Newsroom

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
Group photo of the Inhoffen Lecture
News
The Friends of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Technische Universität Braunschweig have awarded the 2024 Inhoffen Medal to Prof. Stephan A. Sieber from Technische Universität München for his research into new drugs against multi-resistant bacteria. The award ceremony took place on 13 June 2024 at the House of Science in Braunschweig.
14.06.2024
Electron micrograph of Klebsiella oxytoca
News
The microbiome, the microorganisms that populate our intestines and aid in digestion, weighs around one and a half kilograms. It primarily consists of bacteria and provides protective effects against pathogens entering our digestive system through food, for example. An international team led by Dr Lisa Osbelt-Block and Prof. Till Strowig, both from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, investigated the mechanisms by which the microbiome counters a salmonella infection.
11.06.2024
Thomas Pietschmann at the podcast recording
News
Depending on where you are travelling, different viruses are on the move, some of which can cause life-threatening illnesses. Either through contaminated water or food or through insects that can transmit them when bitten. They can spread all over the world due to climate change, travelling and global transport chains. We have all experienced what this can mean in recent years. What can help: Vaccines and other medicines that help our immune system to fight off these pathogens. Finding them is not so easy. For Professor Thomas Pietschmann, head of the Institute of Experimental Virology at TWINCORE and spokesperson for the "Infection Research" research programme at the HZI, this means: challenge accepted!
31.05.2024
Microscopic image of a colony of Pendulispora rubella
News
Most antibiotics used in human medicine originate from natural products derived from bacteria and other microbes. Novel microorganisms are therefore a promising source of new active compounds - also for the treatment of diseases such as cancer or viral infections. A team from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now been able to isolate a completely new family of bacteria that has particularly high potential for the production of active substances. The researchers published their findings in the journal Chem.
16.05.2024

HZI in the media

... nur in England vor. Laut Angaben des Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ist es dem Erreger ...

12.10.2026
|
Frankfurter Rundschau online

... und Belgien. Aus Deutschland sind das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI), das Fraunhofer-Institut für Toxikologie und ...

12.10.2026
|
MTA Dialog

... weitere Versuche herstellen.

 

Auch das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) in Braunschweig ist beteiligt. Die ...

11.10.2026
|
t-online.de

... unterschiedlichen Regionen unterscheidet. Der Forscher vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung konnte in seiner Studie zeigen, ...

10.10.2026
|
rbb radioeins

Tawk, Youssef El Mouali and colleagues at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, together with collaborators at the University of

09.10.2026
|
Bioengineer.org

Medical School (MHH), Saarland University Hospital (UKS) and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) has now

08.10.2026
|
Medical Xpress

... Leiterin der Abteilung für Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung in Braunschweig, Berit Lange, dem Deutschen ...

08.10.2026
|
Deutsches Ärzteblatt

... auch die Technische Universität und das Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung ( HZI ) in Braunschweig beteiligen. „Dieses ...

08.10.2026
|
Deutsches Ärzteblatt

Berlin, Una Europa), Prof. Dr. Fabian Leendertz (Helmholtz – Institut One Health, Greifswald) und P. Cornelius ...

08.10.2026
|
Freie Universität Berlin

die Bundibugyo-Virusvariante entsteht. Forschende des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung hatten unlängst Hinweise gefunden , dass

07.10.2026
|
Medscape

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

07.10.2026
|
ZDFheute

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

07.10.2026
|
Der Tagesspiegel

Register now for the HZI newsletter