Collage of Portraits of Mark Brönstrup and Henning Jacobsen
© HZI/Verena Meier
HZI researchers Prof. Mark Brönstrup and Dr. Henning Jacobsen have been nominated for the Science Breakthrough of the Year award on behalf of the teams PROTON and ENDURIVAC.
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Two HZI projects nominated for Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026

Falling Walls Foundation honors HZI teams for research on antibiotics and vaccines

The Falling Walls Foundation has nominated two projects from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) for the “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026.” The award recognizes groundbreaking scientific advances that break down walls in science and have a global impact. The PROTON team led by Prof. Mark Brönstrup was nominated for the development of a novel antibiotic technology against the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the ENDURIVAC team, represented by Dr. Henning Jacobsen, was recognized for the development of a vaccine platform that induces long-term immunity against respiratory pathogens.

The projects nominated in the life sciences category of the “Science Breakthrough of the Year” exemplify the breadth of research at the HZI. In the PROTON project, a team of researchers in the department “Chemical Biology”, led by Prof. Mark Brönstrup, is developing novel antibiotics that significantly reduce the risk of resistance development. Their active substance is a so-called pathoblocker, which does not inhibit bacterial growth but rather addresses the mechanisms through which bacteria cause disease. It targets a toxin produced by S. aureus that can destroy lung tissue and immune cells, and is intended to provide an option for preventing and treating pneumonia in high-risk patients. The team's long-term goal is to establish a new approach to treating bacterial infections and thereby effectively combat the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

The ENDURIVAC team in the department “Viral Immunology” led by Prof. Luka Cicin-Sain is pursuing a preventive approach with its vaccine technology. Under the leadership of Dr. Henning Jacobsen, the team is exploring vaccines that offer long-term protection against respiratory pathogens after a single dose. The scientists are using the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) as a vector to deliver antigens of respiratory viruses. MCMV cannot replicate in humans and does not cause disease. However, it triggers a long-lasting immune response against the delivered antigens, which is intended to provide long-lasting immune protection after just one vaccine dose. The vision is to eliminate the need for booster shots and combine multiple vaccines into a single dose. In this way, the ENDURIVAC team aims to counteract growing vaccine hesitancy while creating sustainable solutions for resource-limited regions, thereby strengthening equity in global health protection.

PROTON and ENDURIVAC demonstrate how basic research can lead to real-world solutions for global challenges. The winners of the Breakthrough Prizes will be announced at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin this November.

Further information

Website Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs

[Translate to English:] Charlotte Schwenner

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