Newsroom

Gut bacterium Escherichia coli
News
Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic that is usually only used for severe infections with resistant bacteria. This is due to its severe kidney-damaging side effects, which occur in around 30 percent of treated patients. A research team at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has now been able to produce an inactivated, harmless form of colistin that is only activated in the body with the help of chemical switches. In this so-called click-to-release technique, the chemical switches are specifically bound to the disease-causing bacteria. The administered masked colistin is therefore activated specifically at the site of action. The researchers hope that this could reduce side effects. The study was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
21.10.2024
Zone of inhibition test
News
According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the ten greatest threats to global health. In the EU alone, around 35,000 people die every year from antibiotic-resistant infections. The WHO estimates that 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were directly attributable to drug-resistant infections.
18.10.2024
Schematic representation of metagenome data
News
Microorganisms do not just colonize the body of mammals during infections. Billions of microbes can be found on and in healthy humans and animals at any given time, communicating with each other via chemical signals and thus influencing their health. In two studies, researchers from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University and Saarland University Hospital have now conducted a detailed study of the microbiome, i.e. the totality of all microorganisms, in humans and zoo animals. The aim was to identify starting points for strategies for the treatment and diagnosis of diseases. The researchers published their results in two articles in the journal Nature Communications. The HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University.
17.10.2024
Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer with Julia Demann
News
To prepare us for future pandemics, researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) not only look at the pathogens, but also at how changes in the environment and nature - including those caused by us - influence how pathogens have developed in the past. Prof. Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer heads the research group "Evolution of Pathogens" at HIOH and uses genetic changes to retrospectively analyse what could have caused this change. In the HZI podcast InFact, he explains how this allows valuable conclusions to be drawn about how today's pathogens could develop.
14.10.2024
3D illustration of rod-shaped bacteria
News
The intestinal microbiome is currently the subject of intensive research, as it is of great importance for human health. Intestinal bacteria play an essential role in the defense against dangerous pathogens, which is one of the reasons why the majority of them are among the good guys. On the other hand, some of our lodgers are more prevalent in specific diseases - for whatever reason. This also applies to the widespread but little-researched bacterium Segatella copri. The research group led by Prof Till Strowig at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) wanted to determine what makes this bacterium tick. How does it adapt to its environment? And what signals does it react to?
08.10.2024
Ankündigung des Helmholtz Health Summits am 8. Oktober in Berlin
News
What opportunities lie ahead for the future of medical research and healthcare systems? Researchers from the Helmholtz Association exchange ideas with decision-makers from science, politics, patient organizations, biotech, and the pharmaceutical industry at the Helmholtz Health Summit. The conference focuses on scientific developments that will have a long-term impact on medicine and healthcare. Topics include digital health, artificial intelligence, personalized therapy, prevention, pandemic resilience, and research transfer.
08.10.2024

HZI in the media

Vorsorge Das Coronavirus hält die Welt nicht mehr in Atem. Doch was, wenn ein ­anderer gefährlicher Erreger auftaucht? So wappnet sich unser Gesundheitssystem

16.03.2026
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Apotheken Umschau

... stumpfen ab“, erklärt Marc Brönstrup vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig. Neue Antibiotika sind dringend ...

14.03.2026
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ARD Mediathek

... der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover und dem Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig neue Wirkstoffe ...

13.03.2026
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MTA Dialog

... späten 1990ern hob sie der am Saarbrücker Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische Forschung Saarland (HIPS) tätige ...

08.03.2026
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Saarbrücker Zeitung

European institutions, including Germany’s Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research,

06.03.2026
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Clinical Lab Products

Die Zellen kontrollieren die Reaktion des Immunsystems und verhindern Schäden durch Selbstangriffe. Forschende arbeiten daran, sie zur Therapie einzusetzen.

05.03.2026
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NDR Norddeutscher Rundfunk

Nachwuchsgruppe „Nanoinfektionsbiologie“ am HZI. Diese Lücke soll das Projekt ONEMUC (Respiratorischer Mukus als One Health-Schnittstelle) ...

03.03.2026
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

Hochschule Hannover (MHH) und des Helmholz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI) erforschen im Rahmen des Projektes StopPSC ( ...

03.03.2026
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Biermann Medizin

Mdisk, stock.adobe.com

 

Braunschweig – Das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ( HZI ) in Braunschweig erhält für sein ...

03.03.2026
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Deutsches Ärzteblatt

Josef Penninger, wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer des Helmholtz Zentrums für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig und Professor für

01.03.2026
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EUROPE SAYS

... Körperzellen. Damit tragen wir, wie das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) es treffend beschreibt, unseren „ganz ...

27.02.2026
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MSN Deutschland

Eine Impfung bringt das Immunsystem in Stellung, bevor der echte Erreger kommt. Erfahren Sie, wie ...

26.02.2026
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Apotheken Umschau

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