News

12/08/2026 | Ribosomes, the protein factories of our cells, have difficulties building large proteins residing in cellular membranes, a new study finds / publication in “The EMBO Journal”

24/07/2026 | A research team at the University of Cologne has discovered a previously unknown link between the oxidative folding of proteins and the formation of the vital molecule haem. The findings show how mitochondria (known as the powerhouses of the cell) maintain their function and could help us to better understand rare metabolic disorders.

24/07/2026 | Researchers from University Hospital Cologne, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have reported a remarkable clinical case in the New England Journal of Medicine that provides new insights into the evolution of bacterial pathogens.

13/07/2026 | From July 14-17, the exhibition ship “MS Wissenschaft” will be docked in Cologne, inviting visitors to explore the medicine of the future. On July 14, Cologne-based scientists will answer questions about their research during the interactive "Meet the Scientists" event.

01/07/2026 | The CMMC Summer Edition brought together outstanding scientific exchange, the recognition of long-standing commitment, and personal interaction in a memorable evening moderated by Professor Claus Cursiefen.

30/06/2026 | At the beginning of July, scientists will leave the lecture hall behind and bring their research to Cologne’s city centre / Talks allow the public to learn and join in on the discussion

30/06/2026 | In a recent interview with DER SPIEGEL, Professor Esther von Stebut, MD, Director of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at University Hospital Cologne, explains the key factors that can damage the skin and outlines effective strategies for protecting it.

26/06/2026 | The Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) is pleased to announce the election of its new leadership team for the current funding period. Prof. Sabine Eming has been elected as CMMC Chairperson. Prof. Günter Schwarz will continue to serve as CMMC Vice Chairperson. Prof. Jonathan Jantsch has been elected CMMC Vice Chairperson, bringing an additional perspective to the leadership team.

24/06/2026 | According to the German Society of Nephrology, more than nine million people in Germany are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). All of them face a significantly increased risk of developing life-threatening cardiovascular disease.

19/06/2026 | On June 23, 2026, the Medical Society of the University of Cologne welcomes Professor Martin Chalfie, one of the most influential biologists of our time, to Cologne. Professor Chalfie was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for introducing green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a biological marker, a method that has fundamentally transformed modern biomedicine.

16/06/2026 | A research team from the University of Cologne has identified a new approach for treating particularly aggressive pancreatic cancer. It makes use of a genetic mutation that allows the immune system to attack the cancer cells again / publication in ‘Nature Communications’

15/06/2026 | The CEN establishes a cross-campus center of cutting-edge university medicine with particular significance for NRW. The university hospitals and medical faculties of Cologne, Aachen, and Düsseldorf are pooling their outstanding expertise in nephrology, transplant medicine, and geriatric research into a joint structure for excellence in research, care, and translation.

10/06/2026 | On Thursday, June 11, 2026, the City of Cologne will host the event “Hitze im Veedel – Infostand und Hitzespaziergang in Köln-Ehrenfeld“. As a cooperating partner, the project “DIE SONNE UND WIR” will participate with an interactive UV protection area. The entire event is part of the nationwide Heat Action Day and organized by the City of Cologne’s Office for Environmental and Consumer Protection and the Public Health Department.

08/06/2026 | Ruth Hanßen - associated member at the CMMC - Appointed W2 Professor of Prevention of Metabolic Diseases

21/05/2026 | Dr. Elisa Motori, principal investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) and the CECAD Research Center, has been awarded funding through the prestigious Plus 3 program of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation.

19/05/2026 | Researchers from the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) found that the lipid known as cardiolipin is crucial for keeping the immune response in the gut under control.

18/05/2026 | The Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1530 on the research and treatment of B-cell neoplasms will receive 10.3 million euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for another three and a half years.

06/05/2026 | Experts from University Hospital Cologne and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne are coordinating a new research project aimed at making the reporting of cancer cases to the North Rhine-Westphalia State Cancer Registry significantly more efficient.

04/05/2026 | Faculty of Medicine’s Sustainability Working Group, led by Dr. Dr. Tomo Saric, Receives 2025 University Sustainability Award

24/04/2026 | Researchers have discovered that a key protein, cFLIP, is essential for regulating programmed cell death in lymphoma cells. This discovery provides insights into the mechanisms of this cancer’s cell death evasion and could open up new therapeutic routes for patients who do not respond to therapies.

08/04/2026 | ENT specialist assumes co-chair of certification program for head and neck cancer centers

06/04/2026 | Study Indicates Potential Efficacy of FGFR Inhibitors in Tumors with FGFR1 Mutation

02/04/2026 | An international research team led by the University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Cologne has made significant progress in fighting a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The project is funded by North Rhine-Westphalia and the EU with two million euros.

31/03/2026 | Researchers at the University of Cologne show that three different proteins work together as a complex to maintain the cell’s quality control / publication in “Nucleic Acid Research”

09/03/2026 | Promising doctoral theses honored - On March 4, 2026, doctoral students Anna-Maria Baleff, Jule Müller, and Ellen Weber were honored with the Research Track Project Award from the Faculty of Medicine.

06/03/2026 | Researchers have discovered a previously unknown signalling cascade that determines how powerful our innate immune system responds to virus infections. This discovery has broad implications for inflammatory diseases, cancer, and neurodegeneration

06/03/2026 | Researchers from the University of Cologne and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry show that the targeted interaction of two proteins ensures that a key control mechanism in the formation of proteins functions with precision

25/02/2026 | MoSaic project investigates molecular resistance mechanisms / German Cancer Aid is funding a joint project on salivary gland carcinomas with €1.06 million. The funds are being granted as part of the 12th call for proposals (2025) for the “Translational Oncology” funding priority.

25/02/2026 | Focus on progress in age-related diseases / The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) is providing a total of €11.8 million over 10 years to fund a program focused on age-related diseases for clinically active specialists with research ambitions at the Faculty of Medicine.

20/02/2026 | A research team at the University of Cologne has developed an artificial DNA base pair that works according to a new chemical principle. In contrast to natural bases, the novel artificial base pairs use halogen bonds that are enzymatically incorporated into DNA / publication in the ‘Journal of the American Chemical Society’

18/02/2026 | New prospects for vaccine and therapeutic development against HIV-1 - An international research team has identified a novel HIV antibody that attacks the virus at a particularly vulnerable site, overcoming the limitations of known antibodies.

13/02/2026 | Studies show for the first time how functional tests can clarify genetic false alarms and protect families from irreversible therapies and substantial costs

06/02/2026 | Deltafluorine shows initial success in treating difficult-to-treat form of cancer

30/01/2026 | Physician and scientist succeeds Anne-Sophie Mutter - The Board of Trustees and Executive Board of German Cancer Aid have elected Prof. Rita Schmutzler as the new president of the non-profit organization.

28/01/2026 | The NEWHEART projects develop a new treatment option after heart attacks. ERC funding of 150,000 euros over 18 months allows researchers to explore the commercial or societal potential of their work

19/01/2026 | Cooperation with anesthesiology in new glaucoma project on iron metabolism in the eye - The Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1607, which focuses on age-related blinding eye diseases, is the only SFB in Germany's field of ophthalmology funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

23/12/2025 | Researchers at the University of Cologne discovered a new mechanism used by one of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer to escape treatment, paving the way for more efficient future therapies

18/12/2025 | The Cologne-based research project, INNOPAK, aims to develop innovative, precise antibodies to fight infections caused by antibiotic-resistant "Pseudomonas aeruginosa" bacteria.

15/12/2025 | During its winter meeting at the Reichshospital in Copenhagen, the Danish Ophthalmological Society (DOS) awarded the prestigious Bjerrum Medal to University Professor Dr. Claus Cursiefen,

12/12/2025 | Scientists have initiated a study to investigate whether dapagliflozin, an already approved drug from the SGLT2 inhibitors group, can positively affect the course of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)

05/12/2025 | Researchers from Cologne developed an AI method to recover missing data from animal movement recordings and to efficiently quantify behaviour / publication in “Nature Methods”

04/12/2025 | Outstanding achievements in medical research for the Director of the Department of Cardiology at the Heart Center of Cologne University Hospital and Executive Board Member at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne

28/11/2025 | Researchers have decoded the signalling pathway that inhibits nerve regeneration in diabetes and have developed a therapeutic peptide that could transform the treatment - and possibly even the prevention - of diabetic nerve damage / published in Science Translational Medicine.

19/11/2025 | The University Hospital Cologne has partnered with the patient organizations "ALK Positive Europe" and "ZIELGENAU" to pioneer research into a rare form of lung cancer.

13/11/2025 | The University of Cologne is once again represented in the international ranking of ‘Highly Cited Researchers’, which is published annually by Clarivate Analytics based on information from the ‘Web of Science’ publication database.

11/11/2025 | First biomarkers for rapid diagnosis and targeted therapy / Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's leading infectious diseases. Infection with the bacterium "Mycobacterium tuberculosis" primarily affects the lungs, but in up to 25 percent of all infected individuals, it also affects other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, bones, or brain.

06/11/2025 | In a joint project, the two University of Cologne scientists are investigating mutations of viral pathogens in connection with the immune response. The European Research Council awards ERC Synergy Grants to interdisciplinary groups of two to four excellent researchers.

05/11/2025 | Over half a million euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) goes to Prof. Dr. Miguel Alejandre Alcazar (Translational Experimental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, associated to the CMMC, University Hospital Cologne Institute for Lung Health, Justus Liebig University Giessen) and Dr. Julian Wagner (Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Frankfurt)

04/11/2025 | Antibodies against virulence factors of "Pseudomonas aeruginosa" could become an alternative to antibiotics in the future. A team from Cologne University Hospital has been awarded the 2025 "Galenus von Pergamon Prize" for basic research for its work in this field.

03/11/2025 | Researchers from the University of Cologne discovered how a specific dietary amino acid increases cellular energy, opening new possibilities for treating metabolic diseases