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Immune cells and antibodies fighting a virus
News
Environmental factors such as chemical pollutants, psychosocial stressors, and antibiotics as well as an unhealthy diet affect the human immune system and microbiome. They can contribute to an increased risk of infection, reduced immune resilience, and an altered immune response to vaccination. To date, there has been little research into how these factors affect viral immune responses in pregnant women as well as in children and adolescents. The aim of the EMVIC collaborative project is to close this gap using data from the LiNA mother–child cohort of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). The project is coordinated by the UFZ with participation from the University of Leipzig, Hannover Medical School, and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and will start on 1 July.
22.06.2026
Collecting samples at MICROBELIX Wilderness Camp.
Story
There is an urgent need for novel drugs in the fight against infectious diseases, and natural compounds derived from soil bacteria are a promising source for their development. Researchers at HIPS, the HZI site in Saarland, are counting on the public’s help: The citizen science project MICROBELIX aims to harness the biodiversity of soil bacteria for drug discovery.
18.06.2026
Portrait of Craig Crews
News
The Friends of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Technische Universität Braunschweig have awarded Prof. Dr. Craig M. Crews (Yale University, USA) the 2026 Inhoffen Medal. Craig Crews is regarded as a pioneer of innovative therapeutic approaches. The Inhoffen Medal recognises outstanding scientific achievements in the field of organic chemistry and drug discovery. The award ceremony took place as part of the 31st Hans Herloff Inhoffen Lecture at the Haus der Wissenschaft in Braunschweig on 11 June 2026.
12.06.2026
Vaccination is on vaccination record
News
The European Vaccines Hub (EVH) for Pandemic Readiness convened its annual consortium meeting at the Old University of the Marburg University, in Marburg, Germany, from May 19 to 21, 2026. The EVH is a pan-European public private partnership co-funded under the EU4Health program by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) on behalf of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA) of the European Commission. The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) is an affiliated entity of the initiative and leads a work package on data management and AI.
10.06.2026
Camilla Ciolli Mattioli
Portrait
Camilla Ciolli Mattioli’s workday often begins in a place that many group leaders gradually trade for their desks over the course of their careers: the laboratory. “At the moment, I still carry out many experiments myself,” says the head of the research group “Systems Microbiology of Intracellular Pathogens,” which was launched in February at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). Her lab is still being set up—with her right in the middle of it. “I work closely with my team and teach my lab members the necessary procedures,” she adds.
10.06.2026
larvae of the greater wax moth
News
Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) have demonstrated that larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) are suitable as an alternative infection model for investigating the pathogenicity of bacteria on a larger scale. This could significantly reduce animal testing on mammals in the future. The results of the study were published in “The Lancet Microbe”.
08.06.2026

HZI in the media

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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

... Berit Lange im Gespräch mit FOCUS online. Sie ist Leiterin der Abteilung Epidemiologie am Helmholtz-Zentrum ...

16.10.2026
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Focus Online

protection against BV. Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research have reported evidence that antibodies produced after

16.10.2026
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Medscape

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

16.10.2026
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Berliner Morgenpost

... beeindruckendes Ergebnis“, sagt Jakob Wirbel vom Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI). „Trotzdem schlafe ich momentan noch ...

15.10.2026
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Der Tagesspiegel

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

14.10.2026
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Health Medicine Network

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