Newsroom

Lina Herhaus (top left), Martin Jahn (top right), Milan Gerovac (bottom left) and Natalia Torow (bottom right) are MICROSTAR junior research group leaders at HZI.
News
At the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, four young scientists will start their work in late summer and fall 2024 to investigate resilience mechanisms of microbes and humans. As part of the MICROSTAR (Microbial Stargazing) project, Lina Herhaus, Martin Jahn, Milan Gerovac and Natalia Torow were recruited in a highly competitive process. Over an initial period of five years, their research groups will investigate cutting edge issues related to signal transmission in infections, the intestinal microbiome, bacteriophages and the development of immunity.
17.07.2024
Symbolic image of gene scissors.
News
CRISPR-Cas systems, defense systems in bacteria, have become a plentiful source of technologies for molecular diagnostics. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg have expanded this extensive toolbox. Their novel method, called PUMA, enables the detection of RNA with Cas12 nucleases, which naturally target DNA. PUMA promises a wide range of applications and high accuracy. The team published its results in the journal Nature Communications.
16.07.2024
Scientist at Podcast recording.
News
The huge community of microorganisms in our gut keeps us healthy. And when things go wrong, we get sick. And not just a little: Disorders of our microbiome could be the trigger for morbid obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases and even depression or cancer. Dr Lisa Osbelt-Block knows this. She conducts research at the HZI in the ‘Microbial Immune Regulation’ research group headed by Prof Till Strowig and is fascinated by our little fellow inhabitants. In this episode of the HZI podcast InFact she talks about how our microbiome keeps our body healthy and what happens when it is not in order. She also talks about current research into the microbiome and how the findings can be used to treat diseases.
16.07.2024
Dr Nicole Schneider-Daum in the laboratory.
News
The lungs have a very complex structure, which makes it difficult to simulate them in the laboratory using human cell line models. As a result, researchers still rely on animal testing in preclinical studies to develop inhaled drugs. A research team led by Dr Nicole Schneider-Daum of the Department of Drug Delivery across Biological Barriers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has succeeded in establishing a human lung cell line that is suitable for the development of in vitro models. Schneider-Daum's team was awarded the Saarland research prize "Alternatives to animal testing" for this achievement.
15.07.2024
Salmonella under the microscope
News
Bacteria possess unique traits with great potential for benefiting society. However, current genetic engineering methods to harness these advantages are limited to a small fraction of bacterial species. A team led by the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg has now introduced a novel approach that can make many more bacteria amenable to genetic engineering. Their method, called IMPRINT, uses cell-free systems to enhance DNA transformation across various bacterial strains. The findings were published today in the journal Molecular Cell.
26.06.2024
Heavy-ion synchrotron SIS18
News
Researching new vaccines quickly and powerfully for the benefit of mankind — the COVID-19 pandemic rendered clear the need for effective and rapid vaccine development processes. Scientists from the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig investigated an innovative method that has the potential to increase significantly the effectiveness of future vaccine development. This approach uses heavy ion beams to inactivate viruses and thus represents a promising alternative to conventional inactivation methods, which often impair the effectiveness of vaccines. The results were recently published in the scientific journal “Pharmaceutics”.
17.06.2024

HZI in the media

Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and its Saarland University partner site, the Helmholtz Institute for

27.10.2026
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Scienmag Science Magazine

experimental and modeling study led by scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig. The researchers found that

26.10.2026
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Bioengineer.org

... am Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) und dessen Saarbrücker Standort, dem Helmholtz-Institut für Pharmazeutische ...

26.10.2026
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Verband Deutscher Biologen e.V.

Dr. Milan Gerovac, Nachwuchsgruppenleiter am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig, erhält den begehrten ...

24.10.2026
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Homburg

heads the Research Group “Molecular Cell Biology” at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), has shed new light on the central

23.10.2026
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Health Medicine Network

... “

 

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

22.10.2026
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DeutschesGesundheitsPortal

... Lange, Leiterin der Abteilung Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig und Mitglied der Ständigen ...

22.10.2026
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DIE WELT

... befallen. Am HZI in Braunschweig wird daran geforscht.

 

Am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig ...

22.10.2026
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NDR Norddeutscher Rundfunk

are extremely complex.

 

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now shown that artificial

21.10.2026
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Phys.org

Würzburg (JMU) und dem Helmholtz-Institut für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI), einem Standort des HZI in ...

20.10.2026
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Regional Heute

community. HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) that operates in collaboration with Saarland University.

20.10.2026
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WDC Tv News

... Verabreichung eintritt. Expertin Berit Lange vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung betonte, dass jetzt der richtige Moment ...

16.10.2026
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upday

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