Research award for DZIF Scientist Janko Sattler
Dr Sattler has been awarded the DGHM's bioMérieux Diagnostics Prize for his research on multidrug-resistant hospital pathogens.
DZIF scientist Dr Janko Sattler, a medical specialist at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University Hospital Cologne, was awarded the bioMérieux Diagnostics Prize at the annual conference of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM). He received the €2,500 prize for his outstanding scientific contributions on "Carbapenemases in Enterobacterales—Detection and Molecular Characterisation".
Multidrug-resistant hospital pathogens are on the rise in Germany and can lead to serious, untreatable infections in hospitalised patients. Multidrug-resistant enterobacteria that produce carbapenemases are particularly dangerous. The production of these enzymes leads to resistance of the bacteria to an important group of antibiotics—the carbapenems. These antibiotics are considered drugs of last resort as they are often used when other antibiotics are no longer effective. Resistance to carbapenems makes it harder to treat infections and can lead to serious complications or even death.
In his research, Dr Sattler has tested and developed special diagnostic tests to reliably detect these dangerous bacteria at an early stage. Thanks to faster detection, measures can be taken earlier to limit the spread of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria and thus improve patient safety. They also provide the basis for monitoring multidrug-resistant bacteria.
About Janko Sattler
Janko Sattler completed his medical studies at the Charité in Berlin with the state examination in 2016 and finished his dissertation in 2017. After working in the Department of Pneumology and Medical Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital Aachen, he moved to the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University Hospital Cologne as an assistant physician in 2019. There he developed his research interest in the field of multidrug-resistant bacteria with a focus on carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. His work, which he carries out largely within the framework of the DZIF, focuses on the detection of carbapenemases in the microbiological diagnostics laboratory on the one hand and on the genetic characterisation of OXA-48-like carbapenemases and associated mobile genetic elements on the other.
Sources:
News of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM) (German only)
News of the University Hospital Cologne (German only)
