News Overview

The RESIST members' meeting on 17 April 2024 in Lecture Hall Q, which was attended by around 30 members and in which other members took part online, provided an opportunity to meet again, catch up and exchange ideas. During the meeting, Prof Schulz reported that a member of the [...]

We welcome Professor Dr. Lars Dölken as a new member of RESIST. The specialist in herpes viruses has been Director of the MHH Institute of Virology since 2 April 2024, succeeding Prof. Schulz, who has headed the institute since 2000. Prof Dölken has also been a member of the [...]

The RESIST speaker trio was delighted to welcome a distinguished visitor: Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, visited the MHH on 21 March to find out more about our Cluster of Excellence RESIST. Prof Manns received the Minister as well as Julia Streuer, Leon Schmalstieg and [...]

At this year's UniStem Day on 22 March at the MHH, which was organised by RESIST Professor Lachmann, PD Dr. Ruth Olmer and Dr. Sylvia Merkert, 24 students were able to experience stem cell research first-hand. In the middle of the Easter holidays, they came to the MHH, where [...]

Meeting on 7 and 8 March at Wennigsen Monastery: RESIST members from the Executive Board and the RESIST-2 Steering Group as well as guests came together at Wennigsen Monastery to plan the further development of the cluster, as the proposal for continued funding of RESIST for the period from [...]

For the first time, two students graduated from the Master's programme Biomedical Data Analysis Dr. Adrian Schulz, who was visibly happy to be celebrated in Lecture Hall F (see photo), and Konstantin Büttner, who unfortunately could not be in Hanover at the time. Both were honoured at the joint [...]

On 7 February, RESIST was part of the "aufhof" when the MHH presented itself with numerous contributions in the former Galeria Kaufhof building at the Marktkirche in Hanover's city centre. A brand new, exciting virtual reality film on herpes virus infection was on show at the stand of our [...]

Do I need a visa? Where can I live? What insurance do I need to take out? Numerous questions arise when you come to RESIST in Hannover from abroad to do research here. For a first introduction to many of these topics, there is now a lot of information [...]

If people frequently have severe and protracted infections, an inborn error of immunity may be the cause. To date, almost 500 genes have been found that are associated with such immune deficiencies. However, there is as yet no publicly accessible platform containing comprehensive and up-to-date information on these genes, [...]

Prof. Lachmann receives "ERC Proof of Concept Grant" from the EU for the further development of a novel immune cell therapy Treating bacterial pneumonia with healthy macrophages – that is the goal of the team led by Prof. Lachmann. The European Union (EU) has now awarded his "iMAClung" project, [...]

Here is the Winter RESIST Newsletter! Enthusiasm, perseverance and brilliant ideas for the coming period - this is what Prof. Schulz wishes all readers of our newsletter on page 1. Join us in welcoming new scientists to our RESIST team (page 3) and read more about current research results [...]

Reconcile careers and children: Pursuing a scientific career at the same time as being pregnant and looking after children - that is very difficult. Female postdocs working in RESIST or associated with RESIST can get support by applying for co-financing of a technical assistant for up to twelve months. [...]

We welcome Prof. Dr. Nataliya Di Donato to RESIST. She is participating in project area A with her research on the following question: What genetic mechanisms underlie immunodeficiencies and thus susceptibility to infections? "Some syndromes caused by immunodeficiencies are found in less than 500 out of one million people, [...]

RESIST members Prof. Li, Prof. McHardy and Prof. Werfel are among the most cited scientists in the world. This was the result of the latest analysis of scientific publications by Clarivate Analytics. The annual list of "Highly Cited Researchers" shows which publications in each discipline are among the one [...]

As part of the LeibnizLAB at the University of Hanover, RESIST research inspires schoolchildren What infectious agents are there? How big are they? How do they spread from person to person? The first lecture of the LeibnizLAB of the University of Hanover on the subject of infection biology, which [...]

At the stand of our Cluster of Excellence RESIST at the MHH Open Day on Saturday, November 11, guests were able to rub their hands with a special disinfectant that fluoresces under black light and check for themselves how well they had done. They could also win a prize [...]

RESIST research teams who are generating large volumes of data now can get help analyzing these complex biomedical data. That’s because Hanan Begali recently joined the RESIST team as a bioformatician, where she is mentored by Prof. Depledge, Prof. Lauber and Prof. Galardini in the RESIST Biomedical Data Analysis [...]

This year's RESIST Satellite Symposium took place on October 5 at the Courtyard Hotel am Maschsee - as part of the international conference "Delta-Cure". This conference on hepatitis D virus infections was organized by the MHH Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectiology and Endocrinology under the direction of Prof. Wedemeyer. [...]

More than 100 enthusiastic herpesvirus researchers from 33 institutions and six countries participated at the 16th Mini Herpesvirus Workshop, held for the first time at the MHH on September 29, 2023. This annual meeting was organized by Prof. Depledge and Prof. Viejo-Borbolla from the MHH Institute of Virology. The [...]

Herpes viruses usually remain in the body permanently: they nest in the cells and also manage to be transferred from the mother to the daughter cells during cell division. In the case of Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), a specific viral protein called LANA is essential for the process of [...]

As a new member of RESIST we welcome PD Dr. Sabine Pirr. Why are newborns and especially premature infants so susceptible to severe infections compared to older children or adults? PD Dr. Sabine Pirr is investigating this question. In particular, she is focusing on the role of breast milk [...]

The team of the Center for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) gave a warm welcome to seven RESIST members who came to visit on 29 August. First, the guests received general information about the center in the lecture hall from Prof. Kay Grünewald, the Scientific Director of the CSSB, who [...]

The 50 or so guests who came to this year's summer RESIST network meeting, which took place in and around TWINCORE on August 25, were lucky with the weather. Because shortly before it started in the afternoon, the sun replaced the rain and it shone until the evening. So [...]

The summer academy "Lower Saxony International Summer Academy in Infection and Immunology (LISA)" has started - with young students of life sciences and medicine (Bachelor / Master) from about 20 countries, who are aiming for a PhD in immunology or infection research. LISA includes lectures where lecturers present their [...]

Prof. Galardini finds causes for bloodstream infections in the genes of bacteria. This will enable better diagnostics and vaccinations in the future. Escherichia coli bacteria live in the intestines of humans and play an important role there for normal intestinal function as well as for a functioning immune system. [...]

Bioinformatics is fascinating: It enables us to use computer-based methods to gain insights into biology and medicine – for example, to decode the human genome. In order to learn more about bioinformatics methods and working methods, 17 (post-) doctoral students and group leaders participated in the first "RESIST Bioinformatics [...]

For his exceptional contributions to the scientific community, Prof. Dr. Rolf Müller received the prestigious Charles Thom Award from the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB). The award recognizes the remarkable scientific achievements of Prof. Müller, founding and scientific director of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland [...]

Artificial intelligence in scientific research: developments, challenges, future Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming scientific research: AI systems like AlphaFold, RoseTTAFold, and ESMfold have revolutionized protein structure prediction. Now large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are democratizing scientific writing and coding. However, AI use might raise ethical concerns, including potential [...]

Here it is - the summer RESIST newsletter! You are welcome to read an article about Artificial Intelligence in scientific research written by Prof. Bosse starting on page 1. On the next two pages you can see photos and articles about the RESIST Retreat and the meeting of three [...]

Commitment to sustainable scientific research Lights off, refrigerator closed, fume hood sash down - these are simple but very effective measures that can save a lot of energy in a laboratory. Many people are aware of this. And yet the issue of sustainability in research needs momentum so that [...]

The "cell-sitting" list is something like a ticket for a vacation. Because when Dr. Daniela Paasch wants to take a vacation, she uses it to record exactly how her colleagues can preserve the life of the cells with which the postdoc is conducting research at the MHH Clinic for [...]

Third-semester students were able to vote for the Biomedical Data Analysis Masters program's teaching award for the first time. And they were quite sure, because they decided unanimously. Thus, Dr. Dominik Wolff from the Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics (PLRI) as the person responsible for the module [...]

Meeting of three clusters of excellence: networking promises added value and more visibility In beautiful surroundings between sunlit mountains, streams and vineyards, RESIST board members met with board members of the clusters of excellence Balance of the Microverse from Jena and Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections from Tübingen on [...]

Hepatitis D virus infection causes the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis disease. About ten to 20 million people worldwide are affected. There is currently no cure for the disease, and in the end the only treatment option is often a liver transplant. However, an international team led [...]

Dr. Bošnjak is a new members of RESIST Dr. Berislav Bošnjak, research associate at the Institute of Immunology of the MHH, is now a member of our Cluster of Excellence. A warm welcome! The research focus of the 44-year-old researcher is on the initiation of the T-cell immune response [...]

The RESIST team mourns the death of Egbert Trowe, who died on 31 May 2023 at the age of 78. Egbert Trowe himself received a liver transplant in 2002 and has since been an advocate for the issue of organ donation as well as for patients before and after [...]

What funding opportunities are there for young researchers at the DFG? What is absolutely necessary for a good proposal? And what should I absolutely refrain from doing? Dr. Andreas Strecker from the DFG Head Office answered all these and many other questions for a group of around 100 interested [...]

As part of the German-Scottish project "Hannover-Glasgow Infection Strategy" (HAGIS), the RESIST team was visited by five guests from the Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) on 24 and 25 May. At their meeting at the Institute of Virology of the Hannover Medical School (MHH), four young researchers reported [...]

The German Research Foundation has approved the new research training group "VISualisation and imaging of virus InfectION (VISION)". The spokesperson is Professor Dr Thomas Krey, head of the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Lübeck, and the co-spokesperson and co-applicant is Professor Dr Kay Grünewald from the University [...]

Research team of the MHH and the Cluster of Excellence RESIST clarify cell mechanism. The result is the basis for new therapies. How do human cells defend themselves against adenoviruses? The team of RESIST Professor Dr. Sabrina Schreiner from the Institute of Virology at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) [...]

RESIST in the podcast "Exzellent erklärt - Spitzenforschung für alle"  The new episode of the podcast "Exzellent erklärt - Spitzenforschung für alle" is online (in German language) and it is all about RESIST's research! The focus is on how we can protect premature and newborn babies from dangerous infections. [...]

Hands under black light: Around 700 pupils learned about immunology at the MHH today, and the RESIST stand was a popular eye-catcher. Immunology at your fingertips: What do the basics of our immune system actually look like? What is there to know about HIV and congenital immunodeficiencies or about [...]

The RESIST retreat was a constructive start to the work on the follow-up application. RESIST should continue to exist after the end of the first funding period. With this goal in mind, the heads of the research groups and other RESIST scientists met for a retreat at Warberg Castle [...]

Prof. Slevogt is a new members of RESIST Prof. Dr. Hortense Slevogt, a renowned expert in infectious diseases of the respiratory tract, joined the RESIST team in mid-November 2022: She is a new member and also serves on the RESIST Internal Advisory Board (IAB). She studied medicine in Berlin [...]

Data Science students were in Copenhagen in April a text by Katharina Wendt, second semester student: To gain insights into foreign research projects and health data management systems, to network and to learn about different career paths, 25 students set off for Copenhagen on 19 April 2023. They were [...]

Comprehensive data storage that would be unthinkable in Germany, a sandbox and the realisation that various paths lead to data science - the 25 students who recently spent a few days in Copenhagen were able to get to know all this. They were participants of the Add-on Fellowship for [...]

A strain of avian flu has spread around the world and is causing havoc among wild birds and farmed poultry, infecting mammals and killing colonies of sea lions. Should we be concerned about a possible human outbreak? An article by Dr. Benjamin Nilsson-Payant In the wake of the ongoing [...]

Here it is - the spring RESIST newsletter! Starting on page 1, you can read an informative article on avian flu by our expert Dr. Benjamin Nilsson-Payant. New members are introduced on page 3 and research projects and successes of our scientists on page 4. Current news and dates [...]

Once herpes, always herpes. The virus camouflages itself extremely cleverly: How it manages this, what role the sun or stress play, and what really helps against HSV-1 - Anna Carthaus has written an article on this for Zeit online, for which she also interviewed Prof. Sodeik (in German language). [...]

Are you interested in infection and immunology? Then the "Lower Saxony International Summer Academy in Infection and Immunology (LISA)" is just the thing! The academy is aimed at young students of life sciences and medicine (Bachelor's/Master's) from all over the world who wish to do a doctorate in immunology [...]