Three men against a blue background
© HZI / Marek Kruszewski
Prof Josef Penninger (Scientific Director of the HZI) with Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk (State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space) and Christian Scherf (Administrative Director of the HZI).
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BMFTR State Secretary Rolf-Dieter Jungk Visits the HZI

Focus on MICROSTAR junior research groups and organoid technology

On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), Dr. Rolf-Dieter Jungk, visited the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. Led by HZI Directors Prof. Josef Penninger and Christian Scherf, as well as Prof. Theresia Stradal, spokesperson for the HZI campus in Braunschweig, he gained a comprehensive insight into the center’s cutting-edge research. The visit focused on the junior research research groups of the BMFTR-funded MICROSTAR program as well as the HZI’s organoid platform.

The Microbial Stargazing (MICROSTAR) program was established at the HZI with approximately 30 million euros in funding from the BMFTR. Within the framework of this funding, several junior research group leaders were recruited to HZI and extensive measures to support young scientists were implemented. Since 2024, four MICROSTAR junior group leaders have been conducting research on cutting-edge topics related to signal transduction in infections, the gut microbiome, bacteriophages, and the development of immunity.

Dr. Natalia Torow, head of the group “Early Life Immunity”, presented her research, which studies the development of the immune system in the first years of life and how these early experiences influence long-term health. Dr. Martin Jahn, head of the group “Bacterial Infection Ecology”, shed light on the complex microbial communities in the gut microbiome. Dr. Milan Gerovac, head of the group “Complexes in Phage-infected Cells”, presented his work, which opens new avenues for the development of phage-based therapies.

People in the lab
© HZI / Marek Kruszewski
f.l.t.r.: Dr Milan Gerovac (Head of the group “Complexes in Phage-infected Cells"), Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk (BMFTR State Secretary), Dr Natalia Torow (Head of the group “Early Life Immunity”)
Two people in the lab
© HZI / Marek Kruszewski
Dr Kristin Metzdorf, Deputy head of the department „Innovative Organoid-Forschung“, with State Secretary Rolf-Dieter Jungk.

As part of the visit’s program, State Secretary Jungk also toured the department “Innovative Organoid Research” led by Josef Penninger. There, Dr. Kristin Metzdorf, deputy head of the department, presented how artificially generated mini-organs derived from human stem cells help investigate infections in a realistic biological environment. The establishment of the organoid platform at the HZI, where an AI-supported cell culture robot cultivates up to 40,000 organoids per month, allows standardized experiments to be conducted on a larger scale.

Further Information

MICROSTAR program of HZI

[Translate to English:] Charlotte Schwenner

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  • Press Image_01 Prof Josef Penninger (Scientific Director of the HZI) with Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk (State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space) and Christian Scherf (Administrative Director of the HZI).
    jpg (2.19 MB)
  • Press image_02 Dr Kristin Metzdorf, Deputy head of the department „Innovative Organoid-Forschung“, with State Secretary Rolf-Dieter Jungk
    jpg (2.09 MB)
  • Press image_03 f.l.t.r.: Dr Milan Gerovac (Head of the group “Complexes in Phage-infected Cells"), Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk (BMFTR State Secretary), Dr Natalia Torow (Head of the group “Early Life Immunity”)
    jpg (1.80 MB)

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