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Currently, high numbers of infections with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are being recorded in many European countries. This leads to increased numbers of deaths and is a burden for society, health systems and the economy. An international initiative of scientists is calling for a European strategy to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases quickly and sustainably. The statement was written by several experts, including Prof Melanie Brinkmann, virologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. The more than 300 signatories, including other HZI researchers, call for a strong, coordinated European response with clearly defined medium- and long-term goals. The strategy should aim to achieve and maintain low case rates across Europe.

SARS-CoV-2 infections pose a global threat to human health and a formidable research challenge. One of the most urgent tasks is to gain a detailed understanding of the molecular interactions between the virus and the cells it infects. It must also be clarified, whether these interactions favour the multiplication of the virus or - on the contrary - activate defence mechanisms. In order to multiply, SARS-CoV-2 uses proteins of the host cell. However, thus far no detailed information on the part of the human proteome - i.e. the total of all proteins occurring in human cells – that is in direct contact with the viral RNA existed. This void has now been filled. Scientists from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) Würzburg, the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) and the Broad Institute (Cambridge, USA) have succeeded in creating the first global atlas of direct interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and the proteome of the human host. The HIRI is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany, in collaboration with JMU. In addition, the authors identified important regulators of viral replication. Dr Mathias Munschauer from HIRI and Professor Jochen Bodem from the Institute of Virology and Immunobiology at JMU were responsible for the study. They present the results of their work in the latest issue of the journal Nature Microbiology.

Prof Rolf Müller, Managing Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), has been awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2021 by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for his outstanding research achievements. The Leibniz Prize is the most highly endowed award regularly presented to scientists in Germany. The HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany, in collaboration with Saarland University.

Der Haushaltsausschuss des Bundes hat dem Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) Förderung in Höhe von 47 Millionen Euro für den weiteren Ausbau des Instituts zugesichert. Zusammen mit Mitteln aus dem Landeshaushalt des Saarlandes erhält das HIPS bis 2025 somit eine Gesamtsumme von 70 Millionen Euro. Geplant sind ein Erweiterungsbau und weitere Forschungsgruppen mit Fokus auf antibakteriellen und antiviralen Wirkstoffen.

Hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia is the most frequent nosocomial infection. It is mostly caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which in many cases is already resistant to commonly used antibiotics and is therefore difficult to treat. A team from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with the Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC), a spin-off of Max Planck Innovation and the Max Planck Society e.V., aims to further develop a drug that prevents staphylococci from colonizing the lungs. The research team will now receive milestone-dependent funding of initially 1.33 million US dollars from the non-profit organization CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), with CARB-X anticipating a further 7.44 million US dollars depending on the progress of the project.