Priority Research Area Infections

The Programm Area Infections studies bacterial infections of the lung with a focus on tuberculosis with the goal to improve CONTROL and CARE.

CONTROL includes studies on global Surveillance of bacterial lung pathogens, developing effective control programs, diagnostic and therapy guidelines, high resolution and quick monitoring of outbreaks, analysis of global transmission and evolution of drug resistant bacteria. This agenda pursues evolutionary medicine approaches.

CARE combines studies on virulence properties of pathogenic lung bacteria to identify targets for new drugs, development and testing of new anti-bacterial compounds and novel treatment regimens, biomarker based individualized therapies such through genome based resistome analysis and quantitative drug monitoring in patients with studies on the identification of host response pathways and molecules as targets for host-directed therapies. The term "host" includes also its microbiota. This agenda pursues personalized medicine approaches.

Konzept des Programmbereichs zur Kontrolle der TB

Concepts to control tuberculosis

Bacterial genotype and host biomarker based early detection of latent tuberculosis to reduce the risk of reactivation
Biomarker-guided host-directed therapy: Immune modulation, inflammation control
Novel compounds, resistome- and biomarker guided, individualized antibiotic therapy
Quick global surveillance through whole genome sequencing and resistome prediction straight from patient samples
New vaccination strategies to improve pulmonary immunity and barrier function