Jena (dpa/th) – The European Research Council (ERC) is funding the work of two top researchers working in Jena. The two professors were awarded one of the renowned Consolidator Grants from the EU, as the Friedrich Schiller University Jena announced on Tuesday. In connection with this, they will receive almost two million euros for their projects over the next five years.
The microbiologist Kai Papenfort, who teaches at the University of Jena, researches the function of small RNA molecules. The 41-year-old and his team are developing artificial molecules that can be used to specifically intervene in the genetics of bacteria. This method allows scientists to study the response to antibiotics in disease-causing bacteria.
The European Union and the World Health Organization have made the fight against multidrug-resistant pathogens one of their central goals. “We expect that the work outlined in our project will help to achieve this goal and promote a better understanding of the emergence of antibiotic resistance and the underlying molecular mechanisms,” said Papenfort, who received this EU award in 2017.
The Italian historian of philosophy Christian Vassallo, who is currently a guest researcher at the University of Jena, also received an award. Together with archaeologists from Jena, he researches the basis for a systematic reconstruction of the philosophy of Diogenes of Babylon and its role in the history of early Stoicism.
