Funding from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation for Prof Christoph Ernst

© Michael Wodak

Prof. Dr Christoph Ernst from the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University Hospital of Cologne and the Faculty of Medicine has been selected for the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation's Rise up! programme. The funding programme is aimed at outstanding and unusually creative basic researchers from the fields of biology, chemistry and medicine who have accepted a W2 professorship at a German university for the first time.

As part of the DZIF, Prof Ernst's research group is investigating the persistence and evolution of multi-resistant bacteria in infections in order to develop new antimicrobial strategies. 

This approach had revealed the role of intracellular reservoirs, i.e. those located within a cell, in persistent urinary tract infections in which reserve antibiotics are no longer effective against multi-resistant bacteria. Subsequently, high-throughput methods were used to identify active substances that are effective against a broad spectrum of intracellular microorganisms and are associated with the accumulation of intermediate metabolites in the host cell.

With the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation grant of 555,950 euros, Prof. Ernst will investigate the role of intermediate metabolites in the defense against microbial infections by the innate immune system. Findings from these studies could lead to new antimicrobial strategies against a broad spectrum of microorganisms that are difficult to treat due to antimicrobial resistance.

Multi- and pan-resistant pathogens represent one of the greatest global challenges for the healthcare system, as infections caused by such microorganisms can no longer be treated effectively with established therapies. In principle, this development harbours the potential to severely disrupt progress in medicine.

Source: Press release of the University Hospital Cologne (in German only)