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 Cologne-based research project "INNOPAK", which focuses on developing innovative precision antibodies against infections with antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa-bacteria, will receive
The hospital reform has the stated goal of raising patient safety and quality of care in Germany to a higher level. However, these goals can only be achieved if the infectious diseases performance
Around 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV infection. In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 100,000 people affected. If the infection is not treated, the body will eventually be
When the bacterial pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosa infects the body, it uses the sugar-binding protein LecA to attach itself to human cells, invade them, and form so-called biofilms. LecA thus plays a
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Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's leading infectious diseases. Infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs, but in up to 25 percent of all infected
On October 28, 2025, Prof. Dr. med. Ulrike Protzer was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit). This honor recognizes her outstanding contributions to the field of virology
Prof. Dr. Florian Klein, scientist at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), director of the Institute of Virology at University Hospital of Cologne, and a leading international expert in
An international research team led by scientists from the DZIF at the University of Cologne has discovered an antibody that neutralizes the human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 in almost all tested
On September 18, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stephan Urban, DZIF Professor of Translational Virology at Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty, was honored with the McGuigan Award for Distinguished Work in
Researchers at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human
