Research transfer: infection research leads to therapeutics

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No doubt, the coronavirus pandemic gave the decisive nudge: In 2022, a Bavarian offshoot of the young Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) was launched in rented laboratory rooms at the biotechnology center based at the pharmaceutical company Roche in Penzberg. It was founded to identify and characterize pandemic pathogens, develop new diagnostics and therapies, and investigate the role of the immune system in infectious diseases in greater detail. Construction has now begun on the institute’s own building near the Penzberg campus. Fraunhofer ITMP’s Immunology, Infection, and Pandemic Research (IIP) location also has laboratories in Munich-Grosshadern, in direct proximity to LMU University Hospital and important life-science institutes.

For Michael Hoelscher, Professor of Global Health & Infectious Diseases at LMU and Director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at LMU University Hospital, this constellation offers ideal conditions for the transfer of results from LMU research and the opportunity for a “perfect innovation circle.” As he explains: “The foundational techniques are created in the LMU laboratories, the Fraunhofer specialists turn them into diagnostic and therapeutic products in conjunction with industry, and then these products are evaluated and implemented in clinical trials at LMU University Hospital.” This permits the “generation of a synthesis through connection to industry and patient care,” which conforms to the founding ideal of Fraunhofer institutes, observes Hoelscher, who heads up the Penzberg/Munich branch of Fraunhofer ITMP. After all, Roche is the world’s largest manufacturer of diagnostic equipment and LMU University Hospital is one of the largest university clinics in Germany. Meanwhile, the Technical University of Munich, Helmholtz Munich, and the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology are further partners in the collaboration.

Preparing for the next pandemic

Hoelscher gives an example to illustrate how cooperation and emerging synergies can lead to successful translation: The mission of the Fraunhofer institute is to find practical technical solutions, especially diagnostic methods, to help our societies respond better in the case of pandemics or infectious disease emergencies. As a member institute of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), LMU University Hospital is now part of the European Vaccines Hub, which has been founded to develop innovative vaccines – for example, against a possible new flu epidemic caused by the bird flu pathogen H5N1. In parallel, researchers at the Fraunhofer institute plan to develop corresponding diagnostic equipment that is tailored to the flu vaccines. “If we do this in cooperation with Roche, we can adapt the development to the company’s production platform. In the event of a pandemic, Roche can then seamlessly integrate the diagnostic tools rapidly manufacture them in large volumes.”

Hoelscher speaks of a perfect fit: Many of the innovations will come from LMU and LMU University Hospital, while the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the hospital is “one of the three largest international clinical trial units in Europe. We organize international clinical studies worldwide and have some 45 partners around the globe. The studies concern diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV – and accelerating the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs.”