Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center Institute of Virology

At its most recent plenary session, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) elected 14 distinguished scholars as new members. Among them are two Helmholtz Munich researchers: Prof. Erika von Mutius and Prof. Ulrike Protzer.

A better understanding of ferroptosis – an iron-dependent form of cell death – is an essential prerequisite for the treatment of (neuro)degenerative diseases and certain types of cancer. A team of researchers led by Dr. Kamyar Hadian from the…

Five prestigious Starting Grants from the European Research Council have been granted to researchers with Helmholtz Munich as the host institution. The funding will enable scientists at Helmholtz Munich to advance innovative projects across various…

In chronic hepatitis B, the liver contains immune cells that could destroy hepatitis B virus-infected cells but are inactive. An international team led by scientists at the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich has discovered that cells…

On June 12, 2024, the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies was unveiled at the Futurium in Berlin.

The rise of RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for new ways to fight them. RNA-targeting tools like CRISPR/Cas13 are powerful but inefficient in the cytoplasm of cells, where many RNA viruses replicate. Scientists from Helmholtz Munich…

Several research groups at Helmholtz Munich are working on innovative vaccines. Two of them are about to clear a crucial hurdle before approval - fighting the Epstein-Barr virus and Hepatitis B. But how do researchers develop a vaccine?

TherVacB, a novel therapeutic vaccine to combat chronic hepatitis B, entered the first clinical trial. The vaccine was designed and developed under the leadership of Helmholtz Munich. This phase 1a clinical trial is conducted at the Division of…

Prof. Ulrike Protzer and Dr. Kamyar Hadian and their teams from Helmholtz Munich received the prestigious Bavarian m4 Award, a recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of future medicine and two different groundbreaking…

An interview with Prof. Ulrike Protzer

From now on, an improved research infrastructure for pandemic management and prevention will be available in the Greater Munich area: on the 29th of March 2023 a new biosafety level 3 laboratory was introduced at Helmholtz Munich. The project could…

During the Corona pandemic, experts from Helmholtz Munich helped to bring the situation under control as quickly as possible. Now they are preparing for the possibility of another pandemic: with new high-tech equipment and closely interlinked…

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections remain a major global health problem – according to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are around 300 million HBV carriers worldwide. Current treatments rarely succeed in curing the infection. At present,…

More than three percent of the world’s population (around 300 million people) are living with a chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Having chronic hepatitis B increases the risk for patients to develop liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis…

At the 9th Immunotherapy of Cancer Conference (ITOC), held September 22 to 24, 2022 in Munich, Helmholtz Munich presented preclinical data showing that PH-762, an INTASYL compound targeting PD-1, increases the frequency of a T cell population…

The EU grant “PerForM-REACT” supports an infrastructure in the greater Munich area for pandemic management and prevention. Helmholtz Munich will receive new equipment for a biosafety level 3 laboratory where researchers can conduct important studies…

According to a new study led by Ulrike Protzer, a breakthrough infection after two vaccinations achieves the same protective effect as an additional booster vaccination. According to the study by Helmholtz Munich, LMU and TUM, the decisive factor for…

Vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been made possible by an unprecedented worldwide partnership. However, medications against Covid-19 have yet seen only partial success. With the support of the Bavarian Research Foundation, a Munich research…

Researchers have designed antibodies as novel therapeutic candidates for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma. Their study in human cell cultures and in living mice showed the elimination of antigen-positive cells and…

For safety reasons, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) in Germany recommends that anyone under the age of 60 who initially received a vaccine from AstraZeneca should be given an mRNA vaccine at their second appointment. Up until now, there…

Researchers have been able to prove for the first time that activation of distinct human endogenous retroviruses, which are part of our genome, impair brain development dramatically. This finding could help to advance research into therapies for…

Gut bacteria are central to human health. They are a key player in contributing to immune regulation, pathogen protection, food and drug metabolism, and vitamin synthesis. Another supporting actor in the gut, however, are bacteriophages or short…

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have developed a novel therapeutic approach to cure chronic hepatitis B. The scientists found that the large amount of…