ERC Starting Grant for HZI Young Scientist:

Dr Luka Cicin-Sain, Head of the Junior Research Group "Immune Aging and Chronic Infections" at the Brunswick Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), was awarded the "ERC Starting Grant" endowed with 1.5 million Euro. Luka Cicin-Sain receives the five-year research grant for his research on cytomegaloviruses (CMV) . Cytomegaloviruses are common world-wide; in Germany, every second person is a carrier, often without noticing it. Even so, the viruses affect our immune system and are the cause of repeated activation of a certain type of immune cells, the so-called memory cells. With his research on the CMV and its interaction with our immune system the young scientist intends to clarify, amongst other things, whether the virus can be used for research on virus based vaccines. The grant annually awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to young scientists ("Starting Grant") is aimed at actively promoting excellent scientists with highly innovative research ideas. Furthermore, it is to support researchers in overcoming the boundaries between basic research and applied sciences.

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