Researcher receives award for antibiotics from the soil

Professor Dr Rolf Müller is being awarded the DECHEMA Award of the Max Buchner Research Foundation for his research on biologically active natural substances which are produced by soil-dwelling bacteria and used to develop new medications. Müller, a pharmacist with a postdoctoral lecture qualification, is a researcher at the Saarbrücken branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and teaches at Saarland University. The award, which is endowed with EUR 20,000, was conferred on 26 November 2010 during a celebratory colloquium at DECHEMA House in Frankfurt am Main. Müller's department in the Helmholtz Centre focuses on the analysis and production of molecules with biological activity. Soil-dwelling bacteria produce these natural substances amongst other things to defend against microbial enemies. Thanks to their frequently antibacterial effect, they are purported to contribute to the development of new antibiotics. This is especially important in infection research since many pathogens can develop resistance to common medications. Dechema is a non-profit scientific and technical society whose aim is to promote technical progress in chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental protection.  

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