Leibniz-HKI

Hello #Bluesky community! 👋 Welcome to the Leibniz-HKI! We’re researching microbial #NaturalProducts and #FungalPathogens to develop new diagnostics and treatments for #InfectiousDiseases, particularly against rising antimicrobial resistance. 💡 Follow us for the latest updates on our research!

🌐 Explore JenXplor’s new website JenXplor, Leibniz-HKI’s modular robotic platform developed together with Analytik Jena uses advanced technology to automate biological and biochemical experiments. 🧑🔬 Check it out in both German and English at www.jenxplor.de @luziagyr.bsky.social

For the first time, researchers from #UniJena and @leibniz-hki.de at @microverse.bsky.social have detected tiny membrane tunnels connecting social amoebae, serving as a communication and transport system. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/434214/amo…

Good yeast, bad yeast: Researchers from KU Leuven and our institute, supported by the #ClusterofExcellence @microverse.bsky.social, reveal how a strain of the baker’s yeast 𝘚. 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦 can weaken 𝘊. 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 and reduce inflammation. Learn more 👇

Old toxin, new twist 🍄🔬 Muscarine is a well-known mushroom toxin, but how fungi produce it has long been misunderstood. Researchers from @uni-jena.de and our institute revised a nearly 50-year-old model of its biosynthesis. www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

🏅 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗻𝗶𝘇 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 2026 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻 This year’s award honors research from our institute & @uni-jena.de, conducted within the #ClusterOfExcellence @microverse.bsky.social. 💡👉 Learn more about their discoveries using an innovative research approach: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

🔬✨ Yeast, bright colors, and a dash of curiosity Together with @microverse.bsky.social, we welcomed 34 students for this year’s “Forsche Schüler” Day. Hands on experiments from yeast to data driven research offered insights into real lab work. 👉 Read more: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/news/yeas...

Excellence in microbiome research: Today the Microverse Early Career Scientist Awards honored Beatrix Heinze & @hsuma.bsky.social for outstanding interdisciplinary work on microbial ecosystems. 👏 Congrats to both awardees! 🤝@pstallforth.bsky.social, @kuesellab.bsky.social & @uni-jena.de

We congratulate Prof. Wilhelm Boland on receiving the Xience Award 2026! 👏 In recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements and long-standing support, the Leibniz-HKI has presented the second Xience award to the chemist from @mpi-ce.bsky.social. 👉 More: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

Robotics meets genetics 🤖🧬🍄 Two junior research groups are FUSIONing their expertise to explore Fusarium, a fungus with two faces: a threat and a treasure trove for new therapeutics. Find out more about FUSION: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel... @luziagyr.bsky.social @slavi-jan.bsky.social

We’re proud to contribute to current #Tuberculosis research – from discovering BTZ-043 to advancing it towards a potential new treatment. On #WorldTBDay, we also honour the foundations: We named a seminar room after pioneering microbiologist Ruth Ella Moore, whose work also advanced TB research.

We’re excited to host the SPP 2240 #eBiotech Training Week 2026! After a great start with “Female Leadership” and inspiring talks, the week continues with workshops on #ScienceStorytelling and #ScientificWriting for doctoral researchers, led by @robinbonne.bsky.social and Christina Schütte.

🔬 Leibniz-HKI Research featured as Biomedical Picture of the Day! Proud to see a microscopy image from one of our recently published studies was selected as Biomedical Picture of the Day on March 5, 2026! BPoD article: bpod.org.uk/archive/2026... Paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Finally understanding the rules of the game: Working closely together in Jena, scientists have now deciphered how two species of bacteria join forces to avoid being eaten. www.leibniz-hki.de/de/pressemit... @microverse.bsky.social @uni-jena.de @uni-wuerzburg.de

What drives women in science — and how do they drive science forward? 🔬🚀 Great to see that @microverse.bsky.social has captured and shared the voices of women scientists for #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience, including colleagues from our institute.

@leibnizhki.bsky.social

With Christmas just around the corner, we wish all our colleagues, partners, and friends joyful holidays and a successful start into the New Year! We will be back in January. Warm wishes from the #LeibnizHKI. 🎄🎀⭐ The picture shows a colon cross section of a mouse colonized with Candida albicans.

Researchers at #LeibnizHKI discovered an enzyme that cleaves the toxin malleicyprol and reduces virulence in Burkholderia bacteria. 🗞️ Press release: lmy.de/VwRfa 🔎 Original paper: doi.org/10.1002/anie... @dfg.de @uni-jena.de @microverse.bsky.social @angewandtechemie.bsky.social

Meet our #December #calendar 2025 feature Wolfgang Vivas & Dolly Montaño, postdocs from Venezuela 🇻🇪 at Leibniz-HKI. How do they both juggle demanding research 🧪 with family life 👨🏻‍👩🏻‍👦🏻 while also keeping their creativity alive? 🎨 Find it out in their interview: lmy.de/Ibiul #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

"May the phage be with you!" 🎬🧬 Julia Frunzke (@fz-juelich.de) joined our #JEMS at @leibniz-hki.de! She discussed antiviral defense & how delayed phage DNA replication buys cells time to respond. Great science + movie quotes = 💯. Thanks for the visit, Julia! #ScienceSky #Microbiology #Phage

The research network #PerMiCCion, funded by the #BMFTR, enters its 2nd funding phase to uncover why more young adults develop colorectal #cancer, and how the gut microbiome can enable earlier detection and personalized prevention. ➡️ lmy.de/fZkRG @mbdlab.bsky.social @uni-jena.de #Microverse

The German Research Foundation (@dfg.de) welcomes the provisional agreement announced by the European Union on a new legal framework for so-called NGT-1 plants produced using new genomic techniques (NGT). The DFG and #Leopoldina have been campaigning for years for this classification. lmy.de/QqMLB

Funded PhD position 9/9: Study the role of human p11-dependent EGFR in regulating phagosome maturation and antifungal defense & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/saMIG #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 8/9: Develop scalable moss-bacteria co-cultivations for the discovery and production of new natural products & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/diSOz #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

... And here is a direct link to the original publication in Nat Mircobiol: doi.org/10.1038/s415... 🙂 @mbdlab.bsky.social 👏 #UniJena #LeibnizHKI #Microverse

Funded PhD position 7/9: Discover mycoparasites as unexplored resource for antiinfectives & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/FMclh #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 6/9: Explore liver-on-chip based macrophage-drug interactions in invasive candidiasis & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/ZAZGj #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 5/9: Study microbiome-enteric nervous system interactions in sepsis & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/ybPgD #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 4/9: Advance image quantification of organ-on-chip-based experiments within JIPipe & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/tSJYf #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 3/9: Investigate how Candida albicans lipases shape fungal-bacterial interactions & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/VyUor #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 2/9: Study neutrophil extracellular vesicles as a key defense mechanism against Aspergillus fumigatus & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/yisip #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

Funded PhD position 1/9: Explore RNA modification by natural products across species & benefit from the PhD training program ILRS 2.0. Apply by 13 Dec. 🎓 lmy.de/szeVW #PhDOpportunity #ScienceJobs #LeibnizHKI

🎙️ For #WAAW, our Director Axel Brakhage joins the German podcast “Contagious Enthusiasm” to discuss natural products in antibiotic development, the need of innovative #AMR strategies & the challenging conditions for researchers. lmy.de/EWdVZ 🎧 Spotify: lmy.de/bsezx 🎧 Deezer: lmy.de/Jzccq

Meet our #November feature Sophia Hitzler, a doctoral researcher at Leibniz-HKI, in this year’s #calendar 2025! From a fascination with fungi 🍄 to mentoring 👩‍🏫 and an unexpected dream job 🐳, discover her journey here: lmy.de/sBQAV #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI @aps-hki.bsky.social

📖 Perfect weekend reading for fungal fans! 😉 Our @mpm-hki.bsky.social colleagues uncover how #CandidaAlbicans manages to invade tissue as hyphae but spread as yeast. Published in @femsjournals.bsky.social. 🧑🏻‍🔬: @jlspragu.bsky.social

🎉 #LeibnizHKI has again been honored with the TOTAL E-QUALITY rating for our equal-opportunities personnel policy – for the 5th time in a row! This year, we also received the Sustainability Prize 2025 for our long-term commitment to equality, diversity & inclusion. 🗞️✨ lmy.de/zVSiL #TotalEquality

📣 I’m excited to share two open positions in my lab @leibniz-hki.de. For this interdisciplinary project with @luziagyr.bsky.social, I’m seeking (1) an enthusiastic PhD student interested in fungal natural product research and genetic engineering, as well as (2) a technical assistant 👇🏻

🍁 Meet our #October #calendar 2025 feature: Zoltán Cseresnyés, imaging specialist at our @appsysbio.bsky.social research group. From 1980s Hungary to super-resolution microscopy at Cambridge, he now helps researchers unlock insights from complex images. 🔬🌌 lmy.de/LsPim #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

Over the past two days, @leibniz-hki.de has hosted the Junior Groups in Infection Research Annual Meeting. We talked a lot about collaborations, the future of infection research and enjoyed dinner at the Botanical Garden @uni-jena.de. #bmftr #infection #research #science

🍄 #Psilocybe & #Inocybe magic mushrooms use completely different enzymes to make #psilocybin as a team from @leibniz-hki.de and @uni-jena.de have discovered. 🗞️ Press release: shorturl.at/imyW2 🔎 Original paper: doi.org/10.1002/anie... @angewandtechemie.bsky.social @microverse.bsky.social @dfg.de

Meet our #September feature Hannah Büttner in this year’s #calendar 2025! 👩🏻‍🔬 She explored fungal-bacterial symbiosis, loves both music & art, and carries science in her bag wherever she goes. 🎒🏜️ Read her interview here: lmy.de/FUIJC 🎙️ #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

🌍 Today is the #InternationalMicroorganismsDay! On this occasion, we are naming the Microverse #MicrobeoftheYear 2025: Candida albicans. Carried by up to 95% of people, it usually lives harmlessly in our bodies – but can also cause infections. www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news/micr...

Virusinfektionen sind ja leider oft nur die halbe Miete. Pilze finden geschwächte Körper nämlich auch ganz gut ⬇️ #zombies @leibniz-hki.de