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Dr Chantal Bader, postdoc in the Department of Microbial Natural Products at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), has been awarded a grant from the Hans-and-Ruth-Giessen-Foundation on 29 June 2021. As a talented young scientist, she will receive 25,000 euros to give her research a boost. In this interview, Bader spoke about the prestigious award.

The human recombinant anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody COR-101 was developed in close cooperation of Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the biotech company YUMAB GmbH in Braunschweig. The antibody is currently undergoing phase Ib/II clinical trials by CORAT Therapeutics GmbH for the treatment of moderate to severe COVID-19. The results of the discovery and development of this antibody were now published in the journal Cell Reports.

Welche Faktoren sind verantwortlich dafür, dass einige Menschen nach einer Infektion mit dem Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 schwer erkranken, während andere nur leichte oder gar keine Symptome entwickeln? Dieser Frage gehen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler in einem internationalen Zusammenschluss namens „COVID-19 Host Genomics Initiative“ nach. Neben Rauchen und Übergewicht als Risikofaktoren für einen schweren COVID-19-Verlauf hat das Forschungsteam auch genetische Faktoren im menschlichen Erbgut gefunden, die offenbar eine wichtige Rolle spielen. An der weltweiten Zusammenarbeit ist auch die Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH) mit Gruppen des CiiM beteiligt. Sie hat Bioproben und Daten aus ihrer „COVID-19-Kohorte“ beigesteuert, einem vom Niedersächsischen Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK) mit mehr als zwei Millionen Euro unterstützten Forschungsprojekt. Die ersten Ergebnisse aus den Untersuchungen des weltweiten Forschungsverbundes sind jetzt in der Fachzeitschrift Nature veröffentlicht.

NFDI4Microbiota is set to become part of Germany’s national research data infrastructure (NFDI). In May 2021, a panel of experts recommended that the consortium should receive NFDI funding – and now the Joint Science Conference (GWK) has given its approval. The German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund the National Research Data Infrastructure for Microbiota Research – to give the consortium its full title – for an initial period of five years. NFDI4Microbiota’s mission is to support the microbiology research community in Germany by providing access to data, data analysis tools, and data and metadata standards, as well as a comprehensive range of training programmes.

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has appointed PD Dr Fabian Leendertz as founding director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) in Greifswald on 26 May 2021. At the same time, he accepted his appointment to a W3 professorship for One Health at the University of Greifswald and is expected to become a university professor on 1 August 2021. As another site of the HZI, the HIOH will in future cooperate closely with the University of Greifswald, Greifswald University Hospital and the Friedrich Loeffler Institute. One Health involves interdisciplinary research at the interface of human health, animal health and the environment.

How can we apply the knowledge we have gained so far to better overcome the current crisis and prevent another pandemic in future? Helmholtz aims to find answers to these questions with two new, interdisciplinary collaborative projects. In addition to the holistic approach, the focus is also on quickly implementing the results into practice.