The Leibniz Institute of Virology was founded in 1948 by

Heinrich Pette Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

, a German

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

. It began as a research facility to create a

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

vaccine. It is now a private foundation and involved with basic research in

virology Virology is the Scientific method, scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host (biology), ...

and the

immune responses An immune response is a reaction which occurs within an organism for the purpose of defending against foreign invaders. These invaders include a wide variety of different microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which could ...

of organisms. The institute is a non-profit public beneficiary organisation and an independent member of the

Leibniz Association The Leibniz Association (German: ''Leibniz-Gemeinschaft'' or ''Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz'') is a union of German non-university research institutes from various disciplines. As of 2020, 96 non-university research insti ...

, located in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. Until 2021, the institute bore the name Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology. Due to

's activities in the year 1933–45, the Institute initially decided in 2021 to no longer use Pette's name as part of its institute name in the future. In May 2022, the institute was renamed Leibniz Institute of Virology.

Research

The aim of the research at the LIV is to develop new approaches for improved diagnostic techniques and therapies for viral diseases and virus-associated tumor diseases. Scholars of the institute explore a wide range of viruses, such as

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

viruses (HPV, HCV),

herpes Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Infections are categorized based on the part of the body infected. Oral herpes involves the face or mouth. It may result in small blisters in groups often called cold ...

viruses (herpes simplex type 1, herpes simplex type 2, Epstein-Barr virus, and Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus),

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

viruses (human T-cell leukemia virus-1, murine leukemia virus),

coronaviruses Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

human immunodeficiency virus The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immun ...

and DNA tumor viruses (

adenoviruses Adenoviruses (members of the family ''Adenoviridae'') are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double-stranded DNA genome. Their name derives from the ...

, SV-40). The drive towards practical applications of the results in diagnosis and treatment is reflected in numerous collaborations with clinical institutions and industry. The institute is divided into six research departments, one independent research unit and three independent junior research group. The institute also has two associated groups. The topics of the current working groups are: Research departments: • Structural Biology of Viruses • Viral Transformation • Virus Immunology • Virus-Host-Interaction • Viral Zoonoses - One Health • Integrative Virology Research unit: • Virus Genomics Junior research groups: • Genomics of Retroviral Infection • Systems Arbovirology • Cell Biology of RNA Viruses Associated groups: • Dynamics of Viral Structures • Quantitative Virology

History

The foundation in 1948 as the "Foundation For The Research Of Spinal Polio" was made possible by two people: the generous patron

Philipp Reemtsma Fürchtegott Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (1864� ...

, and the neurologist

. The latter shaped the scientific concept and development of the institute until his death in 1964. After his death the institute was renamed 'Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology'. Since 1993 a cooperation agreement between the LIV and the University of Hamburg underlines the close relation to the university. The institute's buildings were renovated and extended in 1967, 1995 and in 2006. In May 2022, the institute was renamed Leibniz Institute of Virology.''Institute renaming: HPI becomes LIV - Leibniz Institute of Virology''
May 9, 2022.

Networks

The LIV has collaborations on multiple levels with other research institutions. It is a member of the

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community The Leibniz Association (German: ''Leibniz-Gemeinschaft'' or ''Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz'') is a union of German non-university research institutes from various disciplines. As of 2020, 96 non-university research insti ...

. The institute is located on the campus of the

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (german: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)) is the teaching hospital of the University of Hamburg and the largest hospital in Hamburg, Germany. The UKE has 1,738 beds and 121 day-care p ...

, and is due to the cooperation agreement linked closely to the University of Hamburg. The heads of departments are C4 or W3 professors, appointed in a procedure closely coordinated with the departments of medicine, chemistry and biology at the University of Hamburg. Alongside the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine and the

Research Center Borstel The Research Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center (german: Forschungszentrum Borstel – Leibniz Lungenzentrum, FZB) is a German interdisciplinary biomedical research institution located in Borstel in Schleswig-Holstein, just north of Hamburg. ...

is a founding member of the

Leibniz Center Infection Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathema ...

, a strategic alliance to conduct research on highly relevant infectious diseases. The research center for pediatric hematology and oncology 'Forschungsinstitut Kinderkrebs-Zentrum Hamburg' has a part of the LIV buildings. Based on the public-private partnership the society operates for the promotion of the replacement and expansion II of the LIV and is an independent research institute for pediatric hematology and oncology. In cooperation with the

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics __NOTOC__ The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) is a biology research institute located in Dresden, Germany. It was founded in 1998 and was fully operational in 2001. More than twenty research groups work in m ...

in Dresden, scientists proved that it is possible, using a customized enzyme (

Tre recombinase Tre recombinase is an experimental enzyme that in lab tests has removed DNA inserted by HIV from infected cells. Through selective mutation, Cre recombinase which recognizes loxP sites are modified to identify HIV long terminal repeats (loxLTR) i ...

), to excise the DNA of the

from the

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ge ...

of individual cells to remove it. This demonstration is an important step in the development of a cure for

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

(hence the extensive removal or containment of HIV infection).

References

External links

* http://www.hpi-hamburg.de {{Authority control Foundations based in Germany Medical research institutes in Germany Medical and health organisations based in Hamburg Virology institutes