The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Travel Medicine, and Human Parasitology (Institut für Tropenmedizin, Reisemedizin, Humanparasitolgie, (ITM)) specializes in infectious diseases, tropical diseases and human parasitosis. With a staff of about 100, it operates a tropical medicine and travel medicine outpatient clinic, as well as teaching and research projects in tropical medicine.

History

Tropical diseases were studied in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

as early as the 19th century. Notable early scientists include F. G. Gmelin (1782-1848), (1774-1868) and

Wilhelm Griesinger Wilhelm Griesinger (29 July 1817 – 26 October 1868) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist born in Stuttgart. Life and career He studied under Johann Lukas Schönlein at the University of Zurich and physiologist François Magendie in Pa ...

(1817-1868).

Theodor Bilharz Theodor Maximilian Bilharz (23 March 1825 – 9 May 1862) was a German physician who made pioneering discoveries in the field of parasitology. His contributions led to the foundation of tropical medicine. He is best remembered as the discoverer ...

(first description 1851 of

Schistosoma ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed '' schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Organ ...

in Egypt) and O. E. H. Wucherer (first description 1868 of a

microfilaria ::''Microfilaria may also refer to an informal "collective group" genus name, proposed by Cobbold in 1882. While a convenient category for newly discovered microfilariae which can not be assigned to a known species because the adults are unknown, ...

) have studied here. On 2 July 1917, Gottlieb Olpp was appointed to the position of an associate professor of tropical medicine at the University of Tübingen establishing the first academic position of this kind at the university. The Institute for Tropical Medicine was founded in 1956. In 2006, it was formally integrated into the Medical Clinic of the University Hospital of Tübingen.

Research

Scientific studies on infectious diseases such as

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

filariasis Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by an infection with roundworms of the Filarioidea type. These are spread by blood-feeding insects such as black flies and mosquitoes. They belong to the group of diseases called helminthiases. These par ...

, as well as clinical drug and vaccine studies are conducted at the institute. The major focus of research projects is the testing of new malarial drugs and vaccines with controlled plasmodial infections in healthy volunteers or African malaria patients. The institute's achievements include contributions to the development of malaria drugs, such as atovaquone-proguanil, amodiaquine

artesunate Artesunate (AS) is a medication used to treat malaria. The intravenous form is preferred to quinine for severe malaria. Often it is used as part of Artemisinin-based combination therapy, combination therapy, such as artesunate plus mefloquine. I ...

, pyronaridine artesunate as well as malaria and

ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

vaccines. According to a survey of the Laborjournals, 11 scientists from the Institute are among the 50 most cited scientists in the field of

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

in the German-speaking world; in the international context, Peter G. Kremsner has been the most cited scientist of Germany in this field for two decades.

Teaching

A total of three W3 professorships are currently established at the institute (Peter G. Kremsner appointed 1996, Akim Ayola Adegnika appointed 2016, Benjamin Mordmüller appointed 2017). The target group for teaching activities are students of medicine and biology. Approximately 25 different courses including lectures, seminars, colloquia, internships and courses for beginners, advanced and post-graduates are offered on a semesterly basis.

Directors

* 1956–1966: * 1966–1979: Hermann Knüttgen * 1979–1990: Wolfram Höfler * 1990–2008: * since 2008: Peter G. Kremsner

PREVENT-nCoV consortium

The Institute for Tropical Medicine Tübingen is part of the PREVENT-nCoV consortium comprising

ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies is a Danish biotechnology company specialised in the development of new vaccines and immunotherapy products based in Hørsholm, Denmark and listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Sweden. ExpreS2ion is part of t ...

, AdaptVac (a joint-venture between ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies and the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

spin-out NextGen Vaccines),

Leiden University Medical Center Leiden University Medical Center (Dutch: ''Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum'') or LUMC is the university hospital affiliated with Leiden University, of which it forms the medical faculty. It is located in Leiden, Netherlands. LUMC is a modern un ...

, The Department of Immunology and Microbiology (ISIM) at the University of Copenhagen, and the Laboratory of Virology at

Wageningen University and Research Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

. In March 2020 the consortium was awarded an EU

Horizon 2020 The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, also called Framework Programmes or abbreviated FP1 to FP9, are funding programmes created by the European Union/European Commission to support and foster research in the Europea ...

grant of €2.7million for the development of a

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

candidate.

Other

The Institute for Tropical Medicine is part of the Comprehensive Infectious Disease Center (CIDiC) at the University Hospital Tübingen and a site of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). In 2007, the institute was appointed "Competence Center for Tropical Medicine in Baden-Württemberg" under the leadership of Carsten Köhler. The partner institutions of the Institute of Tropical Medicine are located at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné / Gabon, Brazzaville / Congo, Hanoi / Vietnam, Cotonou / Benin and Sokodé / Togo.

References

External links

Institut für Tropenmedizin Tübingen

Center of Medical Research Lambaréné

Oncholab Sokode

Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale

Vietnamese - German Center of Excellence in Medical Research
{{authority control Medical research institutes in Germany Tropical medicine organizations