Search
Displaying results 121 to 130 of 673.
Custom-made medicine against bacteria and viruses
To find custom-made therapies for each infection patient: This is the long-term goal of the "Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine" (CIIM), which is to commence operations on 03 December. The CIIM is a joint facility of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research…
The many faces of the bacterial defense system
Even bacteria have a kind of “immune system” they use to defend themselves against unwanted intruders – in their case, viruses. Scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany, were now able to show that this defense system is…
Highly prestigious award for leading infection researcher
Prof. Emmanuelle Charpentier is one of this year's recipients of the 5 million Euro Humboldt Professorship, one of Germany's most highly coveted research awards. The French microbiologist conducts research at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and teaches…
Scientists from 13 countries aim at making drinking water safer
Access to clean drinking water is a human right. Making water usage in the EU safer, is the aim of "Aquavalens", a project supported with 9 million Euro from the European Commission. The project is led by the University of East Anglia (UK), activities in the field of…
American biochemist received this year's Inhoffen Medal
How do bacteria cope when exposed to toxic mercury, how are they able to outlast antibiotics, and how can they be killed using so-called "suicide inhibitors"? These are but a few of the many research topics US biochemist Christopher Walsh has devoted his career as a…
Blockade of pathogen's metabolism
In the search for new antibiotics, researchers are taking an unusual approach: They are developing peptides, short chains of protein building blocks that effectively inhibit a key enzyme of bacterial metabolism. Now, scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for…
New hope in fight against multi-resistant germs
An increasing number of bacteria is evolving antibiotic resistance. Much-feared representatives of this steadily growing group include Staphylococci strains. At this point, multi-resistant forms of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus - the "hospital germ" known commonly…
Helmholtz International Fellow Award for Lorne Babiuk
On Wednesday, the vaccine researcher Prof. Lorne A. Babiuk was appointed "Helmholtz International Fellow" by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres in Berlin. He had been nominated by the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig. The…
Immune system molecule with hidden talents
Dendritic cells, or DCs for short, perform a vital role for the immune system: They engulf pathogens, break them down into their component parts, and then display the pieces on their surface. This in turn signals other immune cells capable of recognizing these pieces to…
Sensor of bacteria and viruses on high alert at the site of action
"Danger!" signals TLR9, the molecular sensor, whenever it recognizes bacterial or viral genetic information, specifically DNA. Instantly, the immune system initiates the process of fighting off the infection. This initial protective mechanism is very fast because it…