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

🏆The @leibniz-hki.de receives the Thuringian Animal Welfare Award 2025! An innovative lung model reduces animal testing in infection research by up to 90%. Science and animal welfare go hand in hand🤝 #AnimalWelfare #Research @soziales.thueringen.de Picture Credits: TMSGAF; Delf Zeh

Dose makes the difference! #Candidaalbicans uses the toxin #candidalysin not only to cause infections but also to quietly colonize the mouth – too little fails, too much triggers immune defense. @natmicrobiol.nature.com @mpm-hki.bsky.social picture credits: Erik Böhm, @leibniz-hki.de

🍄 #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

Biophelion, a @leibniz-hki.de spin-off, turns industrial waste into sustainable materials! 🌱♻️ Using a black yeast, they create biodegradable polyesters, pullulan & new eco-friendly surfactants. @sprind-de.bsky.social @tilltiso.bsky.social Pictures: @sprind-de.bsky.social, Tillmann Franzen

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#zombies

A little more than 2 weeks to apply for a Postdoc position in our lab @leibniz-hki.de 👇🏻

We’re accelerating antiinfective discovery with #ISMEA! This automated system powers high-throughput screening via #JenXplor, enabling efficient, error-free handling of substances and boosting research with ML-driven predictions. ➡️ lmy.de/Hyqtb

🌱 “Researching and working in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way is both a #process and a #challenge. We are happy to take on these tasks, as they make a lasting contribution to positive climate development,” says our Director Axel Brakhage. #Sustainability @patricks-science.bsky.social

Solar panels, recycling waste heat, efficient freezers. Small steps, big impact: We are working on making research and our institute more energy-efficient. #Sustainability #EnergyEfficiency #SolarPanels #LeibnizHKI

Plastic waste is a challenge. But with simple changes, labs can cut up to 65% – without compromising research quality, says Patrick Penndorf (@patricks-science.bsky.social). We want to tackle this problem. #Sustainability #PlasticWaste #GreenLabs #LeibnizHKI

Science must be part of the climate solution. 🌱🌎 At #LeibnizHKI, we rethink workflows to reduce waste & save energy. Patrick Penndorf (@patricks-science.bsky.social) helps us with this. ➡️ www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel... #Sustainability

🛠️🚗 Meet Michael Hetz, our in-house technician and driver! From fixing tech to dreaming of flying a helicopter with the boss 🚁😉– discover what drives him and brings him joy 🎶🛥️in our #August #calendar feature: lmy.de/dXISl #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI

Join our Deep Microbiome Metabolomics team as a Technician! Work with LC/MS & ICP-MS in a cutting-edge microbiome lab @leibniz-hki.de - CTA/chemical lab tech or BSc in chemistry/biochemistry - LC/MS experience - English 🔗 jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Technis... #LabJobs #Technician #Metabolomics #LCMS

We’re hiring a Postdoc on Gut Microbiome–Host Interactions @leibniz-hki.de, Jena 🇩🇪 You'll create organ-on-chip models to study how microbes mediate host responses to xenobiotics jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Postdoc...

We’re hiring a Postdoc in Gut Microbiome Metabolomics! Help us decode microbial metabolism and its impact on human health @leibniz-hki.de , Jena 🇩🇪 🔗 jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Postdoc...

🤝Politics meets research: Today, we welcomed Lena Saniye Güngör & Christian Schaft from @dielinketh.bsky.social to @leibniz-hki.de. They were particularly impressed by the research opportunities offered for young scientists, for example at the Bio Pilot Plant. #Research #Biotechnology

At #LeibnizHKI, research thrives through collaboration. Like microbial communities in balance, our strength comes from the Leibniz Association network. We are celebrating 30 years of shared science, because community matters – on small and large scales. #30JahreLeibniz @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de

Spotlight on our Leibniz Competition project “FuRTHER” on #WorldRNADay: Exploring how fungal ncRNAs may reprogram human gene expression. A new concept in infection biology by @mgblango.bsky.social, funded by the @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de. #InterkingdomCommunication #LeibnizHKI ➡️ lmy.de/bNyTX

Yesterday, Thuringian Science Minister Christian Tischner visited #LeibnizHKI to learn about our junior research groups fighting the antibiotic crisis with high-tech. It was a pleasure having him with us! lmy.de/AYoYM @slavi-jan.bsky.social @jethrohemmann.bsky.social @luziagyr.bsky.social

Sporty 🏸, curious, and far from cliché: In our #July feature of our #calendar, colleagues Tongta Sae-Ong & Sascha Schäuble share their paths in bioinformatics, love for sports, and why science is as much about people as it is about data: lmy.de/fTKMI #FacesOfScience #LeibnizHKI @mbdlab.bsky.social

Making a research institute more sustainable in just 2 weeks? The Leibniz-HKI and I took on the challenge... 🧵👇 The goal wasn’t just clean energy, but also less plastic in experiments, reducing chemical waste, and improving health & safety. #STEM #Greenlab @leibniz-hki.de

💡 New infection strategy in #Candida albicans discovered: human #albumin reprograms its metabolism, turning harmless strains pathogenic – without the need of hyphae or toxins. #LeibnizHKI 🗞️ lmy.de/mthFi 🧪 rdcu.be/exl7d @markgresnigt.bsky.social @aps-hki.bsky.social @dfg.de @microverse.bsky.social

Finance Minister Katja Wolf visits #LeibnizHKI in Jena – highlighting the importance of research, innovation and international specialists for Thuringia! lmy.de/nKCeA

📣 I’m recruiting a #Postdoc to help us further our understanding on the infection strategies of our human fungal pathogen. If you’re enthusiastic about research, our interdisciplinary group @leibniz-hki.de will be a good fit for you! Please share! jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Postdoc...

In a new @naturemedicine.bsky.social study, 8 weeks of VR training with REVERIE improved working memory, olfaction & altered the gut microbiome in teens with #overweight – without physical exercise. P.S.: We still like exercise though! 🤫 ➡️ Paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415... @mbdlab.bsky.social