In addition to the rising incidence of multiresistant pathogens worldwide, it can also be expected that climate change and increased global mobility will result in the spread of existing infectious diseases as well as the appearance of new pathogens as has been experienced in the recent past with prion diseases, influenza, SARS, MERS, ebola, zika and finally SARS-CoV-2. The center has two high quality BSL-3 labs that are involved in the European Research Infrastructure on Highly Pathogenic Agents (ERINHA). The labs mainly work on research with Burkholderia pseudomallei (agent that causes melioidosis) and SARS-CoV-2 in order to develop diagnostics, new drugs and decontamination procedures and mechanisms of disease. Furthermore, the lab at the Diagnostics and Research Institute of Pathology carries out autopsies, tissue examinations, virus cultivation and specimen collection for the Biobank.
