Newsroom

Futuristic stock photo: Doctor pressing AI button
News
The Helmholtz Association is kicking off 2026 with new research initiatives on strategic future topics to bring technological breakthroughs into practical application more quickly. The Helmholtz initiatives “Biomedical Engineering Initiative,” “Water Safety and Security Initiative,” and “Quantum Use Challenge” are generating innovative solutions – from needle-free blood glucose measurement via wearables to quantum sensors for more powerful batteries and innovative concepts for water management in large cities. The initiatives are being developed in close cooperation with partners from politics, business, and society and address key technologies and strategic research areas of the German government’s High-Tech Agenda. Four projects of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and its sites in Greifswald, Saarbrücken and Würzburg are part of the new research campaigns.
22.01.2026
Person wearing purple gloves performing chemical synthesis
News
For decades, tuberculosis (TB) has been one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide. Resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are particularly problematic, as many established drugs are becoming increasingly ineffective against them. However, a research team from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and Saarland University has now discovered a new family of natural substances that exhibit excellent activity against the TB pathogen. They have also investigated these substances so comprehensively that targeted further development is possible for the first time. The researchers have now published their findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
21.01.2026
Model of the influenza virus
News
Two collaborative projects involving the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) are being funded with 100,000 euros each from the joint program "zukunft.niedersachsen" of the state of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation. Both projects result from the collaboration between HZI and the MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), established in 2024 as part of a cooperation between the Helmholtz Association and the British Medical Research Council (MRC). The funded MARITH project will grow organoids from throat tonsil tissue to study the development of immunological memory in humans, while the ViReST project analyzes the sites of viral replication in respiratory infections and their impact on virus transmission.
20.01.2026
Researchers in the laboratory
News
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
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
Picture of Chase Beisel
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

HZI in the media

Technische Universität Braunschweig, das HZI – Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig sowie die Medizinische Hochschule ...

04.10.2026
|
schleswig-holstein.de

the Institute of Science and Technology Austria and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany. Their combined

04.10.2026
|
Scienmag Science Magazine

... die klinische Validität. Ein Forschungsteam des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) hat mit „Metax“ nun einen ...

02.10.2026
|
Analytik.de

Mikrobiologen auch Kolleg*innen vom IST Austria und dem HZI in Braunschweig gehören: Inhibitoren von Aktin unterbinden diese dynamischen

01.10.2026
|
Science.apa.at

... der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover sowie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung tätig ist. Als Co-Autor ist zudem ...

30.09.2026
|
Ad Hoc News

also included Japanese microbiologists and collaborators from IST Austria and HZI Braunschweig (Germany), demonstrated that actin inhibitors

30.09.2026
|
Phys.org

for cell movement. Scientists from the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig have provided evidence that Profilin

29.09.2026
|
TakeToNews

Biology (BRICS), a joint research center of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Technische Universität Braunschweig.

29.09.2026
|
Phys.org

... treffsicher .

 

Das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung:

 

Wissenschaftler:innen am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) ...

28.09.2026
|
DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

... Fluorchinolon-Resistenz aktiv

 

Forscher des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) um Dr. Jennifer Herrmann haben ...

27.09.2026
|
scinexx - Das Wissensmagazin

Die WHO nennt Antibiotikaresistenzen (AMR) eine der größten globalen Gesundheitsbedrohungen. Bereits heute töten resistente Keime jährlich mehr als eine Million Menschen direkt und tragen zu fast fünf Millionen Todesfällen bei. Tendenz: steigend. Für ein wirkungsvolles Dagegenha

25.09.2026
|
Sysmex

... die Resistenzen": HZI-Podcast InFact mit Mark Brönstrup

 

Quelle: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI)

 

Biodiversität ...

25.09.2026
|
Analytik NEWS

Register now for the HZI newsletter