News

All current DZIF news can be found here.

Collaboration between KyooBe Tech and the German Center for Infection Research

The technology company KyooBe Tech GmbH and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on future research and development projects. The

Researcher wearing a cap, mask, and lab coat pipetting at a sterile bench

Blood-based immunological signatures for extrapulmonary tuberculosis decoded

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

Two of the four winners of the Galenus von Pergamon Prize in the category of basic research—Dr. Alexander Simonis (center) and Prof. Dr. Florian Klein (second from right)—at the award ceremony. The Galenus Prize was presented by Professor Thomas Eschenhagen (second from left). The gala was hosted by Yve Fehring (left) and Matthias Gabriel (right). The individuals are standing next to each other on a stage in formal attire.

Research into alternatives to antibiotics wins Galenus von Pergamon Prize

In the future, antibodies against the virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa may serve as an alternative to antibiotics. DZIF scientists at University Hospital Cologne have been awarded the 2025

Rare virus transmitted by rats infects woman in Germany—link to private pet rat breeding facility

Doctors and scientists from the University Hospitals Leipzig (UKL) and Mannheim (UMM), and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and the Bernhard

A man in a smock, with his back to the viewer, pushes a bed with a patient through a hospital corridor. Also visible is a waiting area with palm trees on the left and a red brick wall with black-and-white portraits. The man pushes the bed toward an open glass door, behind which is an illuminated corridor.

Declining quality, risk to patient safety, rising costs: KHAG jeopardizes infectious disease care

On October 8, 2025, the German Federal Cabinet approved a draft law to amend the Hospital Reform Act (KHAG). In a joint statement, numerous professional societies and associations criticized the

Drug-resistant tuberculosis: Urgent action required!

A new study with support from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) warns of the dawn of an extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) epidemic in Europe, threatening to leave

Structural representation of the binding of antibody 04_A06 to the HIV-1 surface protein

Antibody discovered that blocks almost all known HIV variants in neutralization assays

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

A scanning electron microscope image showing a single red-stained T cell infected by numerous mustard-colored HIV particles adhering to its surface.

How HIV enters the genome – Researchers identify previously unknown mechanism

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

From Miami to Berlin: a stowaway rat reveals hidden global health risks

In 2017, a Miami–Berlin flight took an unexpected turn when passengers spotted a rat on board. After landing, the rat was captured and handed over to scientists at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI

A lab technician in a lab coat and cap pipettes liquids between rows of sample tubes in a sterile bench

Standard tests alone not sufficient to predict tuberculosis in immunocompromised individuals

While tuberculosis no longer plays a major role in large parts of Europe, many people still carry the pathogen. For people with weakened immune systems, for example after an organ transplant or in the