Despite advances in medical treatments, infectious diseases still cause up to one third of premature deaths. During the last decades, numerous new infectious agents have appeared. The increasing number of pathogens that are resistant to all existing antibiotics is alarming and poses a serious health threat. Elucidation of the underlying resistance mechanisms and the development of novel effective therapeutics are urgently required.

The growing number of patients suffering from immunosuppression, e.g. after bone marrow transplants or chemotherapies is especially susceptible to infectious diseases. Multiresistant bacteria, for example, may then lead to severe inflammation of the lungs, which are treatable with only a few types of antibiotics. Therefore, precise and quick diagnostics are becoming increasingly important. In addition, infections by opportunistic pathogens such as human pathogenic fungi are increasingly becoming clinically relevant. For example, yeasts of the genus Candida are among the most common causes of fungal sepsis. Research into the molecular basis of infections and the human host response can lay the groundwork for novel therapeutic approaches.

An established research network in Jena is dedicated to adress the challenges across society regarding infection and resistance attempting their large-scale prevention, early recognition and effective elimination using wide-ranging approaches. At the new Leibniz ScienceCampus InfectoOptics Jena's researcher work together to develop novel optical systems for diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. The Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knoell Institute and the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies (IPHT) collaborate with the Friedrich Schiller University, the University Hospital Jena, the University of Applied Sciences Jena, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF as well as the Friedrich-Loeffler-Instiute.