Achim Hörauf

Prof. Dr. Achim Hörauf serves as Deputy Site Spokesperson for Bonn-Cologne and Deputy Coordinator for Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases at the University Hospital Bonn, part of the University of Bonn. His work spans multiple German research networks including DZIF sites in Bonn-Cologne, Hanover-Braunschweig, Gießen-Marburg-Langen, Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Heidelberg, Munich, and Tübingen.

His research focuses on Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, particularly:

• Development of macrofilaricidal drugs targeting Wolbachia
• River blindness (Onchocerca volvulus) treatment
• Neglected tropical diseases including lymphatic filariasis
• Antibiotic discovery for nematode infections
• Immune responses in helminth infections

Recent publications demonstrate strong trends in Wolbachia-targeting antibiotics (notably Corallopyronin A), drug delivery systems, and immunological studies of filarial infections. His team has advanced Corallopyronin A to Phase I studies for river blindness treatment, addressing critical needs for drugs that kill adult worms infecting 21+ million Africans.

Hörauf actively collaborates across Germany's major tropical medicine research centers, with recent work examining vaccine responses in dialysis patients and immune modulation in co-infections.