Translationale Mikrobiologie

Prof. Dr. Marc P. Hübner aims to identify new drug candidates against parasitic threadworms, so-called filariae, and developing them further for human use. To this end, new in vitro and in vivo models are being developed and identified candidates are being tested in clinical trials in humans. With oxfendazole and corallopyronin A, we have two candidates that are now being investigated in phase 1 trials in humans (corallopyronin A, planned for 2026) and phase 2 trials in filariasis patients (oxfendazole, planned for 2025). Filariasis are found mainly in the tropics and subtropics and cause serious illnesses that particularly affect the poorest. Around 200 million people are infected with filariasis, which can cause severe dermatitis and blindness (onchocerciasis, river blindness), lymphedema (lymphatic filariasis, elephantiasis), loiasis (African eyeworm) and mansonellosis. These filariasis are transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes. To eliminate the worm infections, drugs are needed that kill the adult roundworms. However, at present the only drugs available for mass treatment are those that do not kill the adult worms and therefore have to be administered repeatedly. In addition, loiasis and mansonellosis are not yet among the neglected tropical diseases listed by the WHO, which is why there are no control measures for these infections. We are working on optimizing the diagnostic methods for these diseases. Furthermore, we investigate protective immune responses against helminths, test how the immune system boosts drug efficacy against helminths and study the impact of helminth immunomodulation on non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes.