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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

... , Stellvertretende Teamleiterin der Klinischen Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI), Braunschweig.

17.11.2025
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Biermann Medizin

... und individueller Darmflora ab.

 

Forscher am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung arbeiten bereits an der nächsten Generation ...

14.11.2025
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Ad Hoc News

Klett-Tammen, Abteilung Epidemiologie (EPID), Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (

 

HZI

 

), Braunschweig. Grundsätzlich sei auch die ...

13.11.2025
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Deutsches Ärzteblatt

von Angios in Innsbruck & wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig/Deutschland), Klaus

13.11.2025
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meinbezirk.at

... zu adressieren, suchen Forschende am HZI-Standort Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) im Rahmen ...

13.11.2025
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Prophylaxe Journal

new antiviral medicines, says virologist Christian Sieben of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany.

 

Earlier in 2025, for

10.11.2025
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The Press

Hochschule Hannover, die Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig sowie die KI-

07.11.2025
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Heise online

... , Leiter der Forschungsgruppe Mikrobielle Wirkstoffe am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, zu bedenken. Das erste ...

07.11.2025
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Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ)

Quelle: Pressemitteilung

 

HZI-Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ...

04.11.2025
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LaborPraxis

Forschende des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung und der Universität Würzburg entwickeln derzeit einen Kaugummi, der Grippeviren

04.11.2025
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Arbeitsmedizin-Sozialmedizin-Umweltmedizin

... Vakzinologie und angewandte Mikrobiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung. Die M2-Membranproteinhemmer verhindern ...

02.11.2025
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Augsburger Allgemeine

... etwas dran ist“, erklärt Biologe Marc Stadler vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung gegenüber der Barmer-Krankenkasse. „Es ...

30.10.2025
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bild der wissenschaft

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