Newsletter 12

CSSB's contribution to fighting the coronavirus

Scientists around the world are responding to the coronavirus pandemic with exceptional speed and ingenuity. Using the cutting-edge technologies available at CSSB, our scientists are using their expertise to contribute to the investigation of SARS-CoV-2. All CSSB core facilities and the multi-user cryo-EM are currently providing services for SARS-CoV-2 related research projects.

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BLACK BOX SCIENCE

With an inspiring new video blog project entitled BLACK BOX SCIENCE, CSSB group leader Rainer Kaufmann aims to shine a critical light on current scientific culture and start a discussion about the realities of everyday scientific life. Watch the first episode today!

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CSSB welcomes Jens Bosse

On 30th April 2020, Jens Bosse was appointed with a junior professorship for Quantitative and Molecular Virology by Hannover Medical School MHH. He will be the first research group from MHH to join CSSB. His professorship is financed by the Cluster of Excellence RESIST which seeks to help individuals with weakened immune systems combat infection.

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CSSB microscopy facilities receive a grant to ensure safe operation during corona pandemic

The social distancing requirements necessary to minimize the spread of the corona virus present the scientists running CSSB facilities with some unexpected logistical challenges. As our facility managers prepare to make their services available for new Covid-19 projects, they have had to consider not only how to support existing users but also how to find different ways to train new users. CSSB's Advanced Light and Fluorescence Microscopy (ALFM) and Electron cryo-microscopy (Cryo-EM) facilities operated by the Universität Hamburg have recently received a Was zählt!-Fund for Teaching and Learning grant from the Claussen-Simon Foundation to facilitate the implementation of new training and safety procedures.

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CSSB Seminar Series is now virtual

The CSSB Seminar series is now taking place virtually. Join us for virtual seminars from world renowned scientist in the fields of infection, structural and systems biology. The full list of seminars can be found on our website. The next seminar will be given on 13 August by Michael Way from the Francis Crick Institute.

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3rd CSSB International Symposium Postponed

The 3rd CSSB International Symposium which was planned for 1-3 December 2020 has been postponed until 2021. The symposium entitled "Charting the landscape of infection: From entry to exit" will focus on a cross-disciplinary interrogation of the molecular mechanism of human infections. We will communicate the new 2021 date as soon as possible.

Engineering Immunogens for Vaccine Design

CSSB Associate Member Prof. Dr. Thomas Krey from the University of Lübeck was involved in a recent study which demonstrates that immunogens can be engineered to induce RSV-neutralizing antibodies. The publication which appeared in Science is an important step towards the development of a vaccine for RSV ...

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Bacteria alter their surface to infect host cells

In a recent publication in Nature Communications, the Kolbe group and collaborators have demonstrated that flagella also promote bacterial adhesion and host cell invasion.

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Needle Complex Structure Revealed

The CSSB group of Michael Kolbe focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of the T3SS. In a recent publication in PLoS Pathogens, the Kolbe group presented the first cryo-EM Structure of the isolated Shigella needle complex which reveals new insights into the architecture and function of this essential virulence factor.

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