Infectious diseases will exist as long as humanity does. And despite all the successes in identifying pathogens and developing treatments, infectious diseases are still the most common cause of death worldwide. Acute waves of infection, such as the current coronavirus pandemic, the seasonal flu or the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil in 2015, regularly make headlines in the media. The chronic forms of many infectious diseases are, however, less well known to the general public. As a result, these very diseases claim many victims even in highly developed countries.

Research into microorganisms and their mechanisms of long-term colonisation of people is central to the “Chronic Infections and their Control” Collaborative Research Centre. This interdisciplinary research consortium is financed by the German Research Foundation and brings together scientists and medical doctors from the Hannover Medical School, the Twincore GmbH and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig. The goal of the planned research is to build a basis for the development of new therapies and vaccinations against infectious diseases. The Collaborative Research Centre is divided into three research areas, interlinked by the projects.