Greifswald Junior Research Group in Search of New Anti-Infectives in the Fight against Multi-Drug Resistance

Forschung
Portrait of Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD, – ©Till_Junker
Portrait of Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD, – ©Till_Junker

Multi-drug resistant microbes have been on the rise for years. They were responsible for more than 33,000 deaths in Europe in 2018 alone. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has granted funds to a junior research group at the University of Greifswald that comprises more than two million euros over a time period of five years. The junior research group, the funds for which were successfully raised by Dr. Katharina Schaufler, investigates alternative therapy strategies to fight multi-drug resistant microbes.

We are at the beginning of an age in which we can no longer rely on the effectiveness of antibiotics. Even today, certain infectious diseases, such as sepsis, pneumonia and urinary tract infections can no longer be treated reliably. Multi-drug resistant microbes are already and will continue to be one of the greatest challenges to the global health system. Multi-drug resistant bacterial representatives are found in the two important species Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The BMBF junior research group ‘Disarming Pathogens as a Different Strategy to Fight Antimicrobial-Resistant Gram-Negatives’ (DISPATch MRGN) identifies and investigates the success features of these bacteria.

‘Our junior research group aims to explore tricks and knacks that are used by these bacteria to cause disease and lead to bacterial resilience. We require knowledge about these bacteria in order to develop new anti-infectives to combat infectious diseases. For example, it is possible to develop anti-infectives that attack the characteristics of bacteria that cause disease, thus weakening the effects of infections. In particular for less severe diseases, this kind of anti-infective might represent a suitable alternative compared to more conventional antibiotics,’ Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD, head of the University of Greifswald’s junior research group for infection research, explains.

By applying novel approaches, the BMBF junior research group combines a broad range of methodologies to specifically combat infectious bacteria. These range from traditional methods of micro- and molecular biology and bioinformatics to novel methods of pharmaceutical biology. The basic research results will be directly translated into application.  Therefore, the project brings together national and international experts from science and industry to work collectively.

Further Information
Research group Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the University of Greifswald’s Institute of Pharmacy.
Media Photo

 

Contact at the University of Greifswald
Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD
Institute of Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4869
katharina.schaufleruni-greifswaldde
ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Katharina_Schaufler
Twitter: twitter.com/hgwmibi
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katharina-schaufler-90705687

 

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