Vaccination induced production of HBV-neutralizing antibodies, and increased numbers and functionality of HBV-specific, CD8+ T-cells in mice with low, but not in mice with high levels of HBV antigen. Mice with initially high titers of HBV and knockdown of HBV antigen expression developed polyfunctional, HBV-specific CD8+ T cells and HBV was eliminated. These findings indicate that high titers of virus antigens reduce the efficacy of therapeutic vaccination. Anti-HBV siRNAs and therapeutic vaccines are each being tested in clinical trials—their combination might cure chronic HBV infection.
For more information see

Michler et al., Gastroenterology 2020
Press release TU Munich

The award ceremony took place on 30 January 2020 in the Great Palace of Bangkok, Thailand and was awarded by the president of the foundation, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, a granddaughter of the eponym Prince Mahidol of Songkla.
Ralf has received the award, endowed with 100,000 US dollars, for his research on the Hepatitis C virus.

CONGRATULATIONS!

For further information: Press release University Hospital Heidelberg

The scientists are:
Prof. Mathias Heikenwälder: Mathias Heikenwälder is Division Head (Chronic Inflammation and Cancer) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. His project TP06 aims at studying the exact cell type(s) expressing LTβR ligands (Lymphotoxin, LIGHT) and their role in supporting antiviral responses and viral clearance. In addition, he identifies and now further investigates the role of blood cells in the antiviral response.
Prof. Dr. Veit Hornung: Veit Hornung is Chair of Immunobiochemistry (W3), Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and heads the TRR179 project TP08. This projects aims to identify the innate mechanisms sending relevant signaling cascades responsible for the activation of the IFN-system by the HDV.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager: Ralf Bartenschlager is Chair of the Molecular Virology at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University. He is speaker of the TRR179 and project leader of TP09. He aims to study the IFN-response activation by HCV and HBV via distinct pattern recognition factors.

Press release Heidelberg University
List of „Highly Cited Researchers 2019“

In addition to a quiz, we offered crafting activities for children. We were very happy about the active participation in the quiz as well as at the craft booth. The kids and also some adults tinkered viral capsids from the hepatitis B virus and bookmarks. The solutions of the quiz questions were thought through intensively. It was great fun for us!

For further information see:
Homepage University Hospital

He presented the latest findings on the differences in the replication strategies of flaviviruses (such as the dengue virus) and hepaciviruses (such as the hepatitis C virus) and their significance for virus proliferation and immune defence.

In recognition of his achievements in the field of HCV research, Prof. Thomas Dobner, Scientific Director of the HPI, presented him with a "Meisterstück" fountain pen from the Hamburg brand Montblanc.

For further information see:
Homepage HPI

The underlying molecular mechanisms that induce and stabilize the phenotypic and functional features of exhausted T cells was recently published in Nature by an international research team from Germany and the USA with the TRR179 members Robert Thimme (TP01), Percy Knolle (TP05) and Dirk Wohlleber (TP13).

For further information see:
Press release of TU Munich
Whole Paper

Steeve received this award for his innovative research on viral infections in the intestine. He uses human organoids that mimic intestinal functions in cell culture and investigate the interaction between the immune system and the organ. Since 2019 Steeve is associated member of the TRR179 and studies together with Viet Loan Dao Thi from the TRR179 polarized infection and innate immune response in intestinal cells (representing the gut) and hepatocytes (representing the liver) of enterically transmitted hepatitis A (HAV) and E virus (HEV).

Anne Schütz (München): Anne heads an independent working group at the Faculty of Chemistry of the TUM, funded by the Emmy Noether Program of the DFG. Her main research focus is the molecular basics of the structure and maturation of viral capsids and membrane sheaths as well as new antiviral strategies at the interface to medical research. Within the TRR179 Anne will investigate in collaboration with Stefan Seitz, Heidelberg the ultrastructural dynamics during hepatitis B virus morphogenesis in different states of persistent infection.

Steeve Boulant (Heidelberg): Steeve heads the research group “Virus Infection and Innate Signalling” at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital. In 2012 Steeve came to Heidelberg by receiving funds from the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation. His main research interest is to characterize, with live-cells, the spatio-temporal aspects of virus fate, from receptor binding to induction of the innate immune response. Together with Viet Loan Dao Thi he studies how the enteric phase of HAV and HEV lifecycle may impact virus replication and spread in the liver and ultimately study whether this contributes to the acute nature of HAV and HEV infections.

Stefan Seitz (Heidelberg): Stefan works in the group of Ralf Bartenschlager, Heidelberg and his main research interests are (1) to decipher the origin and evolution of hepatitis viruses by employing bioinformatics and (2) to analyze the assembly and maturation process of hepatitis viruses. Together with Anne Schütz from Munich he investigates the ultrastructural dynamics during hepatitis B virus morphogenesis in different states of persistent infection.

Maike Hofmann from our partner site Freiburg received the “Margarete von Wrangell habilitation programme for women" from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg. Over the next five years, Maike will receive a total of 360.000 euros to support her on her way to becoming a professor. Maike is group leader at the Klinik für Innere Medizin II, University Hospital Freiburg and project leader of project 01. She investigates the mechanisms of CD8 T cell restoration after anti-HCV therapy.

Press release Freiburg University

Volker Lohmann from the partner site Heidelberg received the DZIF award for for Translational Infection Research for his major contributions on hepatitis C virus research developing cell culture methods that constituted a prerequisite for testing antiviral drugs.

Within the TRR179 Volker is group leader of TP17 and his project aims to define key factors of the innate immune response finally determining the establishment of persistent infection of the liver.

Press release DZIF

Prof. Dr. Veit Hornung: Veit Hornung is Chair of Immunobiochemistry (W3), Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and heads the TRR179 project TP08. This projects aims to identify the innate mechanisms sending relevant signaling cascades responsible for the activation of the IFN-system by the HDV.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager: Ralf Bartenschlager is Chair of the Molecular Virology at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University. He is speaker of the TRR179 and project leader of TP09. He aims to study the IFN-response activation by HCV and HBV via distinct pattern recognition factors.

Press release Heidelberg University
Press release LMU München
List of „Highly Cited Researchers 2018“

In addition to a quiz, we offered crafting activities for children. We were very happy about the active participation in the quiz as well as at the craft booth. The kids and also some adults tinkered viral capsids from the hepatitis B virus and bookmarks. The solutions of the quiz questions were thought through intensively.

Next year we will be back at the Night of Research!

In the September issue of Nature, the group of A. Pichlmair, who is project leader within TRR179, published a comprehensive analysis of cellular responses induced upon ZIKV infection at the proteome and phosphoproteome level. The authors identified multiple mechanisms evolved by ZIKV to exploit or perturb fundamental cellular processes. These results will set the ground for comparative studies with HCV, with the aim to identify cellular pathways that might explain why some virus infections are chronic whereas other kill the infected cell.

The DFG is celebrating this with an animated film. The film illustrates how the application process proceeds - the example of Paula.

Film: How do I apply for a SFB?

Jasper, who is member of the Integrated graduate School “Immunovirology” of the TRR179, is in the lab of Volker Lohmann, project leader in the TRR179. He received a travel grant of the IRTG "Immunovirology" and won the prize for the best poster at the TOLL 2018 Meeting in Porto, Portugal, which is entiteld “CHARACTERIZATION OF NATURALLY OCCURRING SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS IN THE TOLL-LIKE-RECEPTOR 3 GENE”.

The first international symposium of the TRR179 in Heidelberg from May 17th to May 18th 2018 was a great. We were happy to welcome 250 participants from all over the world, who enjoyed discussions in an releaxed and stimulating atmosphere.
We would like to thank the German research foundation (DFG), the SFB/TR 209 and the SFB1129 for the generous support of the symposium. We are also very grateful to the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg for hosting this meeting. Most important was the contribution of all the speakers and chairpersons, whom we thank very much for taking their time out of busy schedules and their active participation

These are the groups of

Viet Loan Dao Thi (Heidelberg): Loan was successful in receiving funds from the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation last year to head a CHS-group. She came from the lab of C. Rice at Rockefeller University New York, USA and will strengthen the TRR179 by introducing stem cell-derived culture models to study hepatitis E virus (HEV).

Bertram Bengsch (Freiburg): Bertram returned from a postdoctoral position in John Wherry’s lab at University of Pennsylvania, USA to Freiburg by receiving a Heisenberg Scholarship. He will introduce the topic of metabolic regulation of T cell exhaustion to the TRR179.

The kick-off of the new lecture series "Survival strategies" of the Heidelberg Collaborative Research Centers in life science was made on February 8, by the Heidelberg virologist Prof. Dr. med. Hans-Georg Kräusslich with his lecture on "Dangerous germs". Prof. Kräusslich, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology at Heidelberg University Hospital, investigates the question of how viruses and parasites spread throughout the body and how the host combats these pathogens. From the current work of the Collaborative Research Center "Integrative Analysis of the Replication and Spreading of Pathogenic Agents" (SFB 1129), the researcher reported what approaches are available to intervene in the course of the disease and inhibit its spread. For more information see:

Press release Heidelberg University
Article Rhein Neckar Zeitung

He will share the Leibniz Prize with Eicke Latz for their ground breaking research in the field of innate immune responses. Each of the awardees receives € 1.25 million to support his research.

Veit Hornung leads, together with Percy Knolle from the Technische Universität München, project TP08. This project aims to define the innate sensing and signaling pathways that are engaged upon HDV infection and decipher the functional consequences of chronic innate immune activation on cellular immunity in vitro and in vivo.

Press release DFG

Further information Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize

Prof. Dr. Veit Hornung: Veit Hornung is Chair of Immunobiochemistry (W3), Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and heads the TRR179 project TP08. This projects aims to identify the innate mechanisms sending relevant signaling cascades responsible for the activation of the IFN-system by the HDV.

Prof. Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager: Ralf Bartenschlager is Chair of the Molecular Virology at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University. He is speaker of the TRR179 and project leader of TP09. The aims of the part of the TRR179 is to study the IFN-response activation by HCV and HBV via distinct pattern recognition factors.

Press release Heidelberg University