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Displaying results 221 to 229 of 229.
System Biology
System biology - it's all about the big picture © HZI/Frank Bierstedt A pipetting robot in the HZI laboratory. The aim of system biologists is to describe the dynamic processes of life and biological systems using mathematical models. Genomics, proteomics,…
Nano-particles
Nano-particles - small, but powerful © HZI/HIPS Electromicroscopic image of nanoparticles. Change the world with tiny particles? Thanks to nanotechnology, it’s not that unrealistic. Nano-particles are so small that they cannot be seen even with a light…
Host-Pathogen-Microbiota Interactions
The importance of RNA in maintaining cellular physiology by controlling gene expression in response to intrinsic and external cues has long been underestimated. Now, numerous human diseases have been linked to RNA functioning. Likewise, we now know that bacterial pathogens harness a large suite of noncoding RNA molecules to adapt to environmental stress and to precisely regulate their virulence programs. In an era of antibiotic crisis, it is essential to discover alternative combat strategies against pathogenic bacteria — ideally ones that spare the beneficial microbial species. The high specificity of RNA molecules provides great potential for achieving these goals. This group is located at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI).
Cell Biology
Recent reports published by the World Health Organization (WHO) entitled "The Global Burden of Disease" (GBD) highlights the importance of research on host-pathogen interactions. Evolution is an ongoing process driving the development of highly virulent and multi-resistant bacteria strains or so called “emerging pathogens“. A deeper understanding of the complex interaction between pathogenic bacteria and their host is inevitable to face these problems in the future. As Cell biologists, we address host-pathogen interaction on the level of single cells, embodying the smallest living unit on both sides. Upon contact, pathogens need to manipulate the normal behavior of host cells in order to establish a niche for survival and to evade the hosts defense mechanisms. We study these induced changes on the cellular and molecular level, in order to exactly understand which host process is targeted by a given virulence mechanism an why.
Structural Infection Biology
To understand and eventually manipulate pathways that control the interaction of pathogens (e.g. bacteria, virus, parasite) with their hosts (e.g. human, plants) requires an interdisciplinary research approach, which often combines different fields of research such as cell biology and microbiology. In our laboratory, however, we take a closer look at the processes occurring during an infection at the cellular and atomic level by harnessing a variety of modern biophysical methods that allow addressing the spatio-temporal dynamics of an infectious disease at a high resolution. The department is located at the Center for Structural Systems Biology ( CSSB ) at the heart of the Germany’s largest accelerator center DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) in Hamburg.
RNA Synthetic Biology
RNA is a ubiquitous molecule of life that plays intimate roles in how cells function and make decisions. These same properties can be harnessed to create a new generation of engineering tools to further interrogate the properties of biology and control how cells behave. The RNA synthetic biology group aims to better understand the roles RNA plays in biology and to exploit these roles to improve how we study, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases in humans. This department is located at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI).
Translational Research
Translation – bridging the gap between lab bench and clinic © HZI TRAIN bundles the know-how and infrastructure of university and extra-academic research- it promotes the cooperation between basic and clinical research. Translation in infection research has…
Antibiotics
Antibiotics © HZI Chemists and microbiologists at the HZI elicit active substances from inconspicuous soil samples. To the present day, antibiotics are among the most effective weapons available for fighting bacterial infections. They are one of the most…
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance © HZI/Manfred Rohde Pseudomonas aeruginosa–a typical hospital bug, which fails to respond to standard antibiotics. Since the mid-1940s antibiotic resistance has spread. Infections with multiresistant germs are increasing worldwide.…
