Newsroom

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

News

Zoonotic diseases — infections that can pass between animals and humans — are a growing global health challenge, particularly in regions where people live in close contact with wildlife. Understanding these interactions lies at the heart of the One Health approach. The Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) and its partners are now launching their first unique One Health cohort initiative in and around Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, as part of the One Health Exploratories. HIOH is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI).

09.02.2026

HIOH

Large industrial fermentation plant made of stainless steel with multiple reactors

News

Phyton Biotech has successfully transferred the manufacturing process for the microbial production of Corallopyronin A (CorA). CorA is a novel anti-infective agent with the potential to address neglected tropical diseases. This achievement marks a signiﬁcant step forward in the Company’s specialty GMP fermentation capabilities and supports the broader clinical development program led by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

06.02.2026

HZI Campus

HIPS

Two people in lab coats talking in front of a laboratory device

News

On February 5, 2026, the President of the Helmholtz Association, Prof. Martin Keller, visited the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. In an open and cordial atmosphere, Keller took part in a comprehensive program that offered insights into the center's current research work, infrastructure and future prospects. Keller, who has been President of the Helmholtz Association since November 1, 2025, placed particular emphasis on direct interaction with HZI employees.

05.02.2026

HZI Campus

HZI in the media

... unseres Immunsystems zu entziehen. Strukturbiologen des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) konnten nun mittels ...

18.02.2026

Bionity.COM

of our immune system. Structural biologists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have now used cryo-electron microscopy to

16.02.2026

Phys.org

Was es mit Mpox – früher Affenpocken genannt – auf sich hat, welche Symptome erkrankte Personen haben und wie man sich anstecken kann.

13.02.2026

Apotheken Umschau

Julia Port, research group leader at Germany's Helmholtz Center for Infection Research.

"Ongoing outbreaks—particularly those driven by

12.02.2026

Medical Xpress

... Livia Patrono, laut einer Mitteilung des beteiligten Helmholtz-Instituts für One Health (HIOH): Denn dadurch ...

12.02.2026

n-tv

... für den Neubau der Klinik für Strahlentherapie Würzburg sowie für das Helmholtz-Institut für RNA-basierte ...

12.02.2026

mainpost.de

Project

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together

11.02.2026

NewsBreak

by Prof. Hortense Slevogt, Hannover Medical School, and Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, shows that the treatment with PulmoPlas®

10.02.2026

Biotech Investments

... der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover und des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung. „Unsere Methode erfordert nur einen ...

10.02.2026

Health Capital

Fermentation und Aufreinigung, wurde ebenfalls am HZI in der Arbeitsgruppe von Prof. Marc Stadler, stellvertretender ...

06.02.2026

juraforum.de

... gehört habt: Phagen. Spoiler: Was am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) passiert, rettet im Zweifel Leben – ...

05.02.2026

Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland

Mattioli an: Am Helmholtz-Institut für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI), einem Standort des Braunschweiger Helmholtz-Zentrums für ...

04.02.2026

Universitätsklinikum Würzburg

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