Newsroom

Illustration of a large monocyte surrounded by smaller red blood cells
News
Not only does our body change with age, but so does our immune system. A recent study led by the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) shows exactly how immune cells age and how infections and vaccinations can influence this process. The CiiM is a joint initiative of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH). Using a big data approach, the researchers have developed a computer model called the “Single-Cell Immune Aging Clock”, which can be used to determine aging processes within individual immune cells. The scientists are making the innovative aging clock freely available for further research. They hope that it will serve as a useful tool to better understand the aging processes of the immune system, particularly with the context of infectious diseases and immune disorders. The study has been published in the journal Nature Aging.
19.03.2025
Wild snake stew
Interview
Bushmeat, the meat of wild animals hunted for food, is consumed across cultures and considered a delicacy in most parts of the world. Especially in sub-Saharan Africa, it still represents a major fraction of the proteins consumed. However, the close contact between humans and diverse tropical wildlife species — potentially harboring a wide variety of pathogens — poses a significant risk for the transmission of zoonotic diseases. The project "BehaviorChange: Co-creating and evaluating behavioral change interventions for reducing the zoonotic risk associated with wildlife consumption" aims to characterize the zoonotic risks associated with bushmeat consumption in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, and to understand its socio-economical drivers.
14.03.2025
Portrait Prof Dr Fabian Leendertz
News
Regarding the current reporting on the origin of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, Prof. Fabian Leendertz, Director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), makes the following statement: “Based on the data published to date, it can be assumed that the transmission to humans took place via intermediate hosts (e.g. animal farms), as the contacts and risks are much higher there. This data has been published in various WHO reports and relevant peer-reviewed scientific publications. If there is now other and new data that supports an origin in the laboratory, then that is a different picture. We now have to wait until this data has been examined and reviewed by experts.”
13.03.2025
Portrait Natalia Torow
Interview
Dr Natalia Torow researches the immune system of newborns, seeking to understand how it responds to pathogens and vaccinations to better prevent early-life infections. Since 2024, she has led the junior research group "Early Life Immunity" at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, introducing a new research focus to the institution. In this interview, she discusses the neonatal immune system’s "silent mode," her goal of optimizing oral vaccines, and how she balances life as a researcher with family responsibilities.
06.03.2025
Podcast with Julia Port
News
In May 2022, alarming headlines emerged: A mysterious and deadly disease was spreading in Central Africa. Was this the beginning of a new pandemic? Today, we know that it was Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), a viral disease that has once again been declared a public health emergency. In this episode of the HZI podcast Infact, Dr Julia Port, head of the research group “Laboratory of Transmission Immunology” at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), discusses virus transmission and the role of the immune system. Her research bridges immunology, viral ecology, and global health.
27.02.2025
Fabian Leendertz with a group of students standing with their backs to the camera
News
Today, the Citizen Science project CiFly will enter its second year. This year, 9th and 10th grade students from the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Gymnasium will again have the opportunity to get to know the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), but also the chance to explore the biobank of the University Medical Center and the Greifswald Zoo from the perspective of a researcher.
27.02.2025

HZI in the media

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

22.03.2026
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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
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Deutsches Ärzteblatt

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

18.03.2026
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Biermann Medizin

... Ausbau von Produktions- und Vermarktungskapazitäten.

 

Das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung HZI begrüßt den Erhalt der GMP- ...

18.03.2026
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Bionity.COM

... der Universität zu Lübeck, des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig, der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover ...

17.03.2026
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Biermann Medizin

Vorsorge Das Coronavirus hält die Welt nicht mehr in Atem. Doch was, wenn ein ­anderer gefährlicher Erreger auftaucht? So wappnet sich unser Gesundheitssystem

16.03.2026
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Apotheken Umschau

... stumpfen ab“, erklärt Marc Brönstrup vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig. Neue Antibiotika sind dringend ...

14.03.2026
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ARD Mediathek

... der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover und dem Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig neue Wirkstoffe ...

13.03.2026
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MTA Dialog

... späten 1990ern hob sie der am Saarbrücker Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) tätige ...

08.03.2026
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Saarbrücker Zeitung

European institutions, including Germany’s Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research,

06.03.2026
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Clinical Lab Products

Die Zellen kontrollieren die Reaktion des Immunsystems und verhindern Schäden durch Selbstangriffe. Forschende arbeiten daran, sie zur Therapie einzusetzen.

05.03.2026
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NDR Norddeutscher Rundfunk

Nachwuchsgruppe „Nanoinfektionsbiologie“ am HZI. Diese Lücke soll das Projekt ONEMUC (Respiratorischer Mukus als One Health-Schnittstelle) ...

03.03.2026
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

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