Heinrich Pette Institute

The Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (HPI) was founded in 1948 by Heinrich Pette, a German neurologist. It began as a research facility to create a polio vaccine. It is now a private foundation and involved with basic research in virology and the immune responses of organisms. The institute is a non-profit public beneficiary organisation and an independent member of the Leibniz Association, and is located at the University of Hamburg.

The aim of the research at the Heinrich Pette Institute is to develop new approaches for improved diagnostic techniques and therapies for viral diseases and virus-associated tumor diseases. Scholars of the HPI explore a wide range of viruses, such as hepatitis viruses (HPV, HCV), herpes viruses (HSV1, HSV2, EBV, KSHV), leukemia viruses (HTLV -1, MLV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and DNA tumor viruses (adenoviruses, 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 HPI is divided into five research departments, two independent research groups and three independent junior research groups. The topics of the current working groups are:

Research Departments: • Antiviral Strategies • Structural Biology of Viruses • Viral Transformation • Virus Immunology • Virus-Host-Interaction

Research Groups: • Viral Zoonosis and Adaptation • Virus Genomics

Junior Research Groups: • Dynamics of Viral Structures • HCV Replication • Emerging Viruses

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, and the neurologist Heinrich Pette. 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 HPI 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.

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