Latest / July. 2021
Funding in the millions to combat river blindness
News
Development of the antibiotic Corallopyronin A against filariasis
More than 72 million people in the tropics are infected with the nematodes Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi. Infections with these worms can lead to severe dermatitis and blindness or elephantiasis - a disease in which the legs in particular become extremely enlarged. In dogs, a similar parasite can cause life-threatening canine heartworm disease. With the natural compound Corallopyronin A, Prof. Achim Hörauf and his team at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP) of the UKB found an active substance that kills the long-lived worms and can thus stop or heal the devastating consequences.
Successful Students and Staff Exchange Between KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana and IMMIP- Bonn
Through the ERASMUS plus mobility exchange between University of Bonn and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), IMMIP hosted visiting lecturers from Kumasi. Prof. Alexander Debrah and Dr. Linda Batsa Debah have collaborated with Prof. Achim Hoerauf for more than 20 years, and continue to have joint projects with IMMIP researchers, Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz, Dr. Kenneth Pfarr, Dr. Manuel Ritter, Dr. Tomabu Adjobimey and Prof. Marc Hübner. During their visit Prof. Alexander Debrah and Dr. Batsa Debrah held seminars and met with researchers from IMMIP, Institute of Hygiene and Public Health at the UKB and rrom the Excellence Cluster ImmunoSensation. Continue reading
German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC) officially launched
The newly established German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC) was officially launched on the 26th Nov 2021 at the KNUST in Kumasi, Ghana. The pandemic centre aims to address the existential threat of global pandemics to the health and welfare of people through trans- and inter-disciplinary research projects. The centre will not only address the pandemic preparedness in West Africa, but the whole of Africa. The German Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Daniel Krull and dignitaries from Ghana were in attendance. A delegation from the German Embassy in Accra, G-WAC partners from University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, TU Berlin, the Charite University Hospital, BSPH and DAAD office in Ghana were also in attendance.
Antibiotic Resistance - No More Time to Waste
Interview of the Month with Prof. Achim Hoerauf
Berlin - The issue of increasing antimicrobial resistance can no longer be put on the back seat. The clock is ticking, says Prof. Achim Hörauf of the University of Bonn. In "Interview of the Month," Prof. Hoerauf calls for sensible financial framework conditions in the EU for research into new antibiotics, otherwise they will be caught off guard.
The biggest hurdles we face in developing new antibiotics in the research and industry community, is not the lack of new chemical structures or new approaches to action, for example, combinations in proven drugs, but the lack of consistent funding for promising antibiotics from early clinical trials to registration and regular use in humans.
Full article:
https://www.gerechte-gesundheit.de/debatte/interviews/aktuell.html
World NTD Day 2022 Video
Worldwide, there are more than 1 billion people affected by NTDs, of whom, 1.7 billion need preventive treatment every year. Despite the ongoing pandemic, 757 million people received NTD treatment in 2020. To mark the World NTD Day 2022, monuments all around the world were light in orange and purple. Scientists and the NTD community sent out messages to the world and accompilation video was created. Prof. Achim Hoerauf, Director IMMIP as among those who sent short video messages to advocate for NTD #beatNTDs
Virtual Fireside Talk
Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Niels Annen and Dr. Jakob Simmank, Head of the Health Department of ZEIT online, had a virtual fireside talk to discuss global health and future strategies of the BMZ. Prof Achim Hoerauf, Director IMMIP and Speaker DNTDs welcomed the guests to the virtual meeting.
DAAD funds eight new Global Centers for Climate and Health
Global challenges can only be mastered through cooperation. This belief is the basis of the DAAD’s programme to promote the establishment of eight Global Centres dedicated to climate & the environment, as well as health & pandemic prevention, using funding from the Federal Foreign Office. One of the four funded Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness Centers is the German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC) Ghana (+westafrican region).
Prof. Marc Hübner was appointed to the expert group of the Rili-BÄK
Prof. Hübner has been appointed to the expert group D3 "Detection and characterization of infectious agents" according to the Guideline of the German Medical Association for Quality Assurance of Laboratory Medical Examinations "Richtlinie der Bundesärztekammer zur Qualitätssicherung laboratoriumsmedizinischer Untersuchungen (Rili-BÄK)" for the period 2022-2026.
