Two fluorescence images in magenta, green and blue of the malaria parasite

©BNITM | Spielmann

Publication

Cell biology under the microscope: what parasites have in common

Researchers from Hamburg and Munich have simultaneously uncovered new details about the cellular architecture of malaria and toxoplasmosis pathogens. The teams from BNITM and LMU show how parasites use highly specialised transport systems to survive in host cells. Together, they paint a new picture of how parasites adapt old principles to their own biology and open up possible therapeutic approaches.

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©BNITM

Publication

"Underground mosquito" older than believed

A new study debunks the legend of the “London Underground Mosquito”. The urban mosquito Culex pipiens molestus did not emerge in London’s tube system in the mid-20th century, but more than 1,000 years ago in the ancient Middle East. This is shown by genomic analyses from an international research team with contributions from BNITM. The findings have been published in the journal Science.

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Photo of a young blond researcher in a blue T-shirt, crouching down, harvesting a plant and looking cheerfully at the camera.

©Schultz | Pérez Villacampa

Honour

From plants to new drug candidates: Fabien Schultz appointed to Academy

Schultz searches for substances with medical potential in plants, insects and fungi. He draws on the knowledge of traditional healers and animal observations in Africa. In the laboratory, his team has already shown that extracts from medicinal plants can inhibit the growth of certain pathogens. For his research, the BNITM scientist has been appointed as a Young Academy Fellow of the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg.

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Six mosquito wings are depicted, coloured red, yellow and blue.

Publication

Artificial intelligence identifies mosquito species by their wings

Researchers at the BNITM have developed an AI-based system that automatically identifies mosquito species based on their unique wing patterns with an accuracy of over 98%. This allows for faster and better monitoring of mosquito populations which is important for issuing early warnings and preventing or containing outbreaks of mosquito-borne pathogens.

Photo of the Grand Hall of Hamburg City Hall with two chandeliers on the ceiling, elegant parquet flooring, richly decorated seating on the left and right, and historic murals.

©BNITM | Mira Lynne

Event

Anniversary week

During its anniversary week, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) welcomed more than 1,000 guests from Germany and abroad to the European Congress of Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH), the anniversary concert in the Recital Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, and the Senate reception at Hamburg City Hall. Read here, among other things, congratulations from politicians and donors.

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Spatial transcriptomics of a mouse lymph node with cell-type labels

©Thomas Otto

Data Science Centre

Using AI to combat infectious diseases

Modern infection research generates huge amounts of data – from genome sequences to epidemiological and clinical data. The new Data Science Centre at BNITM creates the structures to bring together this data from all research sections, evaluate it using AI and bioinformatics, and make it accessible. In this way, the diversity of data becomes a driving force that connects research and accelerates the fight against infectious diseases.

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