World AMR Awareness Week 2024, 18-24 November – Educate. Advocate. Act now.
Various approaches at the DZIF to combat the creeping pandemic of antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent challenges facing global health and development. Described as a “creeping pandemic” by the G7 forum of leading economic nations, AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to existing drugs. This leads to illnesses and deaths and increases the spread of infections that are difficult or impossible to treat.
The theme of this year’s World AMR Awareness Week is “Educate. Advocate. Act now”. DZIF researchers in several research areas of the DZIF are developing diagnostics and antibiotics with novel modes of action to curb the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria and to prevent and treat infections with multidrug-resistant germs. Through its involvement in incubators and international academia-industry networks, the DZIF promotes start-up companies in the field of AMR and raises public and political awareness of the global problem of AMR.
Below you will find a selection of current DZIF research projects and experts dedicated to finding solutions to the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance:
Treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) with a potent compound
TB is the world's leading cause of death from bacterial infections, killing 1.5 million people each year. Offering hope to TB-sufferers worldwide, the synthetic antibiotic for multidrug-resistant TB benzothiazinone-043 (BTZ-043)—developed by DZIF researchers in collaboration with the UNITE4TB consortium—is currently in phase II clinical trials.
Prof. Michael Hoelscher (LMU University Hospital Munich)
A natural antibiotic to fight worm diseases and sexually transmitted infections
Corallopyronin A (CorA)—a biotechnologically produced antibiotic derived from soil bacteria—is effective against filarial worms due to its ability to inhibit the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia, which is essential for worm survival. In addition to the treatment of filariasis, CorA is being developed for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (difficult-to-treat antibiotic-resistant gonococci) and of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Phase I clinical trials are planned for 2026.
Dr Andrea Schiefer and Prof. Achim Hörauf (University Hospital Bonn)
Clovibactin: a novel antibiotic compound against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria
A new, highly effective agent called clovibactin attacks the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the tuberculosis-pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. DZIF researchers have decoded the novel antibiotic’s specific mode of action, which offers hope that the bacteria will not be able to develop resistance to clovibactin so quickly.
Prof. Tanja Schneider (University of Bonn)
Identifying new drug candidates in soil samples
Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) are investigating new sources of antimicrobial agents. One promising compound they have identified is chlorotonil A, a natural compound derived from soil bacteria. Chlorotonil A exhibits antibiotic activity against persistent intestinal pathogens like Clostridioides difficile and Staphylococcus aureus—both gram-positive pathogens of concern—as well as the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium.
Since the 1980s, no new active compound has been discovered that can effectively counteract resistance in Gram-negative pathogens over the long term. This is partly due to economic factors and the inherent difficulty of finding new antibiotics. At HIPS, researchers are focusing on myxobacteria—an underexplored group of predatory bacteria—as a promising source of new active compounds. These bacteria produce antimicrobial substances to hunt other microorganisms for food. Recently, a team at HIPS succeeded in isolating a previously unknown family of myxobacteria with exceptionally high biosynthetic and pharmaceutical potential.
Prof. Rolf Müller (HIPS and HZI)
More about chlorotonil A and the research on myxobacteria
Bacteriophages—a promising alternative to antibiotics
Bacteriophages are a potential alternative or complement to antibiotics. In the EVREA-Phage project (EVREA stands for: Eradication of intestinal vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium), a DZIF-team at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ–German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ) is developing an oral phage therapy for the eradication of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE), which inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals and can cause diseases such as neonatal meningitis or endocarditis.
Dr Ana Filipa Moreira Martins and Dr Johannes Wittmann (Leibniz Institute DSMZ–German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures)
More about the EVREA-Phage project
DZIF TransPhage-Net
The “DZIF Translational Phage Network” (DZIF TransPhage-Net) is an open networking platform supporting bacteriophage research, development and therapy in Germany. It currently consists of more than 120 active members from within and outside the DZIF network, who combine their expertise in the field of phage research and production.
Dr Annika Claßen (University Hospital Cologne) and Dr Simone Lieberknecht-Jouy (Goethe University Frankfurt)
More about the DZIF TransPhage-Net
HY-133—A recombinant phage endolysin for rapid decolonisation of Staphylococcus aureus from nasal environments
Developed by DZIF scientists in a public-private partnership, HY-133 is a highly potent bacteriophage-derived protein designed to specifically kill the dreaded hospital germ Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains. The use of HY-133 in the rapid decolonisation of S. aureus from nasal passages will help prevent invasive infections in hospitalised patients. Having passed all preclinical tests, HY-133 is now being tested in clinical trials.
Prof. Andreas Peschel (University of Tübingen) and Prof. Karsten Becker (Greifswald University Medicine)
Rapid diagnostic test for multiple resistance to key reserve antibiotics
Rapid detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is essential to determine appropriate antibiotic therapy and limit the spread of antibiotic resistance. The commercialised rapid multi-carbapenemase detection test "RESIST ACINETO” allows the simultaneous detection of four different resistance factors that confer resistance to carbapenems, a clinically important antibiotic used against the superbug Acinetobacter baumannii.
Dr Alexander Klimka (University of Cologne) and Dr Paul Higgins (University Hospital Cologne)
More about the"RESIST ACINETO" rapid test
Collaborative research: National and international collaborations
The DZIF is involved in numerous national and international collaborations to address the challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance. As a founding member of INCATE—short for Incubator for Antibacterial Therapies in Europe—the DZIF works with partners from academia, industry and the public sector to accelerate the development of new antibacterial therapies. The DZIF is also a key partner in the “German Network against Antimicrobial Resistance” (DNAMR). Launched in 2022, DNAMR is a voluntary association of organisations, institutions, companies, legal entities and individuals committed to the development of new, resistance-breaking antibiotics.
Dr Timo Jäger (Managing Director, DZIF)
Please contact the researchers directly using the contact details provided (all enquiries should also be sent with presse@dzif.de in Cc). Please acknowledge the DZIF as a source in interviews and texts, including online.
