Pathoblocker

Short description

Pathoblockers are active substances that specifically inhibit the disease-causing properties of bacteria without necessarily killing them.

Detailed description

Pathoblockers target specific properties or processes that bacteria need to cause an infection and harm the host. For example, they can block the formation or effect of bacterial toxins, attachment to host cells, or other virulence mechanisms.
Unlike traditional antibiotics, pathoblockers often do not aim to kill bacteria or directly inhibit their growth. They are being researched as a potential new treatment strategy, particularly in light of increasing antibiotic resistance.

DZIF project nominated for the “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026” award

The project “PROTON—Breaking the Wall of Deadly Bacterial Infections” has been nominated by the Falling Walls Foundation for the title “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026” in the Life Sciences

A man and a woman in blue surgical gowns and blue gloves are looking at a monitor. The woman is holding medical equipment in her hands. They are surrounded by other medical equipment.

Precision medicine for the liver

Approximately one in 10,000 people in Germany is affected by primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In order to digest fats from food, the intestine needs bile. This is produced in the liver and from

Apr 2025

Commun Chem

Domain adaptable language modeling of chemical compounds identifies potent pathoblockers for Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Autoren

Kallergis G et al.

Mar 2025

J Med Chem

From Bones to Bugs: Structure-Based Development of Raloxifene-Derived Pathoblockers That Inhibit Pyocyanin Production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Autoren

Thiemann M et al.

3D model of the molecular structure of the pathoblocker HilD

New pathoblocker to stop Salmonella infection early

Pathogenic strains of Salmonella inject effector proteins into the cells of the gastrointestinal tract to invade and multiply within them. The bacteria are usually ingested with contaminated food

Electron micrograph of a cluster of yellow-stained round bacteria

New agent inhibits Staphylococcus aureus toxin: hope for pneumonia patients

An international research group led by scientists of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) has discovered a promising new drug candidate

University of Tübingen

PAFAP—Pseudomonas aeruginosa-focused anti-infectives pipeline

In the current WHO list of bacterial priority pathogens (WHO BPPL 2024), the World Health Organisation classifies carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria as a high-priority pathogen, which means there is an urgent need for new anti-infectives to combat this problematic bacterium. To ...

Detailed description

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