Bonn - Köln

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and other epidemics in recent decades have highlighted the need to develop effective measures to combat emerging infectious diseases in a timely manner. For most emerging viral pathogens, no vaccines or antiviral drugs are yet available. Since it is difficult to predict which virus or viral variants [...]

More than 21 million people in Africa are infected with the threadworm Onchocerca volvulus, the pathogen causing river blindness. About one in ten of those affected goes blind. What is needed are active agents that kill the long-lived adult worms. With Corallopyronin A, DZIF scientists have found an active [...]

The project “Clinical cohorts for HIV remission” will continue and expand ongoing research around the treatment of primary HIV infection (TopHIV) Cohort of patients with acute HIV infection. Beyond studies about their immune responses and reservoir formation, selected TopHIV individuals will be enrolled into interventional clinical trials using immune modulators [...]

Major abdominal surgery in particular is associated with high postoperative infection rates. Despite well-established surveillance systems for surgical wound infections, there is a lack of comprehensive reporting on infectious complications and the impact of the use of anti-infectives during and after surgery. The TIARA project aims to close this knowledge [...]

The development of potent antiretroviral treatment (ART) strategies has significantly changed the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic from a lethal disease to a chronic livable condition for infected individuals with access to care. However, in spite of ground-breaking advances in anti-HIV treatment, cure or eradication attempts have so far failed [...]

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 address this need, the PAFAP project has brought together a [...]

By applying innovative diagnostic methods such as rapid point-of-care tests, multi-omics technologies as well as novel predictive models, clinical management and thus most likely treatment outcomes can be improved. In addition to the high information content of these new methods, the prompt availability of the results as well as the [...]

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide and are still considered as one of the most severe bacterial infections. The BLOOMY-PREDICT project is an observational study, which runs at five German university hospitals. Within the scope of the project, different clinical values of patients such as [...]

Implementation of evidence-based infection control practices to reduce healthcare-associated infection remains a national and international priority. R-Net investigates the effect of various interventions aimed at limiting the spread of infections due to multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO)—including infection prevention and control, decolonisation, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and the development of new antimicrobials [...]

Recent studies show that there has been an increasing spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in hospital patients in Germany in recent years. Enterococci are abundant in the intestines of humans (and animals) and are generally only slightly pathogenic. However, infections caused by these resistant pathogens pose an immediate threat to [...]

The human immune system can effectively prevent and control viral infections. While many viruses can be neutralized and eliminated from the human body, other viruses persist after infection. However, they are often controlled throughout the entire human lifespan (e.g. certain herpes viruses like CMV infections). The critical function of the [...]

Antibiotic resistance is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. New treatment options are urgently needed. Due to their specificity for certain bacteria, phages represent a conceivable alternative or supplement to antibiotics. The specificity of phages, but also the fact that they have no toxic side effects, make them important research [...]

Children as well as HIV-positive adults often suffer from extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Due to the low sensitivity of routine microbiological TB tests, it is often difficult to obtain confirmation of mycobacterial disease. Point-of-care ultrasound (POC-US) is becoming increasingly established as a promising method for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of [...]

The PAACT project (short for: Precision Access to Antibiotic Compounds and Targets) serves as a hub within the DZIF for the discovery and characterisation of new antibacterial agents and lead structures. In the context of the project, the development pipeline of antibiotic candidates is continuously fed [...]

This project prepares the preclinical development of the semi-synthetic chlorotonil derivative dehalogenil for the treatment of bacterial infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Dehalogenil impresses with its potent and very rapid antibacterial effect, which is triggered by membrane depolarization and potassium efflux. Further studies on the mechanism of action have revealed [...]

Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common chronic illnesses in Germany. In the affected dialysis patients, the immune system is weakened and the susceptibility to infection is increased: Pneumonia caused by pneumococci is one of the most common causes of death, although patients are vaccinated against [...]