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Symbolic image of a baby in a bubble made of technical particles

News

Maternal health during pregnancy plays a critical role in shaping the long-term health of her child. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together with partners at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, are investigating how maternal inflammatory conditions influence immune development in newborns. The project focuses on immune cells in the oral and intestinal mucosa, key tissues that form the body’s first line of defense against pathogens. The researchers aim to understand how these immune compartments are shaped early in life and how this may influence the child’s susceptibility to infections, inflammatory diseases, and vaccine responses later in life.

09.03.2026

HZI Campus

[Translate to English:] Getrocknetes Salz und Mukus in Atemflüssigkeit

News

When viruses infect the respiratory tract, they first come into contact with a viscous gel called mucus. Only viruses that can overcome this layer on the cells of the mucous membranes are able to infect a host. In the joint project ONEMUC, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with 4.3 million euros, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and cooperation partners are investigating the role of mucus as a barrier in the transmission of zoonotic influenza A viruses. At the HZI, group leaders Prof. Christian Sieben and Dr Julia Port are investigating how mucus and environmental factors influence virus transmission. The five-year project started on March 1, 2026.

03.03.2026

HZI Campus

Two researchers examine a Petri dish in the laboratory.

Story

The microbiome performs a variety of health-maintaining functions in the body. The microbes can produce nutrients, dampen inflammation or displace pathogens. In order to fulfill all these tasks, the microbiome must be in balance. For the microbiome, this means first and foremost that it is as diverse as possible. This makes it harder for harmful microorganisms to find a niche to live in. If microbiome diversity decreases or harmful germs dominate, there is a risk of inflammation, infections or chronic diseases - and this is precisely where the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) comes in. Using “microbiome engineering”, Dr. Lisa Osbelt-Block and Prof. Till Strowig are specifically editing the gut microbiome to prevent disease.

19.02.2026

HZI Campus

Graphical representation of a cross-section Cryo-EM structure.

News

Most bacteria, including many bacterial pathogens, are surrounded by an outer protective layer of sugar molecules, known as a capsule. This primarily protects the bacteria from environmental influences, but also serves as a kind of cloak of invisibility, enabling them to evade the phagocytes of our immune system. Structural biologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have now used cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the central Wza-Wzc protein complex, with which sugar molecules pass from the interior of the bacterial cell to the outside, in three dimensions at the atomic level for the first time. Their investigations also show how the channel is formed and which molecular players are involved in the active transport of sugar molecules through the channel. The researchers hope that their study will help identify target structures for potential drugs that could inhibit or completely prevent the formation of the bacterial capsule in the future. This would also make such bacterial pathogens vulnerable to attack by the immune system. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) in Hamburg and has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

16.02.2026

HZI Campus

CSSB

News

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together with an interdisciplinary team of partners, have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) as a likely natural reservoir of the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Their study was published today in the renowned scientific journal Nature. The discovery was based on the detailed investigation of an mpox outbreak among wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. Scientists combined ecological, behavioral and molecular evidence to document, for the first time, the interspecies transmission of MPXV in the wild, from fire-footed rope squirrels to sooty mangabeys.

11.02.2026

HIOH

Futuristic transparent medicine capsule with glowing digital data particles

News

The Helmholtz Association is launching a nationwide biomedical engineering initiative to accelerate technology development and transfer activities. Led by its established Health Centers, “Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering” brings together cutting-edge infrastructure and expertise to collaboratively develop innovative solutions for continuous health monitoring, disease prevention, earlier detection and more personalized diagnostic and therapy. Building on regional academic strength and through fostering industry collaborations, this national initiative aims to excel Germany’s position as global hub for biomedical engineering and health technology innovations.

09.02.2026

HZI in the media

... sich auch das Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland ( HIPS ), das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ( HZI ) ...

09.04.2026

Deutsches Ärzteblatt

... ÖAW in Wien und nun Gruppenleiter am Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig, forscht an ...

08.04.2026

DerStandard.de

... group within the Microstar Program at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and a ...

31.03.2026

Informations Dienst Wissenschaft

... an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover und am Helmholtz Institut für Infektionen in Braunschweig die Wirkung ...

28.03.2026

Hamburger Abendblatt

led by wildlife veterinarian Fabian Leendertz, who heads the Helmholtz Institute for One Health, took hundreds of samples from meat and

27.03.2026

Science.org

Gesellschaft. Apropos Standort Braunschweig: Auch das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung HZI, in dessen Räumlichkeiten auf dem ...

27.03.2026

transkript

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

After infection with SARS-CoV-2, up to 10 percent of people in Germany go on to develop Long COVID.

26.03.2026

Mirage.News

... von verschiedenen Hörnchen, wie jüngste Erkenntnisse des Helmholtz Instituts für One Health in Greifswald kürzlich ...

26.03.2026

Tagesschau

zur Bekämpfung der Tuberkulose und des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung erstellt. Zahlreiche weitere Fachgesellschaften und

24.03.2026

Deutsches Ärzteblatt

... fünf Teams durch, darunter PROTON vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung. Dieses entwickelt einen neuartigen Wirkstoff gegen ...

22.03.2026

Ad Hoc News

Vor allem durch die Coronapandemie sind Forschende des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung in den vergangenen Jahren bundesweit bekannt geworden. Auf welche Themen die Einrichtung für die Zukunft setzt.

20.03.2026

Deutsches Ärzteblatt

... beschäftigt sich daneben unter dem Dach des Helmholtz Institutes für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) ...

18.03.2026

Biermann Medizin

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