Newsroom

3D illustration of the cytomegalovirus
News
The protective effect of established COVID-19 vaccines is initially very robust, but wanes relatively quickly. This limitation imposes a need for periodic booster shots, which drives vaccine hesitation. In contrast, an innovative vector vaccine developed at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) presents a compelling alternative. It elicits prolonged immune response in animal models, and maintains its efficacy over extended time. The concept employs an animal cytomegalovirus (MCMV; murine cytomegalovirus) as the vector that expresses and delivers the coronavirus spike protein information. Crucially, this vector poses no threat to humans, enhancing the vaccine's safety profile.
20.08.2024
Preview of sCIRCLE
News
Modern cutting-edge research generates enormous amounts of data, presenting scientists with the challenge of visualizing and analyzing it. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg and the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) have developed a tool for visualizing large data sets. The sCIRCLE tool allows users to explore single-cell analysis data in an interactive and user-friendly way. Their results have been published in the journal NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.
30.07.2024
3D culture of hair follicles with three hairs.
News
Hair follicle infections are often difficult to treat because bacteria settle in the gap between hair and skin, where it is difficult for active substances to reach them. In order to investigate this scenario more closely in the laboratory, researchers from the Department of Drug Delivery Across Biological Barriers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now developed a model with human hair follicles embedded in a matrix produced using 3D printing. In the future, this model can be used to test the effectiveness of new drug candidates against corresponding pathogens directly on human follicles. The team has published their results in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
29.07.2024
Graphical representation of the world
News
In the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of government-ordered measures to contain the pandemic, such as regular testing and the wearing of medical masks, was repeatedly called into question. Through a large-scale analysis of viral genome data, a working group led by DZIF researcher Prof Alice McHardy at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has now discovered that significantly fewer new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus entered Germany in connection with the introduction of certain measures such as the wearing of medical masks and free access to rapid antigen tests.
18.07.2024
Dr. Chantal Bader in the lab.
Interview
Dr. Chantal Bader is the first candidate of the Young AcademiXX program at Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with Saarland University. After completing her PhD in the HIPS Department Microbial Natural Products, she spent just over two years as a postdoctoral researcher in Ben Shen's group at the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology in Florida, USA. She has now returned to Saarbrücken and is laying the foundation for her future scientific career with her participation in the Young AcademiXX program. In this interview, she talks about her connection to HIPS, her plans for the future and how Young AcademiXX is helping her to put them into practice.
18.07.2024
Lina Herhaus (top left), Martin Jahn (top right), Milan Gerovac (bottom left) and Natalia Torow (bottom right) are MICROSTAR junior research group leaders at HZI.
News
At the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, four young scientists will start their work in late summer and fall 2024 to investigate resilience mechanisms of microbes and humans. As part of the MICROSTAR (Microbial Stargazing) project, Lina Herhaus, Martin Jahn, Milan Gerovac and Natalia Torow were recruited in a highly competitive process. Over an initial period of five years, their research groups will investigate cutting edge issues related to signal transmission in infections, the intestinal microbiome, bacteriophages and the development of immunity.
17.07.2024

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
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Resurgence

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

23.06.2025
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Kurier

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

23.06.2025
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Trading View

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

19.06.2025
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CHIP

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

18.06.2025
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17:30 SAT.1 REGIONAL

... machen

 

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

18.06.2025
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Cityblick 24

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

17.06.2025
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Phys.org

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

17.06.2025
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

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

17.06.2025
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Newsdirectory3

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