Newsroom

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

Das Team des Helmholtz-Instituts für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI) in Würzburg – einem Standort des Braunschweiger ...

12.06.2025

Verband Deutscher Biologen e.V.

University, Uppsala University Hospital, the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Germany, Toronto University in

12.06.2025

News Medical

... Körperzellen. Damit tragen wir, wie das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ( HZI ) es treffend beschreibt, unseren „ganz ...

11.06.2025

Augsburger Allgemeine

Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung Helmholtz-Institut für One Health. Die Abteilung Epidemiologie und ...

10.06.2025

MetropolJournal

Wissenschaftsgeschichte • One Health Surveillance Group des Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) • Professur für Sozialpsychologie ...

08.06.2025

juraforum.de

Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) und des Helmholtz-Instituts für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) haben DataSAIL entwickelt – ein ...

06.06.2025

BigData-Insider

Forscher der Saar-Universität und es Helmholtz-Instituts für pharmazeutische Forschung haben in einem internationalen Forschungsprojekt ...

02.06.2025

Die Rheinpfalz

mimic the function of real organs. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany, led by Dr. Max

01.06.2025

ARCHYDE

Max Kellner und Prof. Josef Penninger – wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) – haben ...

01.06.2025

Regional Heute

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