The Research Center Borstel, part of the Leibniz Lung Center (German: Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum, FZB), was established in 1947 with the backing of the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and the Bad Segeberg district. Since 2003, it has been a member of the Leibniz Association. The research focus is on chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and allergies, as well as tuberculosis and other infection-related inflammations of the lung. The overriding goal of the basically interdisciplinary and translational research activities is to elucidate the causes and mechanisms of infectious and non-infectious chronic inflammatory diseases of the lung in order to derive new innovative concepts for their prevention, diagnosis and therapy.
FZB receives international visibility and recognition for the elucidation of mechanisms of asthma predisposition and for the molecular characterization of allergens, allergy-preventive substances and bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, FZB has earned a global reputation for its research on the molecular epidemiology, resistance mechanisms and pathogenesis of TB as well as for tailoring antibiotic therapies for individuals with multi-drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB). Borstel is home to both the National Reference Center for Mycobacteria and the Supranational Reference Laboratory for Mycobacteria, accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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TEAM
Dr. Margo Diricks
Research associate Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology Group Project manager, Bioinformatic training (WP3, TB genomic surveillance), data analysisProf. Dr. Stefan Niemann
Head Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology, Group Head Nat. Reference Center for Mycobacteria, Director Priority Area Infections, Schleswig-Holstein Excellence Chair, Visiting Professor University of NamibiaDr. Christiane Gerlach
Deputy Head Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology Group, Scientific Project Manager