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The global skin care company Beiersdorf and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have entered into a long-term, exclusive partnership. In this collaboration they aim to investigate the role of the skin microbiome in maintaining healthy skin. The goal is to identify natural products produced by microorganisms on the skin that have a positive effect on skin balance. The project is based on extensive data sets on microorganisms that inhabit human skin.

13.01.2026

HIPS

News

Prof. Rolf Müller, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and Head of the Research Unit “Novel Antibiotics” at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), has been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (EUP OHAMR). HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University.

12.01.2026

HIPS

Cryo-electron microscope image of the nuclease Cas12a3 with illustrated scissors

News

The CRISPR “gene scissors” have become an important basis for genome-editing technologies in many fields, ranging from biology and medicine to agriculture and industry. A team from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg has now demonstrated that these CRISPR-Cas systems are even more versatile than previously thought. In cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Utah State University (USU) in Logan (USA), the scientists have discovered a novel CRISPR defense mechanism: Unlike known nucleases, Cas12a3 specifically destroys transfer ribonucleic acids (tRNA) that are vital for protein production to shut down infected cells. The team published its findings today in the journal Nature.

07.01.2026

HZI Campus

HIRI

News

The gene scissors CRISPR-Cas are an important tool for genome editing. However, their functionality is limited because they rely on specific sequences to operate. Their ancient ancestors, on the other hand, may have been much more versatile. Rediscovering their forgotten abilities and harnessing them for biotechnological applications is the goal of the “RGNcestry” research project led by Chase Beisel, affiliated department head at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI). The European Research Council (ERC) is funding the project with ten million euros over a period of six years.

23.12.2025

HIRI

News

Rare diseases affecting fewer than five in 10,000 people are often particularly difficult to diagnose and treat. As part of their joint funding program “zukunft.niedersachsen”, the state of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation have now selected nine promising research projects for funding that aim to develop new diagnoses and treatments for rare diseases. Among them are two projects from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI). The PREDICT-CTP consortium of TWINCORE, the HZI, and Hannover Medical School (MHH) is developing a new diagnostic method for rheumatic diseases. In the StopPSC project, researchers from the HZI and MHH are developing new agents to treat primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronically progressive inflammation of the bile ducts.

22.12.2025

TWINCORE

HZI Campus

News

Experts are increasingly turning to machine learning to predict antibiotic resistance in pathogens. With its help, resistance mechanisms can be identified based on a pathogen’s genetics. However, the results should be viewed with caution: Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg have shown that the models are often less reliable than assumed. Their findings were published in the journal PLOS Biology. They contribute to the development of more reliable tools for predicting and combating antibiotic resistance.

17.12.2025

HIRI

HZI in the media

tools.” – Dr. Anya Sharma, Virologist at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research.

Looking Ahead: The Long-Term Implications of

08.01.2026

ARCHYDE

Beisel at Germany's Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research in Würzburg and Dirk Heinz at the Helmholtz Center for Infection

07.01.2026

News Medical

... basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI) in Würzburg nachweisen. Gemeinsam mit dem Braunschweiger Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ...

07.01.2026

DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

consisting of Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, and the Leibniz Institute in

07.01.2026

Trading View

... haben nun die Studienautoren vom HIRI ‒ einem Standort des Braunschweiger Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in ...

02.01.2026

Biermann Medizin

... bis zur Medikamentenentwicklung", sagt Josef Penninger, wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer des HZI und Leiter der Abteilung Innovative ...

30.12.2025

Tagesschau

Erkrankungen. Eine Arbeitsgruppe des TWINCORE Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ( HZI ) und der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover ( ...

30.12.2025

Deutsches Ärzteblatt

Forschungsteam um Tobias Gulder, Abteilungsleiter am Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS), ist es ...

29.12.2025

Biermann Medizin

... des Leibniz Lungenzentrums Borstel, des Helmholtz-Instituts für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland sowie weiterer wissenschaftlicher ...

29.12.2025

Das PTA Magazin

Dr. Rolf Müller, Managing Director of Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), were both named laureates of the

22.12.2025

Research Information

... ein Interview mit Josef Penninger geführt . Er ist wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer des Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in ...

21.12.2025

T3N

Forschende vom Würzburger Helmholtz-Institut für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI), einem Standort des Braunschweiger Helmholtz- ...

17.12.2025

Verband Deutscher Biologen e.V.

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