FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM BORSTEL LEIBNIZ LUNGENZENTRUM

Their core work

Forschungszentrum Borstel is a Leibniz research center dedicated to lung disease, with a strong specialization in tuberculosis (TB) research — from preclinical drug discovery through clinical trials. They develop and test new TB drug regimens, study immune evasion mechanisms (particularly complement system pathways), and contribute to large-scale European efforts to accelerate TB treatment. Their work spans microbiology, clinical pharmacology, and anti-infective drug development, making them a key player in the European TB research pipeline.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 projects (2017–2019), FZB focused on advancing individual TB drug candidates toward proof of concept (anTBiotic) and studying fundamental immunology of the complement system (CORVOS). From 2020 onward, their work shifted decisively toward large-scale, platform-based approaches: building pan-TB regimen pipelines (ERA4TB), host-directed therapy trials (DRTB-HDT), and AI-powered clinical trial platforms (UNITE4TB). The trajectory shows a clear move from single-compound research toward integrated, multi-partner drug development infrastructure.

FZB is scaling up from lab-level TB research toward industrialized drug regimen testing using AI and large clinical trial networks — expect them to seek partners in data science, clinical infrastructure, and regulatory affairs.

How they like to work

FZB operates exclusively as a participant, never coordinating — they bring deep domain expertise in TB microbiology and pharmacology to consortia led by others. With 99 unique partners across 26 countries, they plug into very large consortia (ERA4TB and UNITE4TB are mega-projects with dozens of partners). This profile suggests a trusted specialist contributor that major consortia actively recruit for their TB and infectious disease knowledge.

FZB has collaborated with 99 distinct partners across 26 countries, reflecting deep integration into the European infectious disease research community. Their network is heavily weighted toward large health consortia, suggesting strong ties to major pharmaceutical and academic TB networks across Europe.

What sets them apart

FZB is one of very few Leibniz centers entirely dedicated to lung disease, giving them a rare combination of deep TB microbiology, clinical pharmacology, and preclinical drug development under one roof. Their participation in both ERA4TB and UNITE4TB — two of Europe's flagship TB programs — positions them at the center of the continent's TB drug pipeline. For any consortium tackling infectious disease, drug-resistant TB, or anti-infective discovery, FZB brings both the scientific depth and the established network connections that are hard to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• UNITE4TB
  Their largest project (EUR 3.6M) — a flagship EU initiative combining AI, innovative trial design, and clinical pharmacology to test new TB drug regimens at scale.
• ERA4TB
  Major European regimen accelerator (EUR 3.5M to FZB) focused on building a preclinical-to-clinical pipeline for pan-TB drug combinations.
• CORVOS
  Their only non-TB project — complement system research in opportunistic infections — shows breadth in fundamental immunology beyond their TB core.