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Teaser for the podcast with Andreas Keller
News
At first glance, biology and computer science seem like opposites. But wherever enormous amounts of data are generated from research, progress is hardly possible without digital methods. Bioinformatician Prof. Andreas Keller therefore relies on artificial intelligence. He heads the department “Clinical Bioinformatics” at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS). In this episode of InFact, he talks about how AI can help us understand how beneficial and harmful bacteria communicate with each other in our bodies, how to predict when infections will cause long-term effects, and how this can be used to develop new drugs against dangerous pathogens.
16.12.2025
Elisabeth Strunk in the lab
News
Biphenomycins, natural products derived from bacteria, show excellent antimicrobial activity, but have long remained out of reach for drug development. The main obstacle was the limited understanding of how these compounds are produced by their microbial hosts. A research team led by Tobias Gulder, department head at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), has now deciphered the biosynthetic pathway of the biphenomycins, establishing the foundation for their pharmaceutical advancement. The team published its findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
11.12.2025
Maximilian Order awarded to HIRI Director Jörg Vogel by Marcus Söder
News
On December 3, Jörg Vogel, Director of the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research, was honored with the Maximilian Order for Science and Art at a ceremony held in the Antiquarium of the Munich Residence. He received the distinction from Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, who referred to the Free State’s highest honor as the ‘Bavarian Nobel Prize’. HIRI is site of the Braunschweig Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU).
04.12.2025
Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas
Story
On 18–20 November 2025, the Central African Republic (CAR) celebrated its first-ever Dzanga-Sangha Day (La Journée des Aires Protégées de Dzanga-Sangha). Conceived as a three-day national event, the celebration aimed to shine a spotlight on the country’s unique natural heritage and raise awareness of the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA)—an extraordinary conservation landscape in CAR’s remote southwest. Held under the theme “Reconciling Nature, Health and Development”, the event underscored how biodiversity protection, community wellbeing, and scientific research intersect in DSPA. It was co-organized by the Government of the Central African Republic in partnership with WWF and the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH).
03.12.2025
Group photo with 11 people behind a 3D lettering “HZI 60”
News
On November 27, 2025, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) celebrated its 60th anniversary with a ceremony attended by cooperation partners, alumni, and guests from the worlds of science, politics, and industry. The research institution has been located on the Science Campus Braunschweig-Süd since 1965 and underwent several reorientations and renaming in the following decades. Among those offering their congratulations at the ceremony were Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies, the new President of the Helmholtz Association Prof. Martin Keller, and his predecessor and long-time companion of the HZI, Prof. Otmar D. Wiestler.
27.11.2025
Crystal structure of LecA and tolcapone.
News
When the hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa infects the body, it uses the sugar-binding protein LecA to attach itself to human cells, invade them, and form so-called biofilms. LecA thus plays a central role in the development and progression of infections with this pathogen, which is classified as particularly critical by the WHO. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now discovered that the approved Parkinson's drug tolcapone is able to specifically inhibit the activity of LecA. This finding allows the research team to develop new strategies for combating Pseudomonas infections. The researchers published their findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
26.11.2025

HZI in the media

Technologien“ im HUMAN-Projekt am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig . Im Mittelpunkt ihrer Arbeit steht ...

23.08.2026
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Regional Heute

... Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover (MHH) und des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI). Dafür setzten die Forschenden sechs ...

19.08.2026
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Pharmazeutische Zeitung

... Arbeiten am Universitätsklinikum Köln und am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung startet nun die Entwicklung und GMP- ...

19.08.2026
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

available genomic resources. HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University.

14.08.2026
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News Medical

... verfügbaren genomischen Ressourcen erheblich. HIPS ist ein Standort des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung in Zusammenarbeit ...

12.08.2026
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

... nennen wären da zum Beispiel das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung oder aber das Deutsche Zentrum für ...

11.08.2026
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news38

Ein Forschungsteam am Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) hat nun eine Reihe synthetischer ...

07.08.2026
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ZMK - Zahnheilkunde Management Kultur

des HIRI kooperieren hierbei mit dem Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) und dem Helmholtz-Institut für One Health (HIOH). Ein

06.08.2026
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Börse Express

... beschleunigen

 

Das DFKI hat zusammen mit dem Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS), der ...

02.08.2026
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SR Saarländischer Rundfunk

... Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik (NFF) oder dem Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI).

 

Am 24. März 19973 ...

01.08.2026
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t-online.de

... including to Germany, for further testing. Professor Fabian Leendertz at the Helmholtz Institute for One ...

31.07.2026
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Deutsche Welle

Spannend: Am Exponat des Helmholtz-Instituts Saarland kann man nach Bodenbakterien suchen. | Foto: Ilja C. ...

30.07.2026
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Die Rheinpfalz

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