News and press releases

PlasmidFactory GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine expertise in cell therapy process development and GMP manufacturing, aiming to accelerate non-viral cell and gene therapies for the benefit of patients.

Prof. Dr. Stephan Fricke, Head of the Department of Cell and Gene Therapy Development at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, has been appointed to the new professorship in Clinical Immunology and Cell Therapy at Magdeburg University Hospital, effective October 1, 2025. At the same time, he will also assume leadership of the Institute for Clinical Immunology and Cell Therapy at the University of Magdeburg.

Fraunhofer IZI is part of the EU consortium EASYGEN. Coordinated by Fresenius, 18 industrial and academic partners are working together to develop an integrated and automated manufacturing platform for the decentralized production of CAR-T cell therapeutics. In this context, Fraunhofer IZI contributes its expertise in the development and manufacturing of CAR-T cell therapies as well as various other cell-based therapeutics. EASYGEN is funded by the EU under the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU).

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI has been honored with the 2025 Seal for Exemplary Communication on Animal Research.

The first patient was treated with a new CAR-T cell therapy as part of the LION-1 phase I clinical trial at the University Hospital of Würzburg.

Leipzig, April 29, 2025: The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) marked its 20th anniversary in Leipzig, celebrating the milestone with over 400 guests and employees. Invited had been representatives from academia, industry, and politics The event included congratulatory messages from Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung, among others.

Together with Primogene GmbH, a Leipzig-based biotech company, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI is investigating whether breast milk could be significant in the prevention of serious infections beyond infancy.

On April 1 and 2, 2025, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) hosted the AAV Meeting in Leipzig, which brought together researchers and representatives from business and the healthcare sector to exchange the latest findings and innovations in the field of AAV technologies.

Researchers have discovered and analyzed a rare, yet serious, side effect of an innovative treatment against leukemia. The results of this study have now been published by scientists from Leipzig University Hospital, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, and Cologne University Hospital in the prestigious medical journal “Nature Medicine”.

Prof. Dr. Frank Emmrich, founder of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, was presented with the Leipziger Lerche award on January 31st, 2025. This award modelled on the famous "Leipzig lark" pastry is endowed by Verein Gemeinsam für Leipzig e.V.