30.01.2023

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day

More than one billion people worldwide are at risk of illness, disfigurement, disability, and even death from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Especially in the poorest regions of the world where access to clean water, sanitary facilities and health care is restricted for many people, viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi or even poisonous snakes have an easy game. The consequences are serious…

30.01.2023

World NTD Day, Partners message

Since 2021, the 30th of January has been recognized as the World NTD Day. The day is aimed at creating better awareness on NTDs and the burden it creates in the population. Since 2021, world leaders, politicians, scientists and the NTD community as a whole, send messages to mark and create awareness. Prof. Achim Hoerauf, joined other NTD partners this year, as the Speaker of the German Network…

01.12.2022

KCCR Celebrates 25 years of Successful Research

A delegation from Bonn, led by Prof. Achim Hoerauf, joined IMMIP’s long standing collaboration research partner institute, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, to celebrate its 25 years Anniversary. The Delegation from the University Hospital Bonn and the University of Bonn was made up of Prof. Marc Hübner, Dr. Kenneth Pfarr and Julia Meyer from IMMIP and Christine…

18.11.2022

18. to 24. November: World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of the greatest global threat to mankind, the G7 Forum of leading economic nations speak of a creeping pandemic. The German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) is rising to the challenge: DZIF researchers are developing new antimicrobial agents and therapies, monitoring the spread of resistance, designing infection control measures and networking globally…

10.11.2022

Meeting of the EU consortium HELP - Helminth Elimination Platform

at the DNDi in Geneva on November 8th and 9th, 2022. The progress of the project, which is now in its third year, was discussed with the partners from Swiss TPH (Basel, Switzerland), DNDi (Geneva, Switzerland) , Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris, France), Ifakara Health Institute (Bagamoyo, Tanzania), University of Buea (Buea, Cameroon), University Hospital Bonn and Elanco (Leverkusen,…

04.11.2022

World Health Summit 2022

The World Health Summit (https://www.worldhealthsummit.org/) is one of the world’s leading strategic forums for global health. It is held every October, and it brings together international experts from academia, politics, the private sector, and civil society to Berlin. During the three-day summit, stakeholders and decision-makers from 100 countries and every field in healthcare work together…

24.10.2022

Applying a Translational Lens to Global Health

Dr. Daniel Kuehlwein (Capgemini), Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz and Prof. Achim Hoerauf presented the progress attained on the project titled "Automation of histological analysis of Onchocerciasis nodules with artificial intelligence (AI)" during the annual Grand Challenges meeting held in Brussels.

12.10.2022

Once the worm has gotten in

Considering that the 68 million people who suffer from lymphatic filariasis, manifested by lymphedema, elephantiasis and/or hydrocele, and the 21 million who suffer from river blindness live almost exclusively in the most remote areas of Africa and Southeast Asia. Which are regions where the pharmaceutical industry cannot make high profits. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the last 30…

29.09.2022

Antibiotic Resistance - No More Time to Waste

Interview of the Month with Prof. Achim Hoerauf Berlin (pag) - 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…

15.09.2022

First National Conference on Podoconiosis in Cameroon

Despite its significant public health burden, morbidity and stigmatization, podoconiosis remains a disease with no specific global health program, as a result the disease is only visible in the shadow of programs of lymphatic filariasis or skin NTDs. The first national conference was therefore organized to highlight the results of earlier works carried out this far and also set the stage for an…

08.08.2022

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…

20.05.2022

Successful Students and Staff Exchange Between KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana and IMMIP- Bonn

Through the ERASMUS plus mobility exchange between University of Bonn and KNUST, IMMIP hosted visiting lecturers from Kumasi. Prof. Alexander Debrah and Dr. Linda Batsa Debah have collaborated with prof. Achim Hoerauf, and IMMIP researchers, Dr. Ute Klarmann Schulz, Dr. Kenneth Pfarr, Dr. Manuel Ritter, Dr. Tomabu Adjobimey and Marc Hübner. During the visit prof. Alexander Debrah and Dr. Batsa…

30.01.2022

#WorldNTDDAY, Shine the Light on Neglected Diseases

On the 30. January, people around the world set out to create awareness for neglected tropical diseases, as they marked the World NTD Day, #WorldNTDDay, #BeatNTDs. In Germany, more than 100+ people joined in making a commitment to the 100% committed campaign. A photo collage shows 100+ of these committed supporters from civil society, research, the private sector and politics, including the…

29.01.2022

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.

28.01.2022

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.

28.01.2022

Neglected Tropical Diseases - the poor are the most affected

"Nearly 900 million people live in lymphatic filariasis endemic areas, with about 40 million of them having chronic disease manifestations. In those with lymphedema, the legs and arms can swell to an extent that they can hardly walk," says Marc Hübner from the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the University of Bonn.

26.11.2021

German-West African Centre for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC) officially launched

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…

26.10.2021

World Health Summit 2021

The World Health Summit was founded in 2009 on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Berlin’s Charité Hospital and is traditionally held under the patronage of the German Chancellor, the President of the Republic of France, the President of the European Commission, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization.

18.10.2021

Achim Hoerauf Recognized as an Expert in Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is the world's second leading infectious disease cause of blindness. In marking the World Sight Day on the 14th of October 2021, Prof. Achim Hoeraf, Director IMMIP was named among the leading experts on Onchocerciasis. He is the leading expert in Germany.

05.10.2021

TAKeOFF Consortium Annual Meeting 2021

The Annual TAKeOFF meeting 2021 was this year held online. The meeting was initially intended to be held in Tanzania, however, due some minor travel restrictions, the meeting was held this year again online. Online meetings present with the opportunity for more participants to attend who would otherwise have not attended. This year the meeting had 45 attendees. Representatives from DLR and the GIZ…

01.10.2021

Kick-Off Meeting "AI Oncho" Project: Artificial Intelligence (AI) against Onchocerciasis.

The participants of the "AI Oncho" project discussed the results from the previous funding period and the further course of the project during a virtual kick-off meeting. In addition to the "founding members" of the project (Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (University Hospital Bonn; headed by Prof. Dr. Achim Hörauf and Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz); Capgemini (headed by…

31.08.2021

Symposium on Interdisciplinary Research in Mathematics and Life Sciences

IMMIP Scientists Dr. Janina Kuehlwein and PhD student Barbara Grützmacher presented their interdisciplinary projects during the Symposium on Interdisciplinary Research in Mathematics and Life Sciences. Dr. Kuehlwein’s topic was titled “Challenges in the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) for histological analysis in clinical trials”. This AI project is funded by the Bill and…

26.08.2021

Research Alliance Proposes Strategies for Developing Antibiotics

New antibiotics are needed to head off a health crisis due to antimicrobial resistance. However, investment in research into new antibiotics is much lower than what is need. The International Research Alliance for Antibiotic Discovery & Development (IRAAD) has published a white paper on strategies to strengthen antimicrobial research. The publication, including research on the natural produce…

22.07.2021

IMMIP receives $1.48 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the development of new technology to better combat river blindness

IMMIP, together with the international IT consultancy Capgemini and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) in Geneva, researchers are developing technology to better combat river blindness. Artificial intelligence will be used to machine-read sections of worm nodules in tissue, enabling drug testing to be standardized and significantly accelerated. The Institute of Medical…

12.07.2021

Risks and Side Effects of Irrigation with Wastewater

Water scarcity, the increasing food requirements of a growing world population and urbanization are leading to the use of wastewater for irrigation in agriculture in numerous regions of the world. This conserves resources, but also entails risks: Through wastewater, antibiotics, disinfectants and many other substances, together with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, end up in the fields, in the soil…

09.07.2021

IMMIP Receives USAID Grant for Development of New Diagnostics to Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases

Currently, national onchocerciasis programs are struggling with a lack of high-quality diagnostics that perform well in low prevalence settings. Nucleic-acid based diagnostic tests are particularly well suited for use in low prevalence settings because they tend to offer very high sensitivity and specificity. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methods generally produce highly reliable results,…

01.06.2021

World Day for Neglected Tropical Diseases

The fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is not out of the focus of international health policy, even at this time on the ongoing pandemic. To draw more attention to NTDs, the virtual 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva designated January 30 as World NTD Day… The German Network Against Neglected Tropical Diseases (DNTDs) welcomes the WHA's decision. "The fact that the WHA has…

04.05.2021

50 Days to Kigali. From the Frontline to R&D: The joint Fight against NTDs and Malaria

In the run-up to the Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs and on the occasion of World Malaria Day, Friends of the Global Fund Europe together with the German Network against Neglected Tropical Diseases organised a joint discussion event.

29.04.2021

Kigali Summit 2021 - A Milestone in the Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases

At a joint event organised by the Rwanda Department of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Government and the DNTDs on the occasion of the Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs in June 2021, NTDs were the focus of discussions. Prof. Dr. Achim Hörauf, speaker of the DNTDs, Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the University Hospital Bonn (IMMIP) explained…

16.04.2021

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…

16.04.2021

Worm Infestation in Intestine has a Remote Effect on Viral Defenses

Infection with parasitic intestinal worms (helminths) can apparently cause sexually transmitted viral in-fections to be much more severe elsewhere in the body. This is shown by a study led by the Universities of Cape Town and Bonn. According to the study, helminth-infected mice developed significantly more severe symptoms after infection with a genital herpes viruses (Herpes Simplex Virus). The…

24.03.2021

Rethinking the Global Health Architecture: NTDs and Malaria can be Tackled Together

Malaria and neglected tropical diseases can be tackled together, the participants of the webinar “Integrated and cross-sectoral interventions: Example Neglected Tropical Diseases and Malaria” which took place within the Actionweek of the Global Health Hub Germany. International experts had met in the run-up to the Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs, scheduled for June, to find out how both diseases…

18.03.2021

29th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Parasitology

Due to the Corona pandemic, the annual meeting of the German Society of Parasitology was held online. This enabled the participation of 415 participants from 34 countries, with >140 oral and >120 poster presentations.

11.02.2021

A fascination for Roundworms

Worms and other parasites cause numerous and widespread tropical diseases which are largely overlooked. At the DZIF, research teams are focused on fighting these diseases. Since August 2020, parasitologist Professor Marc Hübner has been developing this research further as a DZIF Professor for Translational Microbiology at the Bonn-Cologne partner site.

07.02.2021

World NTD Day #EndTheNeglect #BeatNTDs

On the 30th of January the world came together to celebrate the World NTDs Day. This was the 2nd time the day was celebrated since its launch in Jan 30 2020. To raise NTD awareness around the world, 57 monuments around the world were lit up orange and purple, as part of "Light Up the World" campaign for NTDs. The monuments included, among others, the Giza pyramids in Egypt, Christ the Redeemer in…

07.02.2021

World NTD Day - 5 Questions for the Expert

The National Research Platform for Zoonoses took the opportunity of the World NTD day to inteview to Prof. Achim Hoerauf on NTDs. Prof. Achim Hoerauf is the Speaker of the German Network against Neglected Tropical Diseases (DNTDS) and Director of IMMIP, he has been conducting research on neglected tropical diseases for years, especially on filariasis (diseases caused by parasitic filarial…

01.02.2021

Neglected Tropical Diseaseses - The Poor are Always Affected

"nearly 900 million people live in lymphatic filariasis risk areas. With about 40 million of them already suffering from extreme lymphatic swelling. The legs and arms can swell to the extent that the people are almost unable to walk," says Marc Hübner

28.01.2021

WHO Launches the 2021-2030 Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases

On the 28th of January 2021, the World Health Organization launched the new 2021-2030 road map for neglected tropical diseases. The road map sets out global targets for 2030 and milestones to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate neglected diseases. Prof. Achim Hoerauf, Director IMMIP and Speaker DNTDs sent a congratulatory video message to the WHO on the launch of the Roadmap, expressing the…

26.01.2021

Neglected Tropical Diseases and their Importance In Europe - Chagas Disease is a Tropical Disease that Receives Litttle Attention

To kick off the Action Week Against NTDs, the German Network against Neglected Tropical Diseases (DNTDs) under the patronage of Dr. Georg Kippels MdB, organized and hosted a Webtalk on Chagas disease.

18.01.2021

A Trap for Nematodes

Filariae, slender but sometimes up to 70 centimeters long nematodes, can set up residence in their host quite tenaciously and cause serious infectious diseases in the tropics. The tiny larvae of the worms are usually transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes, which pick up the larvae from the blood or subcutaneous tissue when they bite and deposit them in the vessels or tissues of their next…

10.01.2021

How Helminths Influence Concomitant Infections and Diseases as well as Vaccination Efficacy

This Special Issue aims to address open questions how helminths influence concomitant infections and diseases as well as vaccination efficacy, which is an important issue to meet the challenges of the "sustainable developmental goals (SGD)" put forward by the United Nations, in particular, Goal 3 "Good Health and Well-Being". Manuscript topics may include basic research questions using preclinical…

08.12.2020

The First Official Delegation Sent to Africa by the University of Bonn: Ghana

The University of Bonn maintains an above average number of agreements with univer-sities and research institutions in Ghana. One of these long-term agreements celebrated its 20th jubilee in 2019. Prof. Dr. Achim Hörauf from the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immu-nology and Parasitology (IMMIP) has worked with the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) for…

03.11.2020

Dr. Alexandra Ehrens Awarded the Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy Doctoral Prize

For her outstanding doctoral work, Dr. Alexandra Ehrens was awarded the Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy doctoral prize, the PEG-Pro­mo­ti­ons­preis. The dissertation titled "Microfilariae trigger eosinophil extracellular DNA traps in a Dectin-1-dependent manner" addresses two important issues in the fight against worm infections, first the role of the immune system and secondly…

08.10.2020

Do Worm Infections and Malaria Play a Role in COVID Protection?

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus reached the African continent, experts feared a very high mortality rate among the population. Fortunately, this turned out differently. The low mortality was initially thought to be due to the young age of the population and fewer comorbidities, however, this does not adequately explain the invisible protection. One hypothesis is that worm diseases and malaria prevent…

29.09.2020

Do Worm Infections Protect Against Severe Form of COVID-19?

Although the new coronavirus is also spreading rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa, fewer SARS-CoV-2 associated deaths are recorded there than in other parts of the world. Researchers in Bonn do not attribute this solely to a lower number of tests performed, but suspect a connection with other infectious diseases.

23.09.2020

Coronavirus: Are parasitic worms responsible for low fatality rates in Africa? | COVID-19 Special

One of the dominant features of parasitic worms is ensuring their survival in the host body by supressing the immune responses... Watch this Deutsche Welle COVID-19 special (DW) where Prof. Achim Hörauf addresses the question as to whether worms have a role in the low fatality rates in Africa.

25.08.2020

Marc Hübner Appointed Professor of Translational Microbiology

Marc Hübner has been appointed Professor of Translational Microbiology within the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the Bonn-Cologne site. The professorship is located at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology where he is a group leader and head of diagnostic parasitology. Prof. Hübner studied biology at the University of Hohenheim and did his PhD in…

30.06.2020

Tropical Diseases are Neglected Again

During the pandemic, the treatment and control of many diseases are postponed, especially in the least developed countries. In these countries, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have been tackled for years with the help of drug donations. To a large extent, these donations were enshrined in the London Declaration of 2012. However, this agreement with 13 international pharmaceutical manufacturers…

29.06.2020

Erasmus+ Program

The University of Bonn has a strong regional focus on research cooperation with countries in the Global South. The Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP) has for over 20 years had an equal partner research cooperation with the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine. In July 2020, the cooperation between IMMIP and KCCR /KNUST was further…

04.05.2020

Artificial intelligence in the fight against river blindness

In order to evaluate the success of treatments against onchocerciasis, the nodules must be removed from the patient's skin and analyzed. Using microscopes, experts examine thin histological sections from these nodules in order to assess sex, vitality and embryonic development of the nematodes and the presence of the endosymbiotic bacteria. This process is very time-consuming and the results…

06.04.2020

Podcast on Coronavirus

Supermarkets are getting more dangerous every day. Immunologist Achim Hörauf says they don't have to. Listen to DW's science podcast for a different angle on the coronavirus

02.04.2020

The Design and Development of a Multicentric Protocol

Performing a multicentric clinical study is challenging, especially when it is a double-blind, placebo-control. Scientists from IMMIP-Bonn, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Mali, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and United States of America, have published their study protocol, providing details on challenges faced and how they were resolved. The ongoing study, is conducted by 2 consortia, in six sites and is…

18.12.2019

IMMIP and KCCR, Kumasi, Celebrate 20 Years of Research Cooperation

The University of Bonn maintains an above average number of agreements with univer-sities and research institutions in Ghana. One of these long-term agreements celebrated its 20th jubilee in 2019. Prof. Dr. Achim Hörauf from the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immu-nology and Parasitology (IMMIP) has worked with the Kumasi Centre for …

02.12.2019

Public-Private Partnership Launched to Develop New Drugs for Roundworm Infections

A new consortium of research institutes, universities, non-profit organizations, and pharmaceutical companies, has been formed. The HELP consortium aims to develop new drugs for infections caused by parasitic worms (helminths), which are group of parasites that cause debilitating diseases like river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, as well as infection with hookworm and whipworm. Together these…