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Microscopic image of Streptomyces barkulensis subsp. lavasanensis

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In a close collaboration, researchers from the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures and from the department “Microbial Drugs” at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have discovered two previously unknown natural products. Lavasamycin A and B are produced by the bacterium Streptomyces barkulensis subsp. lavasanensis, which was isolated from a soil sample collected in Lavasan, Iran, and characterized as a new subspecies at the DSMZ. The findings have been published in the renowned journal Journal of Natural Products.

03.11.2026

HZI Campus

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The “Human Microbe Alliance for Universal Health” (HUMAN) project has been underway at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig since fall 2024. The project aims to better understand the complex interaction between humans and microbes. Initially, 32 million euros were provided for this purpose from funds allocated by zukunft.niedersachsen. Following a successful interim evaluation, an additional 38 million euros has now been approved for HUMAN.

30.10.2026

HZI Campus

Group photo of 18 people in formal attire, standing in three rows on a staircase in front of the entrance to a modern building

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The Braunschweig Centre for Systems Biology (BRICS) is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since its foundation, this interdisciplinary and internationally oriented research center has been bringing together researchers from the Life Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. Together, they are working to gain a better understanding of complex biological processes. In doing so, BRICS brings together the scientific expertise of four partner institutions: Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), the German National Metrology Institute (PTB), and the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH (DSMZ).

30.10.2026

BRICS

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Natural products produced by microorganisms are a promising source of new drugs. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and its Saarbrücken-based site, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), have now discovered a new family of such compounds, elucidated their unusual biosynthesis, and developed a way to produce them synthetically. They also found that this class of compounds binds specifically to a human protein involved in the development of cancer. The findings were published in two thematically linked studies in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

26.10.2026

HIPS

HZI Campus

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From October 2026 to July 2027, Prof. Irah King, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, will conduct research at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg, a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). His stay is supported by the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The award is endowed with 60,000 euros.

22.10.2026

HIRI

Schematic graphic on a dark blue background showing the AI-supported protein design process from left to right. On the left, a glowing blue protein structure made of ribbons and helices is shown, with one region highlighted by a dashed orange outline. An arrow leads to a box containing a neural network symbol with blue and orange nodes. A second arrow leads to a newly generated golden protein domain made of helices and loops. The labels below read "Protein context", "AI model" and "Generated protein domain". Image AI-edited.

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New active ingredients for drugs to treat infections, cancer, or other serious diseases are often based on substances originally discovered in microorganisms, plants, or other living organisms. Producing or improving such active ingredients in a targeted manner using microorganisms is often challenging because the underlying biological processes are extremely complex. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now shown that artificial intelligence can help with this task. Using AI, they developed novel protein building blocks for biological production systems. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

21.10.2026

HIPS

HZI Campus

HZI in the media

"Trump ist eine Bedrohung für die Demokratie und Freiheit. Eine Rückkehr in die USA ist beruflich keine Option mehr", so Biologin Dr. Elsa Anderson. Forschenden droht in den USA in der zweiten Amtszeit von Donald Trump der Verlust ihrer wissenschaftlichen Freiheit, sie suchen des

02.11.2026

arte

... nach dem Saarland benannt.

Seit gut drei Jahren läuft das vom Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung ...

02.11.2026

Tagesschau

... antrat, leitete er eine Forschungsgruppe am Helmholtz-Institut für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI) in Würzburg. Vorbeugen ...

30.10.2026

Universitätsklinikum Würzburg

... ist Leiterin der Abteilung Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) und Mitglied der Ständigen Impfkommission ...

30.10.2026

Focus Online

von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen und des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung zwei bislang unbekannte Naturstoffe entdeckt. Die

30.10.2026

Bionity.COM

Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and its Saarland University partner site, the Helmholtz Institute for

27.10.2026

Scienmag Science Magazine

experimental and modeling study led by scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig. The researchers found that

26.10.2026

Bioengineer.org

... am Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) und dessen Saarbrücker Standort, dem Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische ...

26.10.2026

Verband Deutscher Biologen e.V.

Dr. Milan Gerovac, Nachwuchsgruppenleiter am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig, erhält den begehrten ...

24.10.2026

Homburg

heads the Research Group “Molecular Cell Biology” at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), has shed new light on the central

23.10.2026

Health Medicine Network

... “

Das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung: Wissenschaftler:innen am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) untersuchen ...

22.10.2026

DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

... Lange, Leiterin der Abteilung Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig und Mitglied der Ständigen ...

22.10.2026

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HZI in the media

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