26.09.2025
Scientist from Borstel received research prize
Dr. Margo Diricks from the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, was awarded the BD Research Prize at this year's annual meeting of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) in Jena for her outstanding work in advancing diagnostic strategies for lung pathogens that are difficult to identify and treat.
The prize, worth €2,500, has been awarded since 2017 and is aimed at medical microbiologists who have made an outstanding contribution to research with innovative applications for clinical microbiology.
Margo Diricks holds a doctorate in bioengineering and has been working since 2020 in the “Molecular & Experimental Mycobacteriology” research group at the Research Center Borstel. Her research focuses on the detection, spread, and development of resistance in mycobacteria, with a particular focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and bacteria of the genus Haemophilus. In recent years, Margo Diricks has developed and evaluated various methods based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) that enable more precise identification and typing of these bacterial species. This enables early detection of outbreaks and reliable tracing and clarification of transmission routes in hospital environments. Her pioneering work has been published in numerous renowned journals, including Genome Medicine and Nature Communications.
Congratulations on this well-deserved award!
Weiterführende Informationen:
- Website DGHM
- Press release "Infections with antibiotic resistant Haemophilus influenzae bacteria"
- Press release „Focus on rare diseases: Current study unravels clinical and genomic characteristics of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Europe“
- Press release „Paper of the month: Bedeutende Borsteler Studie über Plasmide bei nicht-tuberkulösen Mykobakterien (NTM) ausgezeichnet“
from left: Georg Häcker (DGHM-Stiftung), Margo Diricks, Kathrin Schlüter (BD), Antje Flieger (Stiftung), Photo: Romy Held