Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOFJena | June 03, 2026
Faster and more reliable detection of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms
Beutenberg-Campus e.V. Science Award Presented for “Outstanding Interdisciplinary Collaboration”
On May 20, the Beutenberg-Campus Jena e. V. presented its science awards at the Beutenberg Campus Jena. On behalf of a team from three collaborating institutes, Dr. Anne-Sophie Munser from Fraunhofer IOF, along with colleagues from Leibniz HKI and Leibniz IPHT, received the prize for »outstanding interdisciplinary collaboration«. Together, they developed a high-throughput platform for detecting microbial antibiotic resistance. The novel method enables the diagnosis of antibiotic resistance within a few hours and holds great potential for clinical application.
Determining whether bacteria are sensitive or resistant to specific antibiotics is a key component of medical diagnostics. It enables doctors to select and initiate the appropriate treatment for patients as quickly as possible. Conventional antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) provides reliable results but often takes several days, as it tracks bacterial growth in the presence of antibiotics. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology e. V. (Hans-Knöll-Institute), and the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies has developed a solution for this: They are innovatively combining their expertise in photonics, microbiology, biotechnology, and bioinformatics to develop a method that enables the diagnosis of resistance within two to three hours.
As part of the public lecture series “Noble Gespräche,” this year’s science awards were presented at a ceremony by Christoph Englert (right in the photo), Chairman of the Board of Beutenberg-Campus Jena e.V.
Innovative high-throughput platform for medical diagnostics
The high-throughput platform, developed through teamwork, enables the rapid and reliable determination of bacterial resistance or susceptibility to antibiotics. It offers great potential for clinical application, as it allows for the rapid and targeted selection of suitable antibiotics for treating patients. This novel approach is based on the combination of optical and biotechnological methods, which allow multiple antibiotic conditions to be tested simultaneously on bacterial cells. Results are available within just a few hours. At the heart of the method is the combination of highly sensitive angle-resolved light scattering measurement, microfluidic sample handling, and fluorescence-based sample coding.
High-throughput sample analysis on a microfluidic chip with the scattering sensor developed at Fraunhofer IOF
The result of many years of collaboration among the participating institutions
This result is the product of many years of collaboration among the participating institutes, particularly between Fraunhofer IOF and Leibniz HKI. Fraunhofer IOF contributed by developing light scattering-based sample detection. This is an extremely fast and sensitive method in which minute cell samples are illuminated with light. The resulting light distribution produces scattering patterns from which conclusions about the sample can be drawn.
As part of her dissertation, which has since won multiple awards, Dr. Anne-Sophie Munser developed a sensor that plays a crucial role in this methodology. “This award-winning project directly applies the findings of my dissertation. The method and sensor I developed were used here for the first time in actual medical tests,” explains Munser. “I find that very exciting and am delighted that my research is now being put to practical use.”
The method developed by Munser was combined with microfluidic systems capable of processing minute samples at extremely high throughput. This component, as well as the fluorescence coding, was developed by the Leibniz HKI.
Recipient of the Beutenberg Campus Jena e.V. Science Award
This unique interdisciplinary collaboration among the leading research institutes at Beutenberg was honored on May 20 with the Beutenberg-Campus Jena e.V. Science Award in the category “Outstanding Interdisciplinary Cooperation.” This award underscores the importance of interdisciplinary research for science and society.
Scientific Publication
Graf M, Sarkar A, Svensson CM, Munser AS, Schröder S, Müller E, Hengoju S, Figge MT, Rosenbaum MA, »Multiplexed, rapid phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing based on angle-resolved light scattering imaging of microfluidic droplets«, J Adv Res S2090-1232(25), 00751-9 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jare.2025.09.047.