem Day 2025

Around 220 high school students from across Berlin came to the conference center of the Max Delbrück Center in Buch in mid-March with one topic on their minds: stem cell research. For the tenth time, the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN, stem cell research dialogue platform at BIH) hosted UniStem Day.

“The talks were a total hit!” – the biology-loving students were thrilled by the range and depth of stem cell research they encountered during UniStem Day. The day was packed with information: in the lecture hall Axon 1, Dr. Sebastian Diecke welcomed the students on behalf of the Max Delbrück Center, and Dr. Daniel Besser (GSCN) introduced them to the field.

Things got even more engaging with Professor Simone Spuler (Max Delbrück Center), who gave a compelling and easy-to-follow talk about her research and early clinical trials on muscular dystrophies. Spuler and her team use CRISPR gene editing to modify muscle stem cells. Professor Sina Bartfeld (TU Berlin) took the students on a molecular journey into the development of the stomach and intestine, leading to the creation of intestinal organoids – a new and fascinating topic for many of the participants. The final talk came from Professor Christof Stamm (Deutsches Herzzentrum at Charité), who presented regenerative therapy approaches for the human heart, captivating the audience with impressive images from his heart surgeries.

After a break, the students headed into their workshops: exploring organoids with Dr. Ines Lahmann in Dr. Mina Gouti’s lab, learning about gene and cell therapies with Dr. Elke Luger, discussing animal research with Nadja Daberkow-Nitsche, understanding CRISPR-Cas9 with Dr. Michael Strehle, debating the ethics of germline intervention with Hannah Schickl, discovering the rescue efforts for the northern white rhino with Dr. Vera Zywitza and Steven Seet, exploring the Max Delbrück Center’s biobank with Dr. Jürgen Janke, and identifying lichens on campus with Uwe Lohmeier.

This year, the startup lab tours received particularly enthusiastic feedback. Companies like FyoniBio, CARTemis Therapeutics GmbH, and Silence Therapeutics welcomed students from biotech-focused high schools, sparking lively conversations and insightful questions.

All in all, it was a fantastic day filled with hands-on science, respectful discussion, molecular insights, visionary researchers – and a big gain in perspective for the students into the world of scientific discovery.

 

Text: Stefanie Mahler, GSCN