The new Leibniz Lab connects researchers from 41 institutes, pooling knowledge across disciplines to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time: pandemic preparedness.
The event opened under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Gülşah Gabriel, Head of the Department of Virale Zoonosen – One Health at the Leibniz Institute for Virology (LIV) and spokesperson for the Leibniz Lab. In her keynote, she introduced the concept and objectives of the new Leibniz Lab ‘Pandemic Preparedness’ and stressed the need for a truly multidisciplinary approach. Her remarks were followed by welcoming words from several distinguished guests. Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lentz, Vice President of the Leibniz Association, emphasised the lab’s key role within the Association.
Vederal Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, in a video message, reaffirmed the government’s support for such forward-looking initiatives, while Andrea Spelberg of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research expressed enthusiasm for the lab’s potential to advance health research.
The international perspective was also central to the program: Prof. Dr. Peter Openshaw (Imperial College London) reflected on pandemic preparedness in the United Kingdom and the value of scientific advice for policymaking. Dr. Marco Goeijenbier (Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam) discussed the post-pandemic challenges of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and their impact on intensive care units in the Netherlands. Prof. Dr. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu (Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Accra) shared lessons learned from West Africa, and Prof. Dr. Gerd Antes, founding director of Cochrane Germanyhighlighted the importance of providing decision-makers with scientifically sound advice.The program also featured a series of short presentations showcasing innovative research approaches. These talks covered a wide spectrum of topics—from virus detection and genomic surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 beyond the respiratory tract and the role of TGF-β in severe COVID-19 cases. Other highlights included new insights into the relationship between immune age and vaccination, immunoregulatory mechanisms in chronic viral infections, and the use of ultraviolet LEDs as a tool for disinfection.
A cultural highlight rounded out the scientific program: the youth string orchestra of the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Music High School in Berlin, conducted by Zoya Nevgodovska, performed works by Respighi, Bacewicz, and Farkas, providing a memorable interlude.
