News 2026
06.03.2026
Environmental stimuli from farms train the immune system
Why does growing up on a farm protect against asthma? In a recent study, researchers from Munich, Borstel and Großhansdorf have identified molecular mechanisms by which farm dust influences immune cells and reduces allergic inflammatory reactions in the lungs. Their findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
05.03.2026
Pan-African Network for Genomic Surveillance Holds Third Annual Meeting in Maputo
From February 10–12, 2026, scientists, physicians, and health representatives from twelve African and three European countries gathered in Maputo, Mozambique, for the third in-person meeting of the Pan-African Network for Genomic Surveillance of Poverty-Related Diseases and Emerging Pathogens (PANGenS). Since 2023, the consortium has been building genome-based surveillance for tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and HIV in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Gabon, Nigeria, Benin, Gambia, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Liberia. The meeting highlighted the consortium’s growth, collaboration, and impact on public health research in partner countries.
02.03.2026
Hörtipp: Geschlechtersensible Infektiologie
Dr. Bianca Schneider, Leiterin der Forschungsgruppe "Wirtsdeterminanten bei Lungeninfektionen" am Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum erklärt in der aktuellen Folge "Forschung aktuell" vom #Deutschlandfunk, warum Männer häufiger an #Tuberkulose erkranken als Frauen und wie man ihre Forschungsergebnisse nutzen kann, um die Therapie in Zukunft zu verbessern. Und das nicht nur bei der Tuberkulose, sondern auch bei anderen Erregern:
26.02.2026
Christoph Lange receives the DZIF Prize for Translational Infection Research 2025
Double reason to celebrate: Shortly after receiving the Oskar Medical Award, the internationally renowned tuberculosis expert has now also been honored with the DZIF Prize for Translational Infection Research 2025. At the annual conference of the German Center for Infection Research in Bonn, he was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculosis, particularly drug-resistant tuberculosis.
04.02.2026
Congratulations! Prof. Christoph Lange awarded the 2025 Oskar Medical Prize
Prof. Christoph Lange, Medical Director of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, has been awarded the 2025 Oskar Medical Prize by the Oskar-Helene-Heim Foundation. The prize, worth €50,000, is one of the most highly endowed medical prizes in Germany.