Florian Becker, 2025
Bacteria are everywhere: Bacteria are omnipresent and play a crucial role in processes such as cheese and beer production or in maintaining our intestinal flora. However, certain bacterial strains can be harmful to humans, animals, or plants. Antibiotics help fight these pathogens, but misuse contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance. As a result, antibiotic efficacy diminishes and so-called reserve antibiotics must be used, which often cause stronger side effects. In Germany, there is currently no approved and clinically validated alternative for treating resistant bacteria.

Laura Baune and Sara Ghotbi, 2025
The silent pandemic: The problem of antibiotic resistance has been known for decades, and physicians were warned early on. Nevertheless, around five million people die each year from infections related to antibiotic resistance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this number could rise to 39 million deaths in total until 2050. In Germany as well, the number of multi-resistant infections is steadily increasing. Some bacterial strains are already resistant to several classes of antibiotics and in the coming decades, strains resistant to all available antibiotics may emerge. Yet, the development of new antibiotics has stagnated, as it is highly complex, costly, and economically unattractive. Alternative solutions are therefore urgently needed.

Michelle Hacker, 2025
Ancient helpers: Phage therapy represents a promising therapeutic approach. Bacteriophages, or phages, have existed for around three billion years and appeared shortly after bacteria. They are viruses that exclusively infect bacteria and do not attack human, animal, or plant cells. Thus, they are harmless to all organisms except bacteria. The human body already harbors thousands of different bacteriophages, which help to maintain a healthy intestinal balance and eliminate harmful bacteria, usually without us even noticing.

Annabel Zumataev, 2025
Unable to reproduce on their own: The special structure of phages underlies their effectiveness: they are composed solely of proteins and DNA and are incapable of independent replication. For example, if an EHEC infection is treated with suitable phages, these only multiply as long as harmful EHEC bacteria are present in the body. Once these bacteria are destroyed, the remaining phages are either broken down by the immune system or excreted.

Daniel Funk, 2025
Phages as precise weapons: A phage recognizes its target, for example a specific bacterium, with remarkable precision and destroys it in a targeted way. This accuracy is no coincidence, but rather the result of evolutionary specialization, making these natural “bacteria hunters” especially relevant in times of rising antibiotic resistance. A special feature of phages is that bacteria cannot develop resistance to both antibiotics and phages simultaneously, as their mechanisms of action are fundamentally different.

Sara Ghotbi, 2025
Microscopically visible, and long studied: Under the microscope, you can observe phages at work: they attach to bacteria, inject their DNA, and eventually cause the bacteria to burst - a process called “lysis”. This is how phages reproduce while simultaneously eliminate harmful bacteria. Discovered in the early 20th century, they were even used medically for a short time. But with the rise of new antibiotics, phages lost significance. Today, as resistance becomes a steadily increasing problem, phage research is experiencing a strong revival. In some Eastern European countries, phage therapy has been officially approved for more than 80 years and is sometimes even available without prescription, as phages are considered safe and well tolerated. In Germany, however, they are not yet approved, mainly due to the limited number of studies so far, strict production standards, and the lack of unified regulations.

Merle Hillerkus, 2025
A gigantic variety of bacteria killers: It is estimated that there are around 1030 bacteriophages worldwide – an unimaginably large number with 30 zeros, called a nonillion. For comparison: there are only about 104 species of mammals (a few thousand) and around 107 species of bacteria (several million). Bacteriophages are also extremely precise: each species infects only one specific type of bacterium. This is because they recognize unique structures on the bacterial surface, which differ greatly from species to species. Since the surfaces of human cells are fundamentally different, phages cannot infect them. This is also why phages spare the body’s healthy bacterial communities, whereas broad-spectrum antibiotics often disrupt the entire microbiome. In the future, phages could therefore be used in a highly targeted way – like a tailor-made key fitting exactly into the right lock.

Konstantin Sauer, 2025
Reproduction cycle of bacteriophages: But how do phages actually work? First, a phage recognizes a bacterium and docks onto its surface, like a tiny spaceship landing. It then injects its DNA into the bacterium, while its empty body stays outside. The phage DNA takes over, turning the bacterium into a factory for new phages. Once enough phages have been produced, the bacterium bursts, releasing them to infect their next targets. This process, called the lytic cycle, is an efficient and highly specific way for phages to reproduce while eliminating harmful bacteria.

Dancing Toaster

Annabel Zumataev, 2025
Structural success: The structure of a bacteriophage is precisely adapted to its function: the tail fibers fit the surface of the respective bacterium like a key in a lock, allowing it to attach precisely. The spikes can break down parts of the bacterial membrane, making it possible to pierce it. The tail sheath then contracts like a tiny syringe, injecting the phage’s DNA from its head into the bacterium.

Suelí Suárez Jordán, 2025
Bactolyze:Our project Bactolyze focuses on researching bacteriophages, as we are aware of the growing threat of antibiotic resistance and want to explore alternative treatments. As part of our work, we are testing genetically modified phages for their effectiveness against biofilms. Biofilms are protective mucus layers that some bacteria form, which often make them resistant to antibiotics. We attach biofilm-destroying peptides to the phage heads and study their ability to infiltrate and destroy the biofilm of EHEC bacteria. In the future, such phages could help treating infections that conventional antibiotics can no longer tackle, and they could even be used in the food industry to remove stubborn contaminants.

Ars proteica

Vincent Rhode, 2025
From phages to proteins: Endolysins as the future of infection control: During our research, we also faced legal hurdles that currently make it difficult to obtain approval for phage preparations. As an alternative, we are studying specific proteins encoded in phage DNA, called endolysins. These proteins destroy the cell walls, causing the bacteria to burst. Due to this property, endolysins are considered promising candidates for future treatments against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but their application and industrial production still pose challenges. That is why we are developing and testing in vitro methods for producing these enzymes outside of organisms. To improve their effectiveness, we are enhancing endolysins with antimicrobial peptides, which act like a “door opener”, giving the protein access to the bacterial cell wall. We are also modeling this mechanism on the computer to better understand and expand its activity against different types of bacteria. However, basic research on these methods is still in its early stages in Central Europe, partly due to legal restrictions and the historical reliance on antibiotics. Accordingly, more research is needed to develop effective alternatives to traditional antibiotic treatments. If you have any further questions or would like to follow our work, please follow us on Instagram.

Konstantin Sauer, 2023
Returning to nature: In summary, bacteria are ubiquitous in nature and many play beneficial roles. However, antibiotics have been our main defense against harmful bacteria for a long time, but with resistance on the rise, alternative treatments are urgently needed. Bacteriophages offer a promising approach, yet their establishment in Germany still requires extensive research, public education, and a rethinking of legal issues. Although phages and endolysins are not a universal remedy, they could make a significant contribution to tackling antibiotic resistance. Research is still in its early stages, but the outlook is promising: returning to nature – enhanced by modern technology. The image shown above was created by Konstantin, who has kindly supported this exhibition with his work. He used fluorescent, harmless bacteria to produce this striking piece. If you find his work exciting and would like to learn more about him, feel free to follow him on Instagram