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The 2nd EBM Update Meeting, held on January 31, 2025, at the Max-Planck-Zentrum in Erlangen, provided a dynamic platform for progress updates on research areas and cross-sectional projects. Researchers shared insights, discussed advancements, and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring future success in EBM initiatives.

The EBM team extends heartfelt congratulations to Frauke Wilm, a former researcher in subproject X02, on the successful defense of her dissertation entitled “Cross-Domain Generalization of Deep Learning-Based Image Analysis Algorithms in Histopathology,” held on January 23, 2025.

The second year of EBM brought significant progress, strengthened collaboration, and remarkable achievements in brain mechanics research. Highlights include dynamic events, innovative outreach, and growing support for young scientists. This report reflects our journey and hints at an exciting path ahead.

The 2nd EBM Retreat took place on October 10 and 11, 2024, at the Fraunhofer Research Campus in Waischenfeld, nestled in the beautiful Franconian Switzerland. This retreat offered an excellent opportunity for researchers to present their work, engage in networking, and collaboratively explore new ideas.

On October 10, 2024, Daniel Wehner was honored with the prestigious Rising Star Award by the International Society for Regenerative Biology (ISRB). This award recognizes emerging scientists who are pioneering new approaches in the field of regenerative biology and whose research has made a lasting impact.

On October 8, 2024, the latest (post-)doctoral researchers' seminar was held at the Leuchs-Russell Auditorium, located in the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. The seminar featured presentations by Oskar Neumann (Project B01: In silico Modeling of Spinal Cord Regeneration) and Maria Tarczewska (Project B02: Pre- and Post-Metamorphosis Spinal Cord Regeneration in Frogs).

At the seminar on July 12, Yashasvi Verma and Laura Ruhland presented project X01, focusing on reconciling ex vivo and in vivo data. L. Ruhland discussed hydrogels' testing, sparking lively debate, while Y. Verma highlighted modeling vascular structures in the brain for MRE experiments.

Congratulations to Daniel Wehner on winning the Hilde Mangold Science Prize! As a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Wehner's groundbreaking work in neuroregeneration has earned him this prestigious award. His research on scar formation and nerve regeneration in zebrafish versus mammals has made significant strides in understanding spinal cord injury recovery. The award was presented at the 25th Meeting of the German Society for Developmental Biology in Osnabrück.