GLACIER | GLACIER One Health Project

2024 GLACIER One Health International Symposium in Halle, Germany

by GLACIER | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Past

DSC2253_Glacier_Symposium_2024_CMichael Hoetzel DGPh XL

In 20-22 August 2024 our yearly one health international symposium took place at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Halle(Saale), Germany.

Dr. Barbara Seliger and Dr. Ludger Wessjohann, GLACIER co-PIs and responsible for the organization of this year’s symposium, inaugurated the event, followed by opening words by Prof. Heike Kielstein, Dean of the MLU Medical Faculty, Dr. Peter Hinrichs, from the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Energy, State of Saxony-Anhalt, Prof. Dr. Axel Brakhage from Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, vice president German Research Foundation, and at last but not least by H.E. Juana Martinez Gonzalez, Cuban Ambassador to Germany and H.E. Yadir Salazar Mejía, Colombian Ambassador to Germany.

Among our participants, we had speakers from Europe, Israel, the USA and Latin America, as well as members from the World Health Organization (WHO). In seven different thematic sessions, experts from the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry and pharmacy, as well as stakeholders from the healthcare system and social sciences, presented their analyses on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, developments in the field of infectious disease and epidemic treatment, communication strategies and obstacles between society, academia and policymakers.

The range of topics includes not only the development of new drugs and vaccines, but also the social impact of epidemics on society. For the first time, we had a session on science communication in pandemic scenarios at this conference.

The event was quite successful, with enlightening presentations from experts in virology, vaccine development, disease history and ecology, immunology, transdisciplinary research on vulnerability to disease outbreaks and epidemics, and many more.

For more information on this year’s symposium speakers, program and live recordings please visit our 2024 symposium website.

2024 Symposium Website

What should clinicians know about Oropouche Virus Disease (OROV)? Dr. Jan Felix Drexler speaks to Medscape Medical News

by GLACIER | Aug 15, 2024 | Communication, News

Medscape Medical News has published an article detailing what clinicians need to know in order to be better prepared to face the Oropouche Virus Disease, an arbovirus disease trasmitted primarily through bites from infected midges (Culicoides paraensis) but also through a variety of mosquito species. The disease is mainly distributed in South and Central America and the Caribbean, but cases are now being imported into Europe.

Dr. Jan Felix Drexler © GLACIER

For this article, GLACIER co-PI and Charité Medicin University researcher Dr. Jan Felix Drexler, who has studied the emergence of Oropouche fever in Latin America, was invited to speak about the topic. Among other questions, he answers:

What the main symptoms of OROV disease are for which clinicians should be alert
What the differential diagnosis is if a recent traveler to affected regions presents with symptoms
What personal protective measures clinicians should advise travelers in affected areas to take

Read Article

Dr. Felix Drexler delivers a keynote speech at the 2024 DAAD alumni meeting; GLACIER PIs extend collaboration in Mexico

by GLACIER | Aug 5, 2024 | Communication, News

On 1 August 2024, GLACIER co-PI Dr. Felix Drexler delivered a keynote speech at the DAAD 2024 alumni meeting “Europe, Mexico, and the Region – New Common Paths.” DAAD organized this meeting for former DAAD scholarship holders, including European partners, and the European Union. The primary goal of the event was to foster and strengthen the partnership between Europe, Mexico, and Central America by focusing on the initiative of the European Commission “Global Gateway” and its five strategic areas: the digital sector, climate and energy, transport, health, and education and research.

In this light the 20th anniversary of the commonly organized study-fair EUROPOSGRADOS and 20 years of ERASMUS Mundus provided an excellent framework to reflect on years of successful
collaboration and explore new avenues for future cooperation.

Through panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions, the event sought to provide a platform for DAAD-alumni and partners to share insights, discuss innovative solutions, and forge stronger connections. Additionally, the recent attainment of the PACA status (Pillar assessment contribution agreement) by DAAD was highlighted, emphasizing its importance and the new opportunities it brings and looking for future project ideas that will contribute to the benefits of Europe, Mexico, and the neighboring Central American countries.

Dr. Ana Elena Escalante, also a GLACIER co-PI, attended the meeting and afterwards joined Dr. Drexler in carrying out visits in order to extend collaboration in Mexico and foster collaborations for the study of the relationship between biodiversity and zoonotic disease risk.

2024daad_alumnimeeting_escalante_drexler

From left to right: Dr. Susana Magallón, director of the Institute of Biology, UNAM; Dr. Mariana Munguía, representative from the National Comission for Biodoversity (CONABIO); Dr. Carlos Ibarra, researcher from the CINVESTAV center, Mérida; Dr. José Sarukhán, UNAM former Rector; Dr. Felix Drexler, researcher from Charité Universitätzmedizin-Berlin and GLACIER co-PI; Dr. Ana E. Escalante, director of the Institute of Ecology, UNAM, and GLACIER co-PI.

GLOHRA Training Repository

by GLACIER | Jul 31, 2024 | News

The Global Health Academy – an initiative of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA), has launched a free online repository with 180 training offers on Global Health research from over 80 institutions in Germany.

This online database includes training offers such as short courses (e.g. summer schools, workshops, simulations), doctoral programs, as well as master courses and programs. The repository aims to support doctoral students and postdocs from a broad spectrum of disciplines related to global health. GLOHRA members can request a log-in to edit and/or add courses offered at their institution.

The GLOHRA Training Repository is informed by the concept and data collection of researchers from the Teaching Unit of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH/TU), the Population Medicine and Health Services department (AG2) of the School of Public Health at Bielefeld University, and the Global Health Alliance Deutschland (GHA-D).

Visit the Repository

GLACIER visits Mexico

by GLACIER | Jul 10, 2024 | News

Recently, Dr. Felix Drexler and Dr. Ludger Wessjohann visited Mexico for cooperation talks, scholarship candidate screening and a first mutual excursion with Mexican colleagues to sites relevant for zoonosis and medicinal plant research.

Dr. Wessjohann, who is currently organizing the Glacier One Health bioactive compounds cloud (beta explorer under www.n1h.org) and Dr. José Medina Franco from the Institute of Chemistry, UNAM, who is currently organizing the Latin American Natural Products Database, agreed on an extensive cooperation to improve both data and analytical tool box to allow AI-supported improvements in the discovery and medicinal chemistry of natural product based antiinfective (and other) drugs from Latin America.

Further agreements involved studies on antiinfective plants and fungi with Dr. Rivera and toher colleagues from Yucatán.

20240615_160019 mit Jose Rivera UNAM chemistry and chocolate from Halle_copy

20240617_101459 LAW mit Prof. Falcon - Merida

Finally, a visit to the GLACIER real lab in Merida headed by Dr. Luisa Falcon aimed at preparing the (postponed) workshop in November and was utilized for the exploration of a new cooperation opportunity with a Bioreserve in the Mayan area of Yucatán.

Dr. Drexler exchanged with researchers from UNAM (Dra. Margarita Garcia Luís) and Cinvestav (Dr. Carlos Ibarra), leading to a keynote lecture during a symposium on zoonotic pathogen, titled “La era de las pandemias” (the era of pandemics).