Millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer every year. In advanced tumor diseases, cancer cells detach from the original tumor and settle in other parts of the body to form metastases. On their way, they have to be distributed via the body’s own transport system, such as blood or the…

During brain development, neurons extend long processes called axons. Axons link different areas of the brain and carry signals within it and to the rest of the body. Growing axons “wire up” the brain by following precise paths through the tissue. Their navigation depends on chemical signals and the…

The process of “epigenetic memory” in nerve cells plays a key role in learning ability, memory function, and healthy brain development. Prof. Tomohisa Toda at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM) aims to investigate how nerve cells preserve a specific set of gene expressions via…