This yearˋs Löffler-Frosch-Medal for his lifetime achievements and contributions to virology goes to our former president Prof. Ralf Bartenschlager @ciid-heidelberg.bsky.social @uniheidelberg.bsky.social! So greatly deserved, congratulations, Ralf!

#gfv2026

With an intro by Ivonne Vazquez @agvazquez.bsky.social and Elena Reckzeh.

The #BonnOrganoidSymposium 2026 with a fantastic talk by @microorganolab.bsky.social on the diverse applications of #organs-on-chip and #organoids

… getting started

Ready for the #BonnOrganoidSymposium 2026 at @unibonn.bsky.social ….

Caspase-4 binds to LPS membranes with positive curvature for non-canonical inflammasome activation The non-canonical inflammasome, comprising caspase-4 in humans, initiates pyroptosis upon sensing cytosolic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negativ…

We're thrilled to share the lab's latest publication demonstrating how caspase-4 and the non canonical inflammasome recognize cytosolic LPS by preferentially binding to the convex portions of membranes - both bacterial and micelles @cp-immunity.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Early weekend read: Our new review on #antiviral #inflammasomes spearheaded by Jennifer Wuerth with some recommendations for inflammasome detection is out!
@unibonn.bsky.social @immunosens.bsky.social

www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/18...

Cryo-EM structure reveals how influenza A virus NEP binds the viral polymerase at a regulatory hotspot, coordinating RNA synthesis and nuclear export. Fantastic collaboration with @loiccarrique.bsky.social and Jon Grimes. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The reporter is described here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Recombinant viruses encode inflammasome reporter caspase-1 CARD-EGFP and inhibitory AIM2 nanobodies, which block inflammasome assembly in macrophages, but not monocytes.

... and engineered reporter poxviruses to impair AIM2 inflammasomes in human primary cells with inhbitory nanobodies, revealing that primary macrophages and keratinocytes assemble #AIM2 inflammasomes, while monocytes assemble #NLRP3 inflammasomes.

While overexpression of AIM2 PYD-EGFP assembles filaments, co-expression of AIM2 nanobodies blocks filament formation and inflammasome asssembly

... identified #nanobodies that block AIM2 inflammasomes by interfering with AIM2 Pyrin filament oligomerization (sequences deposited in nanosaurus.org data base) ...

Infected human primary macrophages and monocytes undergo pyroptosis and assemble inflammasomes.

We constructed reporter poxviruses to track inflammasome assembly in human primary cells ....

Poxvirus dsDNA genomes differentially activate AIM2 or NLRP3 inflammasomes in human primary cells - The EMBO Journal The innate immune system is known for its ability to recognize cytosolic DNA as evidence of infection, but detailed studies of this process have been mostly limited to mice and cell lines. To investig...

Ever wondered how you can specifically inhibit #AIM2 #inflammasomes? @y-m-tesfamariam.bsky.social generated inhibitory AIM2 #nanobodies to ‬dissect inflammasome responses to #poxvirus infections in human #PrimaryCells
@unibonn.bsky.social @immunosens.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Thanks to everyone for this important tasks for the community!

Looking for passionate candidate to apply to PhD fellowship to University of Murcia call:

www.um.es/documents/d/...

Interested students contact me!

BBS8-dependent ciliary Hedgehog signaling governs cell fate in the white adipose tissue | The EMBO Journal imageimageDisruption of ciliogenesis in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) leads to obesity and disrupted adipogenesis. This study reveals that ciliary dysfunction in a mouse model of BBS induces a a cell fa...

🚨 New in The EMBO Journal!
Loss of BBS8 disrupts ciliary Hedgehog signaling, switching adipocyte precursors into fibrogenic cells—remodeling adipose tissue before obesity begins.
🔬 #BBS #cilia @for5547.bsky.social @sfb1454.bsky.social @batenergy.bsky.social
📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

First talk by Christian Liemersdorf from @dlr-de.bsky.social about organoid in space - great fun at full house (first time I have seen every single spot of the lecture hall taken)

Thrilled to start the 2nd Bonn #Organoid Day with more than 100 participants at @unibonn.bsky.social!

KSHV miRNAs target STING to evade innate immunity and facilitate KSHV lytic reactivation from latency @cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Breakthrough Prize-Winning Biochemist on the Deadly Cost of Funding Cuts | Amanpour and Company YouTube video by Amanpour and Company

David Liu @harvard.edu beautifully articulates the criticality of basic science funding for developing revolutionary therapeutics like life-saving base editors 👏

youtu.be/8YhJM6zxYDw?...

Excellence Strategy Funds Bonn Cluster for Immune Research The Bonn Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation will be funded for a further seven years as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state…

Hurray! ImmunoSensation will go on! 🥳
The @dfg.de just announced that ImmunoSensation3, focussing on Immune Diversity will be funded!
Let us #celebrate 7 more years of #immunology in #Bonn 🎉

www.immunosensation.de/news/immunos...

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This work was spearheaded by @florianngohr.bsky.social at @unibonn.bsky.social. He is an outstanding immunologist/virologist currently looking for #postdoc opportunities!

Late #WeekendRead: We describe a novel reporter to visualize endogenous #inflammasome assembly. Suitable for cell lines, primary cells, and tissues as well as quantification by #microscopy and #flowcytometry. Happy to share. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Let's not forget that apart from science advocacy the Rauch lab also does kick-ass science!
Together with the @psmitchej.bsky.social and Tait Wojno labs, we show that #tuftcells can induce specific protective signaling after recognition of intracellular bacterial infection via the #inflammasome!