| EHLERS, Stefan |
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Professor Dr. (med.) Stefan Ehlers is Head of the Division of Molecular Infection Biology at the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences, in Borstel, Germany. Dr. Ehlers received his medical degree from the University of Freiburg, Germany. Following completion of a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology research at Dartmouth Medical School in the United States in 1990, Dr. Ehlers was appointed Assistant Professor of Medical Microbiology at the Free University of Berlin, a position he held until he joined the Research Center Borstel in 1996. He has earned speciality degrees in medical microbiology and infectious diseases, as well as in immunology, and was accorded a status of extracurricular professor by the University of Luebeck in 2000. Professor Ehlers is Secretary of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology Section of Immunology of Infection, and the German Society for Immunology Section of Immunology of Infection. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Infection and Immunity, FEMS Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Medical Immunology, and is an ad hoc reviewer for other leading journals. Professor Ehlers' research interests include infection biology of mycobacteria, in particular M. tuberculosis and M. avium, mechanisms of granuloma induction, maintenance and disintegration in mycobacterial infections, antimycobacterial defense mechanisms of the macrophage and molecular basis of resistance and susceptibility to pulmonary mycobacterial infections. He is the current recipient of many government-funded collaborative grant awards in support of his research activities. Professor Ehlers has published more than 60 original peer-reviewed articles on the infection biology of intracellular pathogens in scientific journals, among them Nature Medicine, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, The Journal of Immunology, and Infection and Immunity, and he is the author of more than 20 review articles and book chapters on various aspects of the immunology of tuberculosis.
Genetics and Biotechnology in Tuberculosis Research: Ethical Issues
Stefan Ehlers, M.D.
Approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). Every year, 8 million new individuals develop disease and 2 million patients die of TB. Technological advances in the fields of genomics (high troughput sequencing), molecular biology (knock-out and transgenic mice), microbiology (virulence and persistence trait mapping), immunology (identification of vaccine targets and adjuvant design) and pharmacology (antibiotic drug development) have brightened the prospects for containment of the “white plague”. Since the large majority of infected and diseased individuals live in developing countries, they are the ultimate beneficiaries of new chemotherapeutic drugs or vaccines. TB research therefore appears intrinsically “ethical”. Nevertheless, ongoing studies must adhere to guidelines that guarantee sustained improvement of existing health care in participating underdeveloped countries. For example, during studies aimed at determining resistance and susceptibility traits in infected populations, it is important to implement the highest possible standards of treatment and follow-up and, if necessary to achieve these, provide adequate training and equipment to local agencies to establish diagnostic laboratories that remain functional until well after study completion. Further, it is self-evident to let local scientists participate not only in the collection of samples, but also in the experimental data acquisition and analysis, and finally in manuscript preparation and presentation of results. In this way, a scientific infrastructure can be nurtured that will allow sustained development long after immediate study goals are reached. During vaccine and drug trials, a high degree of participation of the local research and medical community and informed consent of the study participants must be obtained, not only for the success of the study itself, but also to substantially elevate medical and technical standards in the country where the study is conducted. This should include building networks between institutions and agencies in partner countries that, by initiating exchange programs, providing continued training, and serving as reference laboratories, will provide long-term benefits to all participants. Thus, despite its worthy goal, TB research is not exempt from ethical considerations. These need to be followed at the level of the individual researchers, their institutions, the funding agencies, industrial sponsors, and regulatory governmental departments.