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Bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. This is particu-larly problematic in the context of recurrent urinary tract infections. One alternative is treatment with viruses that exclusively infect bacteria, known as phages. This is where the REPhRAME research project comes in. A new study will investigate whether combining phage therapy with resto-ration of the gut microbiome can help prevent recurrent urinary tract in-fections. The project is funded by the European Parliament and supported by the Council of the European Union.

A research consortium led by University Medicine Frankfurt has received follow-up funding of around one million euros from the Volkswagen Foundation. In total, the Volkswagen Foundation is funding four innovative projects on antiviral drug development with €4.2 million – in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Saarland. The Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP is a consortium partner.

The German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) has awarded the publication "Plu-ripotent stem-cell-based screening uncovers sildenafil as a mitochondrial disease therapy" with the GSCN Publication of the Year Award 2026. The study impressively demonstrates how patient-based stem cell models can reveal new therapeutic options for rare diseases and translate findings from the laboratory into clinical application. In this specific case, the re-searchers were able to identify sildenafil as a potential therapeutic ap-proach for the treatment of Leigh syndrome. The award went to Dr. Ole Pless and Dr. Annika Wittich from the Fraunhofer Institute for Translation-al Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, as well as to Prof. Dr. Alessandro Pri-gione and Dr. Annika Zink from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf / Uni-versity Hospital Düsseldorf, and Prof. Dr. Markus Schuelke from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Faster identification of new antibiotic candidates with the help of artificial intelligence: This is the goal of the research project ANTARES, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP is collaborating with the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Enamine Germany GmbH in Frankfurt am Main (Enamine) to identify new, safe, and affordable treatment options for pa-tients suffering from life-threatening and often drug-resistant infections.

Immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell therapy are used primarily to treat cancer. In the future, these patient-specific therapies, manufactured from patients’ own immune cells, could also help cure autoimmune diseases. Six patients with particularly severe rheumatoid arthritis have now received this treatment at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In the journal Nature Medicine*, the researchers report the results from the world’s first clinical trial of its kind: Disease activity decreased substantially in all participants. By the end of the observation period, three of the patients no longer required any medication for rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP carried out the technological analysis of the study samples, particularly using the Olink platform, as part of the study.

MONID HABITRACK uses drones and artificial intelligence to research the spread of tick-borne diseases in the districts of Amberg-Sulzbach and Schwandorf

1.3-million-euro funding for the Eurostars project MastCURe: The Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP Immunology and Allergology IA in Berlin will conduct research over the next 3 years together with Allegria Therapeutics and Cube Biotech on a novel therapeutic approach to treating chronic urticaria.

A milestone in the treatment of Leigh syndrome, a rare, early-onset disease in children, has been reached: At the Hamburg site of the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, in collaboration with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD), as well as Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, a promis-ing agent for the treatment of Leigh syndrome was identified. The researchers were able to demonstrate a positive effect of the active substance sildenafil on the disease course.

From molecules to realistic therapeutic approaches: Fraunhofer ITMP receives fund-ing for three translational projects developing new treatment methods for rare, hard-to-treat diseases in infancy or early childhood.