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Electron microscope image of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, illustrating the differences in the size of the bacterial cells.

News

Despite being genetically identical, bacteria can vary considerably in shape and size. Whether these variations affect bacterial function has remained an open question. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the Chair of Microbiology of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have now characterized the functional differences between various forms of the gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. They demonstrated a link between cell type and metabolic function. These findings offer deeper insights into microbial gut diversity and pave the way for new possibilities in microbiome-based therapies. The study was recently published in the journal Cell Reports.

17.06.2025

HZI Campus

HIRI

Students and lecturers of the NOZGEKA Master program in Malawi

News

An efficient global pandemic preparedness and response requires experts who are trained to perform epidemiological studies and infectious disease modelling. The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) leads the consortium NOZGEKA with the aim of establishing a Master of Science in Public Health with a focus on infectious disease epidemiology in Malawi. The University of Münster and Medical Center - University of Freiburg, and University of Livingstonia (UNILIA) and Mzuzu University (MZUNI) in Malawi are collaborators in the consortium.

17.06.2025

HZI Campus

News

Every year, the Controlled Release Society (CRS) honors outstanding individuals who have significantly advanced the field of drug delivery. This year, Prof. Claus-Michael Lehr has been awarded the CRS Distinguished Service Award for his long-standing commitment to the society and his influential contributions to pharmaceutical science.

12.06.2025

HIPS

Three intestinal organoids (gray) with spreading Shigella infection (green)

News

Thanks to lab-grown miniature intestines, researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg in collaboration with Uppsala University in Sweden have successfully mapped how aggressive Shigella bacteria infect the human gut. The study, published today in the journal Nature Genetics, opens the door to using cultured human mini-organs to investigate a wide range of other serious infections.

12.06.2025

HIRI

News

New, resistance-breaking drugs are urgently needed to effectively treat infections with antibiotic-resistant germs in the future. Researchers from Saarbrücken and Vienna have now found a possible starting point for the development of such drugs in the natural product Saarvienin A. This novel molecule is capable of killing bacteria even if they are already resistant to clinically used antibiotics. The researchers published their findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

28.05.2025

HIPS

HZI podcast "InFact" with Theresa Graalmann on the topic autoimmune diseases

News

When our immune system chooses the wrong enemy and turns against our own body, autoimmune diseases can result. Dr. Dr. Theresa Graalmann is a physician and clinician scientist who heads the junior research group “Translational Immunology” at TWINCORE – Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research. In this episode of the HZI podcast InFact, she explains how rheumatism, lupus, and vascular inflammation develop and how doctors and scientists work together to incorporate patient data and state-of-the-art cell analyses directly into the development of new therapeutic approaches.

27.05.2025

TWINCORE

HZI in the media

before and we just didn’t notice?” asks Fabian Leendertz, director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health. He points out that wildlife

25.06.2025

Resurgence

... Samonellen liegen unter Schwarzlicht im Labor des Helmholtz-Zentrums in Braunschweig. Foto: Peter Steffen/dpa ...

23.06.2025

Kurier

Slevogt from the MHH and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (“Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung“; HZI). An application for

23.06.2025

Trading View

... der Universität des Saarlandes , des Helmholtz-Instituts für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) und internationalen Teams ...

19.06.2025

CHIP

Forschende am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig (Niedersachsen) arbeiten an einer neuer Impfstoff-Technologie, die

18.06.2025

17:30 SAT.1 REGIONAL

... machen

Die Studie der Wissenschaftler des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig will daher vor ...

18.06.2025

Cityblick 24

including Dr. Max Kellner and Prof.‌ Josef Penninger of the⁢ Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), explored this ‌resilience.They

17.06.2025

Newsdirectory3

the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the Chair of Microbiology of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

17.06.2025

Phys.org

Instituts für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI), einem Standort des Braunschweiger Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) ...

17.06.2025

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