This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded on 10 December in Stockholm in recognition of research on the molecular principles of autophagy. Recent research has shown that this "recycling system" of the cell is linked to numerous disease-relevant processes in the organism. One important example of this is viral infections. Scientists in the "virus–host interactions" working group at the Institut für Physikalische Biologie and the Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) at Forschungszentrum Jülich are focusing on a protein of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that appears to "hijack" elements of the autophagic system – a path which is now set to be further investigated using new high-end methods. In this interview, Dr. Alexandra Boeske, postdoc and member of the working group, offers an insight into the research and explains the crucial advantages of combining structural biology and cell biology. (in German)