Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Lung Center (FZB)

The Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) studies chronic inflammatory diseases of infectious or non-infectious, especially pulmonary origin.

The FZB’s infectious disease research is particularly focused on tuberculosis (TB), still the most serious bacterial infection in man, and its pathogen the tubercle bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The importance of the FZB’s TB research is highly topical in light of the increasing incidence of multidrug- (MDR) and extensively drug- resistant (XDR) Mtb strains in inward migration states. In the course of establishing the German Centre for Infection Research, the FZB established the Tuberculosis Center Borstel that pools and, particularly in the fight against MDR and XDR tuberculosis, strategically aligns research activities in the areas of molecular epidemiology, population biology and molecular pathogenesis of clinical Mtb isolates, the structural biology, cellular microbiology, infection immunology and experimental anti-infective therapies as well as the clinical diagnosis, therapy and prevention of tuberculosis.

On the strength of its research, proximity and affiliation with the Leibniz association, the FZB is one of the LIV’s most important partners along with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM). Together the three institutes founded the Leibniz Center Infection.