In life sciences, we’ll have greater understanding of the
dynamics of how our microbiome – the tiny organisms, including bacteria, that
live in the human body – influences multiple systems in our body, including our
immune systems, metabolic processes and other areas. This will result in
seminal discoveries related to a variety of conditions, including autoimmune
diseases, pre-term birth and how our metabolism is regulated. Regenerative
medicine approaches to creating new tissues and organs from progenitor cells
will expand significantly.
The use of bacteria can be a more gentle, biological and
thus also more sustainable alternative. The use of synthetic drugs has been
likened to the use of herbicides to get rid of weeds in a lawn. Depending on
its intensity, bacterial therapy would be equivalent in this analogy to
replanting the lawn or laying down turf. One of the first major breakthroughs
in bacteria research was achieved back in the nineteenth century by Robert Koch
from Germany.
The level of
training in Germany is very good, as is the research infrastructure. If these
excellent framework conditions are used for well-organized and long-term
studies, Germany can remain at the forefront of world-class research. Today
spectacular breakthroughs are no longer made by individual groups, let alone
individual researchers. This is why international cooperation is essential in
this field of research.
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