Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory
© DZIF/scienceRELATIONS

Emerging Infections

DZIF is prepared for emerging infectious diseases. 

Emerging virus epidemics occur unexpectedly and demand rapid action in order to stop the disease from spreading. The most recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide and the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa highlight the need for rapid communication to the public and the critical importance of developing diagnostics, vaccines and antiviral drugs as quickly as possible.

The DZIF research field “Emerging Infections” responds to these challenges by getting new vaccine candidates for Ebola and MERS or SARS-CoV-2 viruses, among others. The aim now is to accelerate biomedical research on new viruses and to be prepared for emerging infectious diseases in the future.

Research about "Emerging Infections"

Virus detection and preparedness

The working group is responsible for projects aimed at the detection, occurrence and description of emerging viruses. To accomplish this task, the scientists are collecting samples of potential virus carriers, such as game, farm and domestic animals, thereby building up a comprehensive database. Furthermore, each group assesses the risk of [...]

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Hamburg - Lübeck - Borstel - Riems

Clinical management, epidemiology and immunology of newly emerging infections

This research group, led by Professor Marylyn Addo, initiates and coordinates translational research in the field of emerging infections with a particular focus on Ebola, MERS, Lassa and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. Immunology studies, vaccine development, testing of novel anti-infectives and outbreak management are at the core of their studies. For [...]

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Gießen - Marburg - Langen

Biosafety level 4 laboratory in Marburg

When emerging viruses cause severe diseases, the rapid development of vaccines and antivirals against these pathogens becomes critical. Some newly emerging viruses are very dangerous and necessitate the highest of biosafety levels for research and development purposes. DZIF scientists have a biosafety level (BSL) 4 laboratory at the Philipps-Universität Marburg’s [...]

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Hamburg - Lübeck - Borstel - Riems

Mosquitoes and mosquito-associated viral infections in Germany

Mosquitoes are transmitters of numerous viruses that are pathogenic to humans. Besides the known local species, new types of mosquitoes have been imported into Germany over the past few years. In order prepare for the potential formation of colonies of these new types of mosquitoes and the accompanying spread of [...]

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Bonn - Köln | Gießen - Marburg - Langen | Hamburg - Lübeck - Borstel - Riems | Hannover - Braunschweig | Heidelberg

Nucleoside Booster Project: Broad-spectrum antivirals for pandemic preparedness

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and other epidemics in recent decades have highlighted the need to develop effective measures to combat emerging infectious diseases in a timely manner. For most emerging viral pathogens, no vaccines or antiviral drugs are yet available. Since it is difficult to predict which virus or viral variants [...]

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Publications

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News about the Research Field

MVA_MERS_Impfstoff
© UKE

Vaccine against the MERS coronavirus tested as safe and effective in phase Ib clinical trial

The MERS coronavirus—MERS stands for “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome”—causes severe respiratory diseases with a high mortality rate. To date, there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment. The
Close up view of the injection of a vaccine through a syringe into the arm of a person wearing a mask.
© AdobeStock/insta-photos

New vector vaccine against COVID-19 provides long-term protection

The protective effect of established COVID-19 vaccines is initially very robust, but wanes relatively quickly. This limitation imposes a need for periodic booster shots, which drives vaccine
A world map shows the distribution of COVID-19 cases, represented by red dots and circles of different sizes. The largest concentrations are visible in North America, Europe and Asia. In the other continents, such as South America, Africa and Australia, red dots can also be seen, but in lower density. The map has a dark background and the continents are shown in black with white outlines and labelling.
© Martin Sanchez/Unsplash

Learning from the COVID pandemic: on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions against pathogens

In the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of government-ordered measures to contain the pandemic, such as regular testing and the wearing of medical masks, was repeatedly called into

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