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Zoonotic diseases — infections that can pass between animals and humans — are a growing global health challenge, particularly in regions where people live in close contact with wildlife. Understanding these interactions lies at the heart of the One Health approach. The Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) and its partners are now launching their first unique One Health cohort initiative in and around Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, as part of the One Health Exploratories. HIOH is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI).

Phyton Biotech has successfully transferred the manufacturing process for the microbial production of Corallopyronin A (CorA). CorA is a novel anti-infective agent with the potential to address neglected tropical diseases. This achievement marks a significant step forward in the Company’s specialty GMP fermentation capabilities and supports the broader clinical development program led by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

On February 5, 2026, the President of the Helmholtz Association, Prof. Martin Keller, visited the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. In an open and cordial atmosphere, Keller took part in a comprehensive program that offered insights into the center's current research work, infrastructure and future prospects. Keller, who has been President of the Helmholtz Association since November 1, 2025, placed particular emphasis on direct interaction with HZI employees.

The German National Cohort (NAKO) contributes its scientific expertise to the National Decade of Post-Infectious Diseases initiated by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). With two central projects, it makes an important contribution to research into the long-term health consequences of infectious diseases such as Long COVID. The aim of the research decade is to better understand the causes and mechanisms of post-infectious diseases and to develop new treatment options. The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) coordinates the Clinical Research Center (CRC) of the NAKO in Hanover.

With funding from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the Volkswagen Foundation, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig has launched the large-scale project HUMAN. Interdisciplinary teams are investigating the interactions between humans, bacteria and viruses. Six internationally recruited young researchers are currently setting up new research groups with innovative approaches and bringing cutting-edge research from Stanford, Stockholm and Vienna, among others, to Lower Saxony. The project, led by Prof. Josef Penninger, Scientific Director of the HZI, initially has around 32 million euros available in the program “zukunft.niedersachsen”, with the option of an increase to up to 70 million euros after a successful interim evaluation. Today, the established groups were presented to Lower Saxony's Minister of Science, Falko Mohrs, and the CEO of the Volkswagen Foundation, Dr. Georg Schütte.

How Long COVID develops is still largely unknown. New molecular connections are revealed in a recent study led by the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM). Using their approach of examining different molecular levels within individual cells, the researchers identified a specific condition in immune cells that was directly associated with elevated inflammation markers, fatigue, and respiratory problems in patients with Long COVID. The study was published in the journal Nature Immunology. The CiiM is a joint institution of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH).