Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung

Our mission

 

The focus of our work is the study and investigation of pathogens which are medically relevant or can be used as models for researching infection mechanisms.


Member of the Helmholtz Association.

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

The scientists of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research study the mechanisms involved in infectious diseases and defenses against them: What makes bacteria or viruses turn into disease-causing pathogens? How can we intervene in the infection process?

Latest News

13.01.12

Prof. Lars Zender

Cancer Research Award for HZI Scientist



January 16th, 2012: Lars Zender receives Johann-Georg-Zimmermann Award

Prof. Dr. Lars Zender has received one of the most distinguished German cancer research awards. The Johann-Georg-Zimmermann Award, endowed with 10 000 Euro, highlights Zender’s findings on chronic liver damage and liver cancer development. Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) developed in livers after chronic infection with Hepatitis-B and -C virus. Zender is heading a research group at the...

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03.01.12

Picture of expression of the gusA gene in Streptomyces Tü6071

Treasure Hunt in the Bacterial Genome



EU funds research on Actinomycetes with 1.5 million Euro

A research project aimed at finding new medical compounds in bacteria has now been granted financial support from Brussels. The European Research Council (ERC) will fund the work of Dr. Andriy Luzhetskyy, a junior scientist investigating the genetics of Actinomycetes. This particular group of microorganisms produces a variety of important natural products which play a pivotal role in modern...

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04.12.11

Das funktionelle CinF

Understanding the molecular production line



How natural polyketides are produced “in assembly lines”: HZI researchers decode the molecular structure of synthesizing enzymes

From deadly toxins to curative antibiotics: The polyketides, a class of biologically active compounds, comprise a multitude of metabolites from plants, fungi, bacteria and other organisms.  How does nature produce this remarkably broad spectrum? Researchers of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)...

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09.11.11

Microscopic image of liver tissue sections containing senescent cells.

Immune surveillance against cancer



Early stage tumor suppressionthrough immune surveillance: HZI researchers describe a new mechanism

Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. In the majority of cases hepatocellular carcinoma develops after liver damage due to chronic Hepatitis B- or C virus infections. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Hanover Medical School have now revealed how an intact  immune system is able to recognize...

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13.09.11

S. aureus within a cell

The Exhausted Immune Defence



Scientists from HZI unravel why immune cells tolerate bacteria during a chronic infection.

After an initial acute infection, Staphylococci can persist in our body for a long period of time leading to chronic disease. Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany, have revealed why the body's defense mechanisms fail to completely eliminate the bacteria during a chronic infection. The continuous...

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Our Research

New Strategies against infectious diseases

The focus of our research is the study of pathogens which are medically relevant or can be used as modelsystems for investigating infection mechanisms. Our results lead to new strategies for the fight against infectious diseases.

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About us

Organisation and structure of the HZI

All facts and figures about the HZI at a glance. Learn more about the management of the HZI and about our research funding or find descriptions and campus plans how to visit us. Our organization chart can also be downloaded here.

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Job and Career

Job opportunities at the HZI

Find current job offers at the locations Braunschweig and Saarbrücken. Find out more about training, current graduate and doctoral theses, the HZI graduate school and the school laboratory BioS.

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News and Public Relation

Latest news about the Helmholtz Centre

Read our latest press releases or hear more about our research in the HZI podcasts. In our event calendar you find important dates and a review of past events.

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Publications Search

Publications Search




09.02.2012