Research Project at Freie Universität Berlin Acquires Funding from German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to Produce Innovative Biodegradable Antiviral and Antibacterial Materials

Chemist Dr. Ievgen Donskyi plans to develop alternative to conventional antibiotics with his junior research group "PathoBlock". A new junior research group at Freie Universität Berlin, which will investigate the production of biodegradable antiviral and antibacterial materials, with one of the goals of synthesis being new alternatives to conventional antibiotics, will receive a total budget of more than 1.8 million euros from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) over the next five years. The "PathoBlock" research group is led by chemist Dr. Ievgen Donskyi at the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universtität Berlin, and includes scientists from the fields of chemistry, biology, veterinary medicine, and engineering. Its large collaborative network will feature Berlin institutes such as theBundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and industry partners such as Dendropharm GmbH and Beiersdorf AG. The project is receiving funding from the BMBF as part of the NanoMatFutur program for outstanding early-career researchers. Guaranteeing a sufficient level of protection against pathogens, especially virus-related diseases, is one of the biggest problems faced by the healthcare system at present. "Millions of humans and animals have died in recent years because of virus-related pandemics.