WS 10 - InfectControl - Investing in the One Health Approach

Why is it necessary that medical doctors and infection biologists join forces with veterinarians, architects, climate-, material- and communication scientists to fight infections?

The workshop gives an overview about the German-wide, BMBF-funded research program InfectControl and introduces some of its flagship projects. It is a unique collaboration in Germany involving experts from a wide range of disciplines and specialist areas. Together, they fight infections that affect Germany and Europe in particular following the One Health approach with the aim to sustainably prevent infectious diseases, to detect them faster and to fight them comprehensively.

To prevent infectious diseases, InfectControl supports educational campaigns as well as the development of new techniques and standards, e.g. for patient rooms in hospitals.
For a better and faster diagnosis of infectious diseases the consortium is developing new rapid tests for specific pathogens and new analysis methods.

InfectControl also promotes the development of vaccines and drugs. In collaboration with the German Center for Infectious Research (DZIF), InfectControl currently develops a new tuberculosis drug (clinical phase IIa) that has a completely new mode of action and is also effective against resistant strains.

In the workshop, members of the consortium will present prominent results from their interdisciplinary projects. Following the presentations the InfectControl consortium will discuss with the audience the hurdles and future perspectives for One Health initiatives that are necessary to fight infectious diseases.