Virus blocker | German Center for Infection Research

Short description

A virus blocker is a substance that inhibits viral replication.

Detailed description

, developed by DZIF scientists, is an example of a virus blocker as it inhibits entry of B viruses and hepatitis D viruses into liver cells and hence replication of these viruses.

Cryo-electron microscopic reconstruction of molecular structures: On the left, the vertical representation of the binding of a yellow-coloured antibody to the blue-coloured tip of the secretion system shown in grey. On the right, a top view of the binding structure, showing how the yellow antibody binds laterally to the blue tip of the secretion system, which is round in top view.

Neutralising antibodies that target resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Due to numerous resistance mechanisms, infections with the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are particularly feared

Translational success for the DZIF: US pharma giant Gilead secures Hepcludex

Hepcludex (bulevirtide) is the first medication for the treatment of hepatitis D, a virus blocker whose development had been masterminded by DZIF Professor Dr Stephan Urban of Heidelberg University

First drug for hepatitis D has been approved by European Commission

Joint press release from Heidelberg University and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)

What started off as basic research 25 years ago has now led to a successfully approved drug: The

First Professor of Translational Virology

It all began 20 years ago with Pekin duck breeding in Kirchheim near Heidelberg. At the time, duck was the model of choice for hepatitis B research, which Stephan Urban also used to discover a peptide

Biofilm of a clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa stained with fluorescent dyes

Detection of bacterial biofilms using covalent lectin binders

DZIF researchers from the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) produced a molecule that provides a way to visualise Pseudomonas infection. The scientists published their

No entry for Hepatitis D viruses (red; left) in hepatocytes with Myrcludex B (right).

Myrcludex B: First-in-class drug for the treatment of hepatitis B and D

DZIF scientists at the Heidelberg University Hospital developed a virus blocker against hepatitis B and D, which has been successful in two clinical trials

Around 350 million people suffer from

NOhep … for a world without hepatitis

Today’s World Hepatitis Day sets an ambitious goal: to eliminate viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis B and C, from the planet by 2030. Germany has also joined this international campaign. Scientists

NLRX1 and HIV-1 infection a) NLRX1 attenuates immune reactions, thus enabling HIV replication. b) If NLRX1 is deactivated, the protective mechanisms can take effect causing a blockage of HIV replication

Why the immune system fails to fight HIV

An international research group has identified a cellular factor of the human cell that is indispensable to the replication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1). Scientists of the Paul-Ehrlich

How viral diseases can become chronic

Many viral diseases tend to become chronic - including infections with the HI virus. Scientists from the DZIF site Bonn-Köln and from the TU München have now identified an immune factor which is

The first ever DZIF prize goes to a hepatitis researcher

(26/11/2014) Virologist Stephan Urban from the University of Heidelberg will receive the DZIF Prize for Translational Infection Research, worth 5000 Euros. It will be awarded for the first time at the