News 2025
10.12.2025
Tuberculosis: Scientists develop novel drug candidate for combating resistant pathogens
Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center have developed a promising new substance for targeting bacteria that cause tuberculosis. The team have produced a compound that inhibits the pathogens’ ability to produce energy and causes them to die. Established drugs work in a similar fashion, but the pathogen is becoming increasingly resistant to these medications. The study was conducted jointly with other researchers from Germany, the USA and Canada and its findings were published in the “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry”.
15.12.2025
BREATHE: International cooperation for training and patient care
The Research Center Borstel and the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv, Ukraine, together with additional Ukrainian partner institutions, have launched BREATHE, a Hospital Partnership designed to strengthen respiratory and infectious disease education and clinical capacity in Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
08.12.2025
Neues Weißbuch zeigt: Allergien stellen eine wachsende Herausforderung dar
Die fünfte, umfassend überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage des „Weißbuch Allergie in Deutschland“ ist im Oktober dieses Jahres im Springer Medizin Verlag erschienen. Ein zentraler inhaltlicher Beitrag dieses Standardwerks stammt auch in dieser Auflage von Prof. Uta Jappe vom Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum (FZB). Gemeinsam mit den Kollegen Jörg Kleine-Tebbe✝, Berlin, und Richard Brans, Osnabrück, beleuchtet sie darin aktuelle wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse über Allergene, die verständlich und praxisrelevant aufbereitet sind.
08.12.2025
Antibiotic resistance can also make bacteria more vulnerable
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges in modern medicine. A new study now shows that the pathogen Haemophilus influenzae can develop a previously unknown and genetically highly unstable resistance mechanism. This so-called unstable heteroresistance is often not detected by standard resistance tests, which can in the worst case lead to treatment failures. The underlying cause is genomic alterations in the ompP2 gene, which can revert back to their original state within just a few days.
01.12.2025
Commitment to fighting tuberculosis and lung disease
The international community, including leading scientists, researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, community leaders, civil society representatives, funders, and affected communities from 120 countries, gathered in Copenhagen to reaffirm their commitment to fighting tuberculosis and lung disease.