New Leibniz Science Campus in Hamburg: InterACt

Hamburg has acquired a Leibniz Science Campus: InterACt-which stands for "integrated analysis of pathogen-induced compartments"-is a cooperative project to strengthen connections between The Heinrich Pette Institute Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (HPI) and Universität Hamburg in the field of structural systems biology and infection research. Researchers work alongside colleagues at other research institutions such as the Centre for Structural System Biology (CSSB) to study the functions and structures of viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The Leibniz Association sees the Leibniz Science Campi as a way to strengthen research cooperation between universities and non-university research institutions. They should create networks that can further develop specific research areas and cultivate a scientific environment conducive to specific topics. At the Science Campus InterACt, researchers want to investigate the role of reaction chambers in cells. Reaction chambers or compartments are enclosed areas within cells in which, for example, special metabolic processes take place. During the course of a cellular infection, pathogens often use these niches for specific stages in their life cycles.