Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

When a wave of infection reaches its peak depends, among other things, on seasonal temperature fluctuations and changes in contact rates

Researchers were able to trace a form of the autoimmune disease lupus back to a single mutation

The pathogens want to benefit as long as possible from the food supply that life in the vector mosquitoes offers them

The vaccine candidate VPM1002 shows its safety in a study with HIV- and non-HIV-exposed newborns

With the live talk between Nobel Laureate Benjamin List and Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, the 73rd Max Planck Society Meeting in Berlin draws to a close

Sometimes a single discovery can change a whole life. For Emmanuelle Charpentier, deciphering the functioning of an enzyme previously known only to experts was such a moment. The trio comprised of one enzyme and two RNA molecules and known as CRISPR-Cas9 made headlines far beyond the world of science. Since then, a lot of things have changed in the French woman’s life. She became a Director at the Berlin-based Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in early October 2015.

At the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, the focus is on such unpleasant companions as chlamydia, HIV and tubercle bacilli. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, as Founding Director, helped establish it 20 years ago. Since then, the scientist has been researching the strengths and weaknesses of the tubercle bacillus. Modern tuberculosis research would be inconceivable without him – and he without it.

White blood cells that cast net-like structures to ensnare pathogens recently gave scientists quite a surprise. Now the first patients are reaping the benefits of this discovery.

We are using mathematical models to explore the dynamics of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 and their interaction among each other and the immune system. Fed with data from health authorities, our models offer new insights into virus spread and vaccination efficacy. Recent studies reveal how the interaction of pathogens affects vaccination strategies, underscoring the importance of timing of vaccinations, especially for children and across different geographic regions.

Malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium and transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. But what happens if no mosquitoes are present during a dry season? Our research group is investigating the mechanisms used by malaria parasites to survive dry seasons in their host. For this, we cooperate with a partner group of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Bamako, Mali, where we study more than 600 people over long periods of time.

Communication is key for our immune system. When pathogens attack our body, this information must be passed on and converted into activity. We investigate the signalling mechanisms of the innate immune system to create a fundamental understanding of the function of these signal transduction pathways. To do so, we visualised the formation of the myddosome: a supramolecular organizing center, which forms at immune receptors and controls signal transmission. Our results can help understanding the dynamic interaction of signaling substances in immune cells.

Mosquitoes are known to spread malaria, however, mosquitoes are different. By collecting thousands of mosquitoes in four different African countries, we found that some mosquito species are much better vectors of malaria-causing parasites than others. Statistics and modeling analyses of our big dataset revealed that the prevalence of malaria-infected mosquitoes depends on the composition of mosquito species inhabiting this area. We also discovered that mosquito immune system and metabolism determine the success of parasite development in the mosquito and its virulence to the next human host.

Organisms are confronted with a multitude of pathogens on a daily basis. Hence, in the course of evolution, the immune system developed many sophisticated defense mechanisms. In 2004, our team described a previously unknown mechanism: neutrophils, which are quite abundant immune cells, are able to trap harmful microorganisms in nets. Interestingly, these nets are not just built of the same components as the genetic material, but also, their formation follows steps which otherwise only take place during cell division.