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Chunyu Liao im Labor
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New CRISPR element regulates viral defense
What tasks need to be done today, and which is the most urgent? People have to constantly set priorities in their daily life. Bacteria are no different: They too must prioritize when combating viruses with CRISPR. However, it was unclear how this prioritization takes place. Scientists from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg, a joint venture of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and the Julius Maximilian University (JMU) Würzburg, in cooperation with researchers from the universities of Würzburg, Freiburg and Leipzig, have now described an underlying mechanism for the first time. Their study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
21.03.2022
HIRI
Flagge Ukraine
News
Solidarity with Ukraine
03.03.2022
Flaggen Ukraine und EU
News
Solidarity with partners in Ukraine – consequences for science and the humanities
The Alliance of German Science Organisations strongly supports the Federal Government’s consistent action against Russia's belligerent attack on Ukraine, which is in violation of international law.
28.02.2022
Gruppenbild
News
A boost for CRISPR research
For many diseases, the tools of medicine are reaching their limits. CRISPR technologies open new avenues for diagnostics and therapies, although the natural source of CRISPR remains largely untapped. Scientists from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg, a joint venture of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and the Julius Maximilian University (JMU) Würzburg, now demonstrate a new way to study CRISPR systems that can accelerate their conversion into tools. Their approach was published today in the journal Molecular Cell.
24.02.2022
HIRI
Zellen von Listeria monocytogenes
News
Infectious agent offers protection against liver cancer
Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. So far, the treatment options for two types of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), have been inadequate, while the number of new cases has been rising. A study by researchers at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) now offers hope. A vaccine based on a highly attenuated infectious agent called Listeria monocytogenes proved to be safe and effective protection in premalignant and malignant liver diseases in preclinical mouse models.
18.02.2022
HZI Campus
3D-Illustration eines Monozyten
News
Antiviral and anti-inflammatory
An international research team from TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint facility of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and the Hannover Medical School, describes the dual effect of the endogenous substance itaconic acid, which is both antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Their study, which has now appeared in the journal PLoS Pathogens, opens up perspectives for possible therapeutic applications of itaconic acid against severe courses of disease in viral infections. 
17.02.2022
HZI Campus
TWINCORE

HZI in the media

Studie enthüllt versteckte Gefahr: Neue Erkenntnisse zu tödlichem Bakterium

... außerhalb des Magen-Darm-Traktes zu überleben. Das Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) bezeichnet die Clostridien als „ ...

12.05.2025
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Frankfurter Rundschau online
Bakterien: Erfassung der Genaktivität effizienter gemacht

Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg und des Würzburger Helmholtz-Instituts für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI) haben 2020 eine ...

11.05.2025
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Medizin Aspekte
Saarland: 3000 Quadratmeter-Rohbau wird innerhalb von acht Tagen errichtet

Im Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) in Saarbrücken wird Spitzenforschung betrieben. Jetzt bekommt ...

09.05.2025
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Tagesschau
Bacteria: A Breakthrough in Efficient Gene Activity Recording

JMU) Würzburg, in cooperation with the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), have developed and refined a cutting-

08.05.2025
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Bioengineer.org
When citizens are researching

In the “Microbelix” project from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Saarland, citizens can send soil samples from

08.05.2025
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techzle
Under the super microscope: How influenza viruses communicate with cells

triggers of future pandemics. A research team from the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) and the Medical Center—University of

07.05.2025
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Phys.org