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We live our everyday lives together with countless microbes and viruses that could also infect us. The immune system prevents many attacks, but it needs our cooperation: Proper hygiene and regular vaccinations effectively protect against infections

The CRISPR-Cas technology can be used to precisely edit DNA. Originally, it is a viral defense mechanism of bacteria. The CRISPR-Cas systems currently in use in biotechnology are classified as class II. They are characterized by a single Cas (CRISPR-associated) protein that is sufficient for the activity of the system. In contrast, class I CRISPR-Cas systems require the interaction of multiple proteins. Researchers from Duke University (USA), North Carolina State University (USA), and the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg have, for the first time, used class I-systems to regulate gene expression in human cells. The HIRI is a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. The study considerably expands the number of biotechnologically usable CRISPR-Cas systems for human therapeutics. It was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Mikroben und ihr Vorkommen stehen im Fokus der Veranstaltungsreihe „KrankheitsErregend“ des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI). In diesem Jahr findet die Reihe in Kooperation mit dem Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig statt. Am 28. November 2019 liest Professor Dirk Bockmühl ab 19 Uhr aus seinem Sachbuch „Keim daheim“ (2019). Entgegen des Buchtitels dreht sich seine unterhaltsame und bilderreiche Lesung jedoch um das Kapitel „Ein Besuch im Krankenhaus“ und geht auf Krankenhausinfektionen, Antibiotikaresistenzen und ihre Prävention ein. Welche Maßnahmen werden momentan ergriffen und was kann in Zukunft noch besser gemacht werden?

Jörg Vogel, founding director of the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and director of the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB) at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), is one of the most frequently cited researchers in his field. This is the result of an analysis published on 19 November 2019 by Clarivate Analytics, a company specializing in citation data. Vogel is investigating regulatory RNA molecules in bacterial pathogens such as salmonella and in the human microbiome. His research group is developing new methods based on high-throughput sequencing to identify RNA molecules and understand their mechanism of action in health and disease. Vogel has headed the HIRI, a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig in cooperation with the JMU since 2017.

Last week, the Budget Committee of the Lower House of the German Parliament (Bundestag) decided to provide 40 million euros in funding for the establishment of a possible new Helmholtz Institute in Greifswald, spread over the next five years and subject to the participation of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) will be established at the University of Greifswald, mainly focusing on molecular infection research.

CRISPR-Cas-based gene editing has been used for a large variety of applications. The system requires guide RNAs, whose sequence specifically determines the site where DNA or RNA modification occurs. Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) describe a powerful means to assemble CRISPR arrays, part of CRISPR-Cas systems that encode multiple guida RNAs. Assembled CRISPR arrays can then be used to direct the gene editing machine to multiple parallel targets. The HIRI is a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. The novel tool CRATES enabled Prof Chase Beisel and his research group “Synthetic Biology of RNA” to gain new insights into the biology of CRISPR-Cas systems.