From single cell to microbiome and host

We cordially invite you to the seminar by Jan Gogarten. The talk will take place in Building D15, room 01.002-004, at 5 pm.

Successful launch of Topic Days

Chia-Ling Chou recognized for her commitment

Jakob Jeschonneck and Jonathan Scheler started their PhD studies

At the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg and the JMU Faculty of Medicine | RNA-based Infection Research, Microbial RNA Biology, RNA-based Medicine | Application by January 19, 2025

HZI Director Josef Penninger gave a lecture at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

Jörg Vogel at the Fall Symposium of the Paul Martini Foundation and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship for former HIRI scientist Katharina Wandera

Boards of the European Academy of Microbiology and the Federation of European Microbiological Societies met at HIRI

HIRI Director Jörg Vogel attended one-day conference in Paris

New members met at the Technical University of Munich

Jens Aydin defended his dissertation

Research team from CIC bioGUNE and the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI) develops a novel tool based on a resurrected CRISPR ancestor

HZI + IMIB PhD assembly took place at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

Two-day GSLS symposium Eureka! 2024 co-organized by HIRI PhD students

Genome instability can cause numerous diseases. Cells have effective DNA repair mechanisms at their disposal. A research team at the University of Würzburg (JMU) and the…

RNAmed meeting at TU Munich

Focus on the widespread intestinal bacterium Segatella copri

Nora Schmidt receives the Postdoctoral Award for Virology from the Robert Koch Foundation

Katharina Wandera has completed her PhD studies

ASOBIOTICS 2024 attracted around 60 scientists to Würzburg

Helena Landeck is now a certified IT specialist for systems integration

RNA may hold the key to future medical therapies, which is the focus of the RNAmed program. An article in the magazine “einBLICK” of the University of Würzburg.

RNAmed graduate program picks up speed

Yan Zhu defended her doctoral dissertation on small RNA associated RNA-binding proteins in Fusobacterium nucleatum

A research team from HIRI and THWS develops a tool for visualizing single-cell data

Scientists from IMIB, RVZ and HIRI exhibit their creative works

A bacterial immune system that alters the tails of phages might help clarify an immunity mechanism in humans | Study involving HIRI group leader Jens Hör published in Nature

HIRI researchers present the PUMA technology for the precise detection of RNA with DNA-cutting Cas12 nucleases

Team from the IMIB, RVZ, and HIRI collected 6,747 kilometers in three weeks

RNAmed students attended RNA Therapeutics Symposium in Worcester, USA

An email took Mathias Munschauer from Mannheim to New York, to the lab of one of the world’s most renowned RNA researchers. Today, he is an expert in the field. A portrait on…

An Interview with HIRI Lab and Infrastructure Manager Christiane Albert-Weißenberger

HIRI researchers introduce novel approach to DNA transformation and genetic mutation of bacteria

Doctoral defense by Gianluca Prezza on “Transcriptomic and genomic approaches to explore the RNA biology of the gut symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron”

HIRI PhD student presented research at CSHA Meeting

Sofie Kadel and Philipp Weis from the University Hospital Würzburg conduct research as Clinician Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg and the Single-Cell Center…

Company promises solutions for exploring the diversity of RNA sequence and structure / HIRI group leader and co-founder Emmanuel Saliba serves on the scientific advisory board

His topic: „Integrating single-cell multi-omics to decipher host-pathogen interactions”

Elena Vialetto completed her doctoral studies

New Single-cell Data Analysis Courses

HIRI researchers conducted the first systematic study of CRISPR-based antibiotics in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Uddhav Ambi defended his dissertation

HIRI team members visited the construction site of the new HIRI building

Jens Hör investigates the molecular principles of RNA phages

Head of Administration takes up work / Head of Infrastructure directs construction activities

HIRI scientists develop novel statistical approach for more accurate estimation of decay rates

Élise Bornet receives award at the Mosbacher Kolloquium

State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt paid a visit to the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg together with Members of Parliament Felix Freiherr von Zobel and Volkmar Halbleib

75th Mosbacher Kolloquium attracts numerous scientists

HIRI scientists identify small RNA that influences the sensitivity of the intestinal commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron to certain antibiotics

Workshop in Würzburg brings together renowned scientists

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Rui da Costa.

Thomas Rudel studies the interactions between neutrophils and Chlamydia trachomatis

HIRI researcher Chase Beisel receives RNA Society Mid-Career Award

Fourth meeting of the graduate program

February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

In a joint statement, the organizations emphasize the importance of a strong democracy and an open society for Germany's future viability

A small RNA modulates the growth of the microbes | Study out in "PNAS"

HIRI researchers develop a breakthrough method to map interactions of specific RNA regions in live cells

Third RNAmed meeting in Munich

Check out what has happened at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg in 2023

The Helmholtz Institute Würzburg celebrates its New Year's Reception 2024

ERC Proof of Concept Grant for CRISPR expert Chase Beisel

Marc Schmidt and Matthias Goebeler investigate metal hypersensitivity

Current study reveals how machine learning, data integration and AI contribute to better strategies in the fight against pathogens | Out now in "Genome Biology"

The second meeting of the RNAmed students was a festive occasion with cookies and gingerbread.

Her topic: “Dissecting the functional interplay between SARS-CoV-2 viral RNAs and the host proteome”

Workshop at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

Marietta Herrmann investigates the role of mesenchymal stromal cells in the regeneration phase

Manuela Fuchs has defended her dissertation

HZI and its sites met in Würzburg for scientific exchange

Lukáš Pekárek defended his doctoral thesis

3 Questions for Anastasiya Grinko

At the HIRI, PhD student Janet Wackenreuter is conducting research on small ribonucleic acids, or small RNAs. However, her insider tip for Würzburg is more philosophical than…

Bacteria often colonize the human body without causing disease — but they can also lead to serious infections.

Antje Appelt-Menzel studies herpes simplex virus 1

The group of Rudolf Martini investigates effects of aging on the nervous system

Jörg Vogel welcomes top executives from several Helmholtz institutions to the Medical Campus

RNAmed PhD student attended the 19th annual meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society

Florian Erhard studies immune processes during encounters with different pathogens

HIRI scientists impress with poster presentations

Shuba Varshini Alampalli has completed her PhD

Lina Günter has been a PhD student at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI) since 2021. As part of the HIRI graduate program “RNA & Infection”, she is researching the…

Martin Vaeth investigates regulatory T cells

Manfred Lutz investigates how “trained” suppressor monocytes develop

Alma Zernecke-Madsen investigates the cellular composition of atherosclerotic plaques

Unexpected findings on SARS-CoV-2 replication | Out now in "Cell"

Philip Tovote studies the disease's effects on the brain stem

Billboard informs about the new building of the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

Microbiology 2023 attracts numerous scientists to Würzburg

Science academies honor achievements of IMIB founding director Jörg Hacker

Rotem Sorek receives Max Planck Humboldt Research Award 2023 / Funds enable project at Helmholtz Institute Würzburg and LMU

Sarah Kittel-Schneider studies neurodevelopmental disorders

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Orian Gilmer!

Important progress for RNA research: A team from the University of Würzburg in cooperation with HIRI's Vogel lab has discovered a new ribozyme that can label RNA molecules in…

Michael Briese and Michael Sendtner study spinal muscular atrophy

Stefan Thomann investigates the interaction of liver and immune cells in hepatic diseases

Simulating the intestine in the laboratory

Charis Kalogirou investigates immunotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Katalin Karikó inspires RNAmed graduate students in Würzburg

RNAmed PhD student Charlotte Kamm attended the Synthetic Biology Summer Course at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Henner Morbach studies the differentiation of protective and harmful plasma cells

ZINF and IMIB Würzburg celebrate their anniversary with a symposium

Single-cell expert Saliba takes the lead at the Single-Cell Center

Maria Steinke, Rinu Sivarajan and Jochen Bodem investigate the impact of COPD and the flu in human airway tissue models

Introducing our RNAmed students

Christina Homberger defended her doctoral dissertation

Member of the Caliskan group has been awarded

Chunlei Jiao receives Helmholtz Doctoral Prize

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Thomas Guest.

Helmholtz Institute Würzburg celebrates laying of foundation stone

CRISPR 2023 attracts numerous scientists to Würzburg

Yanying Yu has completed her PhD

Two-year term will start in 2024

LEOPARD diagnostic technology to be commercialized

Zoltan Nagy investigates the maturation process of blood-forming cells

Two days of talks, poster presentations, and networking

Lukáš Pekárek receives prize from the RNA Society

Member of the Beisel Group has just been awarded

At the HIRI, PhD student Chia studies non-coding RNAs at the single-cell level. While her research is all about single cells, she focuses on the big picture in her spare time.

HZI Paper of the Month Award for Falk Ponath and Elena Vialetto

Member of the Vogel Group has just been awarded

Fascinating insights into single-cell RNA sequencing at the Single-Cell Center Mini-Retreat

Single-cell researcher Emmanuel Saliba becomes Associate Professor as of today

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg discover potential new antiviral targets in HIV-1

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Akanksha Roberts!

Astrid Schmieder explores the link between macrophages and therapeutic success

Ameya Sinha receives HFSP Long-Term Fellowship

Christian Scherf tours the Würzburg site

Director of the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg to receive certificate in Munich in May

Researchers from the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg unveiled the interplay of RNA structures during the translation of the SARS-CoV-2 genome

Helmholtz funds AI project in Würzburg and Munich

Since 2021, Hoda has been a PhD student in HIRI's graduate program “RNA & Infection”. Her research focuses on bacterial sRNAs and their role in host-microbe interactions.

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Lena Amend!

Würzburg researchers improve single-cell RNA sequencing technologies

Nature Communications features Beisel lab paper

Alexander Leipold investigates the extramedullary multiple myeloma

Shuba Varshini has learnt that biotechnology and bioinformatics are a team. One cannot get far without the other.

Anuja Kibe presented her PhD thesis

This month, the RNA Society profiled Jörg Vogel. Read about his career path, his advice on how to succeed in science, and his favorite RNA

Check out what has happened in 2022 at the Helmholtz Institute Würzburg

Celebrating Equality in Science

Systematically attenuating DNA targeting activity can achieve CRISPR-driven editing in bacteria

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Alexandria Smart!

With JMU participation: Research network on RNA medicine receives financial support

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Costas Patinios.

The Single-Cell Center Würzburg has helped to develop a new technological approach that could advance medical diagnostics

Interrogating disease progression and cell processes with TIGER: in vivo and non-invasively

Researchers from Würzburg and the U.S. discover new type of CRISPR gene scissors

Emmanuel Saliba has his eye on individual cells

Investigating the molecular biology of Fusobacterium nucleatum

Hailing from a town near Munich, Sebastian has been a PhD student at HIRI since 2020. In the HIRI graduate program, he pursues his two primary research interests: viruses and…

Why the HIRI stands out

Lars Barquist and the art of interpreting complex data

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Sudeshna Manna.

Doctoral defense on “RNA-RNA interactions in viral genome packaging”

Insights into the institute’s cutting-edge research

HIRI group leaders had a meeting at the HIRI sister institute HIPS. They returned with lots of new collaboration ideas for RNA targeting and protein engineering to tackle…

Helmholtz Institute Würzburg launches day care for children in cooperation with the city of Würzburg

With the participation of HIRI, a new collaborative research center is being launched in Würzburg.

Why an open doors policy is essential

Valentina Cosi was honored

HIRI Director again honored as Highly Cited Researcher

Neva Caliskan and the Achilles' heel of viruses

The Faculty of Medicine has awarded Professor Dirk Heinz an honorary doctorate – for his outstanding achievements in the fields of structural biology and infection research as…

HIRI scientists discuss recent developments in transcriptome analysis of bacteria

New study on Fusobacterium nucleatum: Why does the oral cavity germ colonize and accelerate tumors?

Jörg Vogel appointed to the selection committee

Visit by Dr Manfred Wolter to HIRI

HIRI researchers receive funding from the German Federal Agency SPRIND

HIRI PhD student defended his dissertation

HIRI and IMIB PhD students got together in Bayreuth

Doctoral defense by Chunlei Jiao on "Reprogramming tracrRNAs for RNA detection and recording"

When searching for the causes of illnesses and developing new treatments, it is absolutely vital to have a precise understanding of the genetic fundamentals. Würzburg…

How do cells manage to quickly adapt their growth to changing environmental conditions? A new study (published in "Cell Reports") provides an answer to this question.

Fabian Imdahl has completed his PhD

Foundation recognizes innovative diagnostic platform LEOPARD

Why do young people from all over the world decide to start a career in science in Würzburg?

First Collaborative Lab Experience between RABI and MINS

Janet Schneider and Chia-Ling Chou join HIRI’s graduate program

Franziska Wimmer defended her dissertation

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Ameya Sinha!

Scientists at the Single-Cell Center Würzburg apply their advanced technologies to interrogate disease tolerance in bats

Cell Reports: Study by FLI and HIRI unveils complexity of leukocytes in Egyptian fruit bat and its imprinting by age

RNA expert Chase Beisel develops new technologies

Adini Arifah has been a PhD student in HIRI’s graduate program since 2021. In her research, she has devoted herself to the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors.

Lymph nodes differ in the composition of T cells and trigger different immune responses (new "Immunity" paper)

News from HIRI Affiliates: JMU researchers are working on the development of new drugs to combat poxviruses.

Can phagocytes be harnessed to repair the heart after ischemia?

Redmond Smyth aims to discover how RNA viruses replicate and evolve

The HIRI research group leader talks about her career, her adopted home of Würzburg and her research.

Mathias Munschauer investigates the interaction between host cells and viruses

Jörg Vogel is the director of the HIRI. In his leisure time, the biochemist enjoys traveling, reading contemporary literature and spending time with his family. An interview

How communication between lysosomes and mitochondria controls Salmonella growth in macrophages

Alexander Westermann explores new avenues to treat and prevent intestinal infections

French-born Christophe Toussaint joined HIRI's graduate training program “RNA & Infection” in 2019. In science, crossing borders is essential.

Ribonucleic acid is a jack-of-all-trades. It's time to finally give it the floor...

Ahsen Özcan receives start-up funding for postdocs

Anuja Kibe was recently profiled in the RNA Society’s Member Spotlight Series, which seeks to recognize the accomplishments of its members.

Similar to the vaccines against the coronavirus, RNA-based antibiotics could significantly improve modern medicine. Research teams from Würzburg have investigated the…

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Alexander Gabel!

Member of the Caliskan group has just been awarded

HIRI scientists show that target RNA levels influence defense against invaders

Vogel Foundation is supporting a new research project at the Würzburg Helmholtz Institute / Eckernkamp fellow starts work

A new study published in "Molecular Cell" indicates how deep learning can improve gene therapies and antiviral drugs.

The Helmholtz Institute Würzburg celebrates its birthday – and reflects on its many achievements to date

Check out our explainer animation (YouTube)

To introduce the work of the new Single-Cell Center, HIRI has created a website that can be found at www.single-cell-center.de.

4 million euros funding for international project on urinary tract infections

1.5 million euros for research on human intestinal bacteria

Study published today in "Nature Structural & Molecular Biology"

Mechanism for prioritizing the immune response discovered.

Marco Olguín joined HIRI in 2020. As a participant of HIRI's graduate program, he is researching viruses. Even in his spare time, Marco is often focused on details.

PAM-DETECT enables faster characterization of CRISPR immune systems / Study published in "Molecular Cell"

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Farbod Ghaem-Maghami!

Watch the broadcast about the mRNA revolution in the media library of the channel “3sat”

Researchers from Würzburg discovered a new trick bacteria use to adapt optimally to a given environment.

State Minister Bernd Sibler on research visit to Würzburg

The Free State of Bavaria is funding the collaborative research project for another three years.

1.5 million euros for research on SARS-CoV-2

In "Trends in Microbiology", Alexander Westermann and Elise Bornet discuss the interplay of these gut bacteria with the intestinal immune system and invading pathogens.

HIRI and Vogel Stiftung Würzburg launch second funding period of their fellowship program

New international PhD program receives funding from "Bavarian Elite Network" initiative

HIRI and University of Cambridge shed light onto an essential protein-assisted genetic switch in Cardioviruses / Study published in "Nature Communications"

Protein ZAP inhibits multiplication of SARS-CoV-2 by 20-fold / Study published in "Nature Communications"

Chemical engineer Chase Beisel becomes full professor

Brazilian-born Taís Franco de Carvalho started in HIRI’s graduate training program, “RNA & Infection” this year. Her journey to Würzburg? A trip with obstacles.

The Single-Cell Center Würzburg has helped to understand why patients require prolonged ventilation.

Study published in "Cell" shows extensive lung scarring caused by misguided immune response

Würzburg biochemist and Leibniz Laureate again honored as Highly Cited Researcher

700,000 euros for the development of new antiviral agents / Research network led by HIRI receives innovation funding from the German Federal Agency SPRIND

Grant is dedicated to the pre-commercial development of LEOPARD, a new diagnostic technology

Cynthia Sharma and Chase Beisel on revolutionizing medical diagnostics using the LEOPARD platform (external link)

HIRI researcher was honored for her excellent scientific achievements and for her special commitment

News from HIRI Affiliates: JMU researchers have for the first time been able to watch the polymerase of vaccinia viruses doing their work at an atomic level.

Introducing biotechnologist Elise Bornet, a PhD student in HIRI’s graduate training program, “RNA & Infection”. An interview

"Falling Walls" 2021: Chase Beisel and Cynthia Sharma awarded in life sciences category

Ehsan Vafadarnejad successfully defends dissertation

The HIRI family warmly welcomes Rituparno Sen!

Recent paper published in Molecular Microbiology

HIRI and JMU Würzburg create first RNA atlas of Fusobacterium nucleatum (Publication: Nature Microbiology)

Three proposals on the topic of phages successful

SPD parliamentary group on research visit to Würzburg

HIRI is getting a new institute building. Before that, however, an old existing building had to be demolished. Impressions of the construction site.

Member of the Vogel Group has just been awarded

Demolition of former urology building has just begun

LEOPARD has the potential to revolutionize diagnostics (Publication: Science)

Antoine-Emmanuel Saliba researches the origin of infections.

Therapeutically modified white blood cells hold great potential in the treatment of multiple myeloma, a malignant cancer of the bone marrow. However, they can lead to serious…

HIRI’s Jörg Vogel and Alexander Westermann provide a comprehensive review on the past, present and future of RNA-sequencing in the context of infections. The review was…

Britta Grigull, Head of Marketing and Spokesperson for the designated Würzburg State Theater, will take over the PR work of the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection…

How do somatic cells and their proteins interact with SARS-CoV-2 when they are infected by the virus?

Scientists from Würzburg and the US have charted the first global atlas of direct interactions between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and human host cells. This may provide a starting point…

Only one small protein needs to be missing and salmonellae are no longer infectious. This was discovered in a study in which the pathogens were re-analysed using…

HIRI director is one of the world's best in the research field microbiology

HIRI researchers and partners establish new technology to unravel genetic changes during infection with two different pathogens

Vogel's appointment is the result of his contributions to the discipline of microbiology, notably as a pioneer in the field of non-coding RNA in bacteria in the context of…

HIRI researchers describe in Science Advances how they uncovered new PAM sequences that can be applied to sharpen the precision of CRISPR genome editing technologies.

HIRI junior professor to receive million-Euro funding from the European Research Council for her cutting-edge project "T-FRAME".

HIRI researchers succeed in deep sequencing RNA of single bacteria. The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology

Nationwide research network with HIRI participation publishes current findings on COVID-19 in the journal Cell

We are happy to announce the arrival of all three additions to the HIRI Graduate Training program “RNA & Infection” at the institute!

HIRI scientist Mathias Munschauer, together with colleagues of the JMU Würzburg and the Broad Institute (Cambridge, USA), develops the first global atlas of direct…

In a recent publication in Nature Communications, HIRI researchers chart the transcriptome map of an anaerobic commensal

HIRI’s Lars Barquist helps identify a novel antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The findings were just published in Nature Communications.

In meningococci, the RNA-binding protein ProQ plays a major role. HIRI and JMU researchers show in Nature Communications that together with RNA molecules, it regulates…

This 2-day meeting, jointly organized by the science academies from France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, is postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new…

In a recent paper published in Nucleic Acids Research, HIRI researchers find natural ways to overcome limitations of the genome-editing tool.

HIRI affiliate Lars Dölken and colleagues have comprehensively decoded the genome of the herpes simplex virus 1 using new methods.

Press release by the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg about the ongoing research efforts for a SARS-CoV-2 treatment at the HIRI.

The latest publication by Jörg Vogel in the EMBO journal describes the identification of the RNA/protein complexome in the Gram-positive pathogen S. pneumoniae.

With his latest review, Jörg Vogel honors the lifetime achievements of Pascale Cossart in this special issue of Molecular Microbiology.

ERC Consolidator Grant for HIRI researcher Chase Beisel

HIRI affiliate Prof. Utz Fischer from the Biocenter of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) and colleagues from the the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical…

Researchers from HIRI and the Max Planck Society develop a thermodynamic model to study frameshifting

Movie presentation followed by a discussion with HIRI scientists Jörg Vogel and Chase Beisel. At the Würzburg Biocenter (Lecture Hall A101) on December 11, 2019 at 5PM.

Anuja Kibe, Phd Student in the research group of Neva Caliskan, won the first prize at the HIRI RNA & Infection Science Slam.

Researchers at HIRI and Duke University are using a previously unexplored class of the CRISPR-Cas system

HIRI director is one of the world's best in the research field Microbiology

In Nature Communications, HIRI scientists Chase Beisel and Chunyu Liao describe a powerful means to assemble CRISPR arrays. CRATES enabled them to gain new insights into the…

Guest researcher from New Zealand studies CRISPR-Cas system in bacteria

The two leading female scientists in the field of RNA research will do us the honor of telling us about their work.

Cells are equipped with multiple defense mechanisms to fight off intruders. Genes encode the building blocks of the response that must be activated during an enemy attack in…

Dr Mathias Munschauer from the Broad Institute (USA) to join HIRI with his junior research group “LncRNA and Infection Biology”

HIRI group leader Alexander Westermann is co-author on a recent Frontiers in Microbiology publication.

The Feldberg Prize for German-British Exchange in the Life Sciences 2019 goes to Prof. Jörg Vogel from Würzburg. As the foundation recently announced, Vogel on the German side…

Research team unravels trick with which the sleeping sickness pathogen hides from the immune system

HZI researchers discovered how early colonisation by microbes defines the properties of gut-draining lymph nodes for the lifetime of the host

A new machine learning tool could be useful for flagging dangerous bacteria before they cause an outbreak, from hospital wards to a global scale

HIRI Scientist profile RNA to fingerprint individual cells

HIRI researchers discover further applications for Cas9 scissors