Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP

On May 6, 2022, the laboratories of the Fraunhofer ITMP site for immunology, infection and pandemic research in Penzberg/Munich were officially opened. The aim of the on-site research is to identify and characterize pandemic pathogens, develop new diagnostics and therapies, and better understand the role of the immune system in infectious diseases. Until the completion of their own building, the researchers will start their work in rented rooms on the campus of Roche's biotechnology center in Penzberg. 

The Franco-German AIOLOS project (Artificial Intelligence Tools for Outbreak Detection and Response) has received approval to develop a digital platform designed to allow for early detection of new respiratory pathogens epidemics, monitor their spread and inform decisions on appropriate counter measures.

Sanofi in France and the Fraunhofer Institutes SCAI and ITMP in Germany lead the consortium, which includes four other French and German partners.

"Phialogics", the barely six-month-old spin-off of the Frankfurt site of the Fraunhofer ITMP, wins Sanofi's "Golden Tickets" competition. This enables the Fraunhofer spin-off to stay free of charge for one year at BioLabs in Heidelberg, which is becoming a hotspot for start-ups based on a concept imported from the USA.

"Transkript.de" reports on Phialogics and its success in the "Start-up of the Week" section.

In mid-April, the first scientists of the Fraunhofer ITMP in Penzberg start work in rented laboratory space at Roche. The new center for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research is expected to be ready in 2-3 years. Süddeutsche Zeitung interviewed Gerd Geißlinger, head of the institute, and Michael Hoelscher, head of the Munich/Penzberg site, about the purpose of the future center: A conversation about new viruses and why diseases can be stopped with "4D".

Neurological complications associated with COVID-19 occur frequently. Although the SARS-CoV-2 virus has already been detected in the brain tissue of patients, its routes of entry and the resulting consequences are not well understood. A team of researchers from Fraunhofer ITMP and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has now shown that cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be infected in vitro by the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen and that this can be attenuated pharmacologically.

Patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria are severely impaired in their quality of life. Unfortunately, standard therapy with antihistamines is not efficacious in many affected patients. However, these patients can now have hope. A new clinical trial with the participation of Fraunhofer ITMP in Berlin shows promising results for the efficacy of a new drug.