Director Axel Brakhage as guest in the Paul Ehrlich Society’s new German-speaking podcast “Contagious Enthusiasm”

Episode 1: “Rethinking infectiology” – With Prof. Brakhage on the discovery of new anti-infective compounds and the challenging conditions surrounding this topic

11/24/2025 | by Friederike Gawlik

Infectious diseases continue to spread worldwide and resistant pathogens are making treatment increasingly difficult. Although the need for new antibiotics is increasing, their development is hardly supported politically or economically. This makes the work of those researchers who are seeking new active compounds despite these hurdles all the more important. In the first episode of the new podcast “Contagious Enthusiasm – Infectious Disease as a Vocation”, published by the Paul Ehrlich Society, Leibniz-HKI Director Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage shares his views on the future of antibiotics research.

Internist Cathrin Kodde from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and biologist Mike Marquet from Jena University Hospital join Axel Brakhage to take listeners on a 30-minute journey focusing on key issues relating to the search for active compounds, natural products and innovative strategies for new antibiotics.

Among other things, Brakhage explains why researchers cultivate several microbes together and how ecological signals or special culture conditions – including the literal “shaking” in the laboratory – can activate hidden biosynthetic potential. In addition to exciting scientific insights, practical challenges will also be discussed, such as the high costs of antibiotic development. In the case of the tuberculosis drug BTZ-043 co-developed at the Leibniz-HKI, this was made possible by costly acquisition of major third party funding and thanks to the close cooperation of numerous scientists inside and outside the institute.

Another topic is building bridges to application: Brakhage talks about INCATE (Incubator for Antibacterial Therapies in Europe), an incubator co-initiated by the Leibniz-HKI to support potential founders and start-ups in developing new drugs and thus accelerate translational research.

The podcast also takes a look at the next generation of researchers: Why is it worth getting into infection research – and what makes this field so attractive for young scientists? For Brakhage himself, research is a kind of adventure that requires perseverance and is deeply fulfilling at the same time: “Research is climbing mountains. And once you’ve climbed the mountain, it’s fantastic and nothing can replace it.”

So if you are interested in the interface between basic research and clinical application, if you want to understand how new antibiotics are created and why this is not only a scientific challenge but also a socio-political one, you should definitely listen to this podcast episode.