The immune system comprises organs, tissues, cells and molecules, which protect the body against pathogens.
Detailed description
The biological defense system can be separated into an innate and an adaptive part. The innate immune system developed early in the phylogeny of living things. The adaptive immune system adjusts to new or modified pathogens. Both parts collaborate closely. Moreover, the immune system can destroy abnormal or defective cells of the own body.
The ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second-largest Ebolavirus outbreak globally, with more than 6,000 confirmed cases and a mortality rate
Why do the gut microbiomes of people from industrialized and non-industrialized regions differ? A study by the research team led by DZIF scientist Prof. Till Strowig of the Helmholtz Centre for
The DZIF flagship project PANTIPA has reached an important milestone. Following successful preclinical work at the University Hospital Cologne and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is constantly mutating. As a result, vaccines become less effective and require regular adaptation. This was the case in 2025 with the JN.1 variant. An interdisciplinary team from
Researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), including several scientists from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), have worked with colleagues at the University
Researchers at the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have identified a novel whole blood-based immune signature that could improve
More than a quarter of the world's population is affected by helminth infections, which can profoundly alter the immune system. In a preclinical study, researchers found that mRNA- and protein-based
Following infection, the Ebola virus can survive unnoticed in the human body for months or even years, hiding in areas with little immune surveillance like the central nervous system. The danger is
