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Co-Director of the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) is among those to receive funding from the European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the results of the latest round of its “Proof of Concept Grant” 2024 competition. Among the researchers selected for funding is Prof. Yang Li, co-director of the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) and head of the research department “Bioinformatics for Individualised Medicine”, who has thus been awarded one of the coveted ERC grants for the second time. In total, the ERC selected 134 projects for funding of 150,000 euros each. The CiiM is a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), which is operated jointly with the Hannover Medical School (MHH).
“Prof. Dr. Yang Li impressively combines insights from the life sciences and data science in her research. In doing so, she is laying the foundation for new possibilities for individually adapted diagnoses and therapies in medicine. As head of the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine in Hannover, she is working to develop better and more tolerable vaccines, thereby strengthening the close collaboration between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Congratulations to Prof. Li and her entire team,” said Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony's Minister of Science.
In the ERC-funded project, Yang Li and her team are investigating why the effectiveness of vaccines varies from person to person. In particular, seasonal influenza is a major global public health challenge, causing three to five million severe cases and 290,000 to 650,000 deaths annually. Vaccines against influenza viruses are crucial to preventing illness, reducing the severity of infection and limiting the transmission of the viruses. However, their effectiveness varies depending on factors such as immune status and existing comorbidities. Li has used machine learning models to successfully predict vaccine response based on biomarkers. With the ERC funding, Yang Li now wants to validate these biomarkers and, in collaboration with an industrial partner, develop them into an innovative, rapid and reliable diagnostic test. This should significantly improve the effectiveness of influenza vaccines, thus reducing the burden of disease and ultimately saving lives.
This press release is also available on our website: https://www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en/media-center/newsroom/news-detail/erc-proof-of-c....
Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine:
The CiiM is a joint venture of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH) and is the first research institute explicitly dedicated to develop personalized medicine for infections. The departments and groups of the CiiM are working towards the vision of treating infectious patients in an adapted and optimized way according to the specific needs and requirements of each individual. To achieve this, CiiM is dedicated to researching individual characteristics and their impact on susceptibility to infection or treatment success with available therapies. https://www.ciim-hannover.de/en/
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research:
Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and its other sites in Germany are engaged in the study of bacterial and viral infections and the body’s defence mechanisms. They have a profound expertise in natural compound research and its exploitation as a valuable source for novel anti-infectives. As member of the Helmholtz Association and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) the HZI performs translational research laying the ground for the development of new treatments and vaccines against infectious diseases. http://www.helmholtz-hzi.de/en
Contact:
Susanne Thiele, Spokesperson
susanne.thiele@helmholtz-hzi.de
Dr Andreas Fischer, Editor
andreas.fischer@helmholtz-hzi.de
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Press and Communications
Inhoffenstr. 7
D-38124 Braunschweig
Germany
Phone: +49 531 6181-1400; -1405
Dr. Jennifer Debarry
Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM)
0511 220027226
jennifer.debarry@helmholtz-hzi.de
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