Prof. Tanja Schneider receives PHOENIX Pharmacy Science Award
Groundbreaking research on new antibiotic honoured
Prof. Tanja Schneider, Head of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and Deputy Coordinator of the “New Antibiotics” research area at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), has been awarded the PHOENIX Pharmacy Science Prize. The prize, which is endowed with 10,000 euros and is considered one of the most prestigious awards in pharmaceutical research, is awarded annually in four categories to outstanding projects. Tanja Schneider, who also conducts research at the University of Bonn, received the honour in the “Pharmaceutical Biology” category for her pioneering research into the mode of action of the novel antibiotic Clovibactin.
Clovibactin was discovered by an international co-operation of research teams from Germany, the USA and the Netherlands and shows promising effects against multi-resistant bacteria. The active ingredient comes from a soil bacterium isolated in North Carolina. Clovibactin attacks the structure of the bacterial cell wall at several crucial points by wrapping itself around essential building blocks like a cage and blocking them. This innovative mechanism minimises the development of resistance and makes Clovibactin a promising candidate in the fight against hospital germs such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and tuberculosis pathogens.
“We urgently need new antibiotics in order to survive in the race against resistant bacteria,” emphasises Schneider. She heads a team at the UKB that is investigating the mechanisms of action of new antibiotics. She is also a member of the transdisciplinary research area “Life & Health” and the “ImmunoSensation2” Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn. The results of her research, which were published in the journal Cell in August 2023, represent a significant breakthrough in antibiotics research.
The PHOENIX Pharmacy Science Award promotes innovative research in Germany that makes sustainable contributions to the healthcare of the future. With this award, an independent jury recognises the commitment to the global fight against the threat of resistant pathogens.
Source: Press release of the University of Bonn (in German)
