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Bats are known as natural hosts for highly pathogenic viruses such as MERS- and SARS-related coronaviruses, as well as the Marburg and Nipah viruses. In contrast to the severe and often fatal disease outcomes these viruses cause in humans, bats generally do not show obvious signs of viral illness following infection. An international research team led by Dr. Max Kellner and Prof. Josef Penninger, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), has developed an innovative organoid research platform that allowed them to closely investigate the cellular antiviral defense mechanisms of mucosal epithelial tissues of bats. The results have now been published in Nature Immunology and could pave the way for the development of new therapies against viral diseases.

Natural products are among the most promising candidates for the development of new drugs. However, due to their structural complexity, they are often difficult to access. A team headed by Tobias Gulder from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now developed new synthetic strategies for the class of polycyclic tetramate macrolactams (PoTeMs), a group of natural products with a broad spectrum of biological activities. In addition to chemical synthesis, enzymatic catalysis and genetic engineering approaches were used. The strategies established in this way not only allow PoTeMs to be produced in large quantities, but also to modify their carbon structure and thus their pharmaceutical properties. The researchers published their results in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, among others.

Influenza viruses are among the most likely triggers of future pandemics. A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has developed a method that can be used to study the interaction of viruses with host cells in unprecedented detail. With the help of their new development, they have also analyzed how novel influenza viruses use alternative receptors to enter target cells. The results were recently published in two papers in the journal Nature Communications.

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has a lot to offer its doctoral candidates: Together with renowned partner institutions, the center has developed high-quality doctoral programs that impart in-depth expertise in innovative future disciplines and train the specialists of tomorrow. In addition to a first-class scientific education at one of the leading health research institutions, young scientists at HZI have the opportunity to expand their interdisciplinary knowledge and gain valuable additional skills in areas such as management and soft skills.

Every two years, the MDPI Sustainability Foundation presents the Tu Youyou Award for outstanding achievements in the fields of natural product and medicinal chemistry. This year, Rolf Müller is one of two researchers to receive the award for his work on developing new antibiotics based on microbial natural products. The prize was established in 2016 in honor of Chinese Nobel Prize winner Tu Youyou and comes with a total prize money of 100,000 Swiss francs.

Fusobacteria, which are part of the oral microbiome, are suspected of playing a role in cancer progression. Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) are working on innovative strategies to inhibit the spread of these bacteria. Antisense molecules, which could serve as programmable, targeted antibiotics, show great promise. In a recent study, a research team led by Jörg Vogel identified a compound that effectively halts the growth of five Fusobacterium species. The findings were published today in the journal mBio.