Initiatives

Neuherberg, 18.01.2012. HIV uses macrophages of the immune system as a hideout, where viral particles can persist without being attacked by antibodies. From these reservoirs, viruses can be directly transferred to non-infected cells. These are the results of a study carried out by scientists from Hamburg and München and published in the renowned Journal of Virology.

Neuherberg, 12.01.2012. Prof. Carsten Schmidt-Weber has taken up his position as Director of the new Institute for Allergy Research at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, with effect from 1 January 2012. Prior to his appointment, he led the “Allergy and Environment” clinical cooperation group, a joint undertaking between the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He currently holds the chair of Molecular Allergology at the Medical Faculty of TUM. With this latest...

Neuherberg, 08.11.11. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital in Munich have developed a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). If the clinical trial of the vaccine proves successful, immuno-compromised patients at an increased risk of EBV-induced lymphoma could be the first to benefit (Ruiss et al., J Virol 2011).

Neuherberg, 11 October 2011. Scientists have developed a new treatment approach for chronic hepatitis-B infections that is set to improve the prospects of eliminating the infection and curing the disease. With the aid of modified short RNAs, researchers participating in a collaborative venture between Helmholtz Zentrum München, the Technical University of Munich and the University of Bonn have succeeded in blocking hepatitis B virus replication while simultaneously stimulating an immune...

Neuherberg, November 20, 2009. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of Technische Universität München have discovered a new type of immune cells - the Th22 cells - which can protect the body against inflammation and aid in tissue repair. In the current online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Stefanie Eyerich and Dr. Kilian Eyerich together with their colleagues from Imperial College London and Istituto Dermopatico...

Neuherberg / Munich, October 20, 2009. Scientists of the Department of Gene Vectors at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now shown how a special viral gene regulates the life cycle of B cells infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The viral protein is a candidate target structure for cancer therapy. (PLoS Pathogens)*Researchers of the Department of Gene Vectors of Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered a new role of the gene EBNA-3A in EBV-associated malignant diseases. “In a genome-wide...

The largest scale study so far on asthma genetics sheds light on disease mechanisms Asthma and allergic diseases are associated with a number of biological reactions. One of these reactions is an elevated blood count of eosinophils, multifunctional leukocytes that release highly active proteins primarily to combat parasites. In the largest study so far on asthma genetics, an international consortium of scientists used this immune reaction as an easily measurable marker to elucidate the...

Fluorescent molecules – i.e. substances which can be stimulated to emit light – are extremely valuable tools in biological research and medical diagnosis. Fluorescence can be used for instance to analyze the regulation and expression of genes, to locate proteins in cells and tissues, to follow metabolic pathways and to study the location and migration of cells. Of particular importance is the combination of fluorescence imaging with novel techniques that allow tomographic three-dimensional...

In addition to heat, other damaging environmental influences can put cells under stress, causing them to increase the production of heat shock proteins (Hsp). These proteins help other proteins to fold correctly and to preserve their structure even under extreme conditions. Hsps can also be released from the cells and these extracellular Hsp can stimulate immune responses. In this matter, Hsps became interesting for therapeutic applications, e.g. to achieve a better immune response against...

Together with colleagues from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy and the Center for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of the Technische Universität München, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have pinpointed a major gene for allergic diseases. The gene was localized using cutting edge technologies for examining the whole human genome at the Helmholtz Zentrum München. Schematic representation of the high affinity receptor for IgE. Variants within the gene encoding the alpha chain...

New knowledge points to the fact that a genetically induced lack of filaggrin, a key protein of the skin barrier, plays a decisive role in the origin of allergies. In a large study on more than 3000 school-children scientists of the Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technische Universität München found that about 8% of the German population carry variations of the filaggrin gene, which raise the risk to develop atopic dermatitis more than threefold. In addition, these genetic variations...

New research shows associations between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the onset of allergic diseases in children

Impaired brain function is a prominent and still unsolved problem in AIDS. Shortly after an individual becomes infected with HIV, the virus can invade the brain and persist in this organ for life. Many HIV-infected individuals experience disturbances in memory functions and movement, which can progress to serious dementia. How the virus causes brain disease is still unclear.

Viruses use many tricks to gain control over their host cells and to reprogram them to their own advantage. Dr. Arnd Kieser and his colleagues of the Department of Gene Vectors of the Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany, were able to show in a recent publication in PloS Biology by which mechanism Epstein-Barr virus exploits a signal protein of its host cell, which normally mediates programmed cell death (apoptosis), in order to convert the cell into a cancer cell.