Newsroom

Die grüne Immunfärbung des Hepatitis E Virus Kapsidproteins in den Plazentazellen weist die Replikation des Virus in diesen nach.
News
Hepatitis E virus infections are usually subclinical and are considered as an underrated disease by physicians. The number of infections worldwide is estimated at 20 million infected people per year. In our latitudes, primarily people with weakened immune systems get sick. In Asia and Africa, however, a different genotype is present, which is a serious threat to a very special population group: pregnant women. One in four pregnant women dies there as a result of a hepatitis E infection. Scientists at TWINCORE have now investigated the differences in regional hepatitis E types in order to explore treatment approaches against this highly dangerous variant for pregnant women. With their investigations, they first developed a cell model with which they can test drugs for their suitability against hepatitis E. The project was funded by the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).
09.02.2018
Bakterien der Art Yersinia pseudotuberculosis dringen in menschliches Gewebe ein.
News
Each year, bacteria of the Yersinia genus cause several thousand cases of gastrointestinal infections in Germany alone. In most cases, the human immune system manages to eliminate the bacteria. But in a fraction of the afflicted individuals, a chronic infection develops that can promote the manifestation of autoimmune diseases in the long term. Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig recently discovered the trick these Yersinia germs use to hide from the immune system: They reduce the production of a toxin by means of which they promote the inflammation of the afflicted tissue during an acute infection. As a result, the inflammation subsides allowing the bacteria to escape the attention of the immune system. The researchers published their results in PLOS Pathogens.
08.02.2018
Petra Dersch wurde in die Europäische Akademie für Mikrobiologie aufgenommen.
News
In January, Prof Petra Dersch, Head of the Department of Molecular Infection Biology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, was admitted to the European Academy of Microbiology. The Academy has been in existence since 2009 and has set itself the goal of promoting microbiological research in Europe and further strengthening exchange between scientists.
07.02.2018
Butyrat-bildende Bakterien ernähren die Darmzellen und wirken antientzündlich.
News
Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, is produced by intestinal bacteria and serves as the main energy source of intestinal cells. It is a main factor for human health as well since it strengthens the intestinal epithelium and stabilises the local immune defence. Chronic butyrate deficiency is associated with diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. This fact has moved this short chain fatty acid and the bacteria producing it into the spotlight of current microbiome research, which previously focused mainly on the investigation of individual bacterial species. Scientists of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) recently developed a workflow that allows the large diversity of butyrate-producing intestinal bacteria to be discovered and thus the entire butyrate-producing potential of complex bacterial communities to be investigated. The researchers were able to show that, on average, more than 20 different butyrate-producing species can be detected in the intestines of a person and have the potential to adapt to different environmental conditions leading, all taken together, to the preservation of human health. The researchers recently published their results in mSystems.
08.01.2018
Protein structure
News
Carolacton is a natural product with antibiotic properties that is produced by soil-dwelling microorganisms. Researchers of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) recently discovered that the bacterial agent inhibits a key enzyme of the metabolism of folic acid. This metabolic pathway exists in most living organisms and is essential for the growth of the organism since it is involved in the production of DNA components. Since this applies to humans also, the use of carolacton as an antibiotic might be difficult. But this target enzyme is needed strongly by rapidly growing cancer cells, which means that the growth of these cells can be inhibited by carolacton. The new evidence shows that carolacton and agents derived from this substance may be used as inhibitors in future cancer therapies. The researchers recently published their results in Nature Communications.
20.12.2017
Smartphone
News
German scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) in Braunschweig and Nigerian researchers are applying the new mobile information system for the first time to combat a monkeypox outbreak in Nigeria. The monkeypox epidemic has spread since September 2017 and, by now, afflicts 128 patients in 14 federal states in Nigeria. The name of the system, SORMAS, stands for "Surveillance, Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System". It captures and analyses data upon the outbreak of dangerous infectious diseases, recognises potential hazards and manages necessary control measures at an early point in time. In line with the technological status of West African countries, the system is based mainly on mobile tablets or phones. It allows laboratories and hospitals to network with each other and to exchange epidemiological data in real-time.
14.12.2017

HZI in the media

could be reintroduced at any time. Epidemiologists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have now shown that many people do

23.10.2025
|
MSN.com

... eingeschleppt werden könnte. Epidemiolog:innen des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) haben nun gezeigt, dass ...

23.10.2025
|
innovations report

this development, a research team at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), in collaboration with the Swiss

22.10.2025
|
Phys.org

Malaria-Medikamentes ermöglichen könnte. Das HIPS ist ein Standort des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung in Zusammenarbeit mit ...

22.10.2025
|
Verband Deutscher Biologen e.V.

(Bild: DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c08354 / Hips / CC BY 4.0) Wissenschaftler am Hips entwickelten eine Plattform zur Produktion von Furanoliden, die effektiv gegen Bakterien und Krebszellen wirken können und vielversprechende Wirkstoffe darstellen.

21.10.2025
|
PROCESS

at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), in partnership with the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI

20.10.2025
|
Bioengineer.org

their biological activity. HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University.

20.10.2025
|
Phys.org

... die Abteilung „Experimentelle Immunologie“ am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig, lehrt als Professor an ...

17.10.2025
|
Deutsches Ärzteblatt

Einrichtungen als nationale assoziierte Partner: das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung Braunschweig, die Universität Bayreuth, das

17.10.2025
|
AlphaGalileo

... diesem Ergebnis kommt ein Forschungsteam des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Zusammenarbeit mit der ...

14.10.2025
|
Deutsches Ärzteblatt

Individualisierte Infektionsmedizin, einer gemeinsamen Einrichtung des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung und der MHH. Bis zuletzt

13.10.2025
|
Springer

Ein Grippe-Test könnte in Zukunft womöglich sehr schnell gehen: einfach ein Kaugummi kauen. Ein deutsches ...

09.10.2025
|
Apotheken Umschau

Register now for the HZI-Newsletter