Michael Hoelscher

Head, Unit Global Health (UGH)

+49 89 4400 59800 michael.hoelscher@helmholtz-munich.de

“I have dedicated my professional life to improving health services for underserved communities, primarily in the Global South. This work is carried out in close and equitable partnership with colleagues in the countries where we operate."

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Prof. Dr. med. Michael Hoelscher is a physician-scientist with over 30 years of experience in infectious and tropical disease research. He studied medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich (1988–1994) and held research and clinical positions in internal medicine before expanding his expertise in HIV molecular biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute (USA, 2000–2001). In 1996, he co-founded the Mbeya Medical Research Centre (MMRC) in Tanzania, a landmark initiative that grew into one of Africa’s leading infectious disease research centers, with a strong emphasis on local capacity building and scientific independence.

Appointed Professor and Chair of Infectious Diseases & Global Health at LMU in 2014, Prof. Hoelscher has led the Institute of Infectious and Tropical Medicine since then, expanding it into a globally recognized research hub. Since 2024, he has also directed the Unit Global Health at Helmholtz Munich and the Fraunhofer site for Immunology, Infection and Pandemic Research. He serves as the partner site speaker of DZIF, the German Center for Infection Research. Under his leadership, a state-of-the-art clinical trial unit (iCTU) was established, now sponsoring over 35 global studies.

His research focuses on tuberculosis, HIV, neglected tropical diseases, and pandemic threats. He leads major international consortia, including UNITE4TB, developing new TB regimens with pharma and academic partners, and has initiated TB Sequel, a landmark study on post-TB lung disease. His team developed and clinically advanced BTZ-043, a promising TB drug, currently in phase 2c trials and has conducted pivotal SARS-CoV-2 studies in Germany, including the first confirmed asymptomatic transmission case.

He has received multiple honors, including the Bavarian Order of Merit and appointment as a WHO consultant. His lifelong commitment to global health and translational research continues to shape infectious disease policy and clinical innovation worldwide.

Infectious Diseases Global Health Drug Development Diagnostic Assay Development Clinical Trials

"To develop new TB therapies, I founded UNITE4TB, the largest global TB trial network with 4 pharma partners and 7 compounds—incl. BTZ-043, a novel drug from our lab—tested in combined regimens. Such multi stakeholder effort is unprecedented."

Women with baby visiting the TB Sequel Clinic in Gambia

Since 2024

Since 2021

Since 2014

2009 – 2015

1999 – 2012

2022 Bavarian Order of Merit
2021 Co-Initiator and Scientific Leader of the UNITE4TB Consortium

Niedermeier, R. ; Castelletti, N. ; Bender, A. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Ivanova, O.

Interpretations of menstrual blood appearance and diagnostic potential among social media users: Cross-sectional mixed methods social media listening study.

Elsbernd, K. ; Sabi, I. ; Jani, I.V. ; Mudenyanga, C. ; Boniface, S. ; Mahumane, A. ; Lequechane, J. ; Chale, F. ; Meggi, B. ; Pereira, K. ; Edom, R. ; Lwilla, A.F. ; Buck, W.C. ; Ntinyinya, N.E. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Baernighausen, T. ; Kroidl, A. ; Kohler, S.

Point-of-care early infant HIV diagnosis at birth in a pragmatic cluster-randomized trial in Mozambique and Tanzania: A comparative cost and cost-effectiveness study.

Bauer, B. ; Ahmed, M.I.M. ; Baranov, O. ; Bakuli, A. ; Lin, L. ; Kisinda, A. ; Chachage, M. ; Ntinginya, N.E. ; Khosa, C. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Rassool, M. ; Charalambous, S. ; Sutherland, J.S. ; Held, K. ; Rachow, A. ; Geldmacher, C.

Host response biomarkers of tuberculosis recurrence and treatment failure.

Gieselmann, L. ; DeLaitsch, A.T. ; Rohde, M. ; Radford, C. ; Worczinski, J. ; Ashurov, A. ; Ahmadov, E. ; Burger, J.A. ; Havenar-Daughton, C. ; Deshpande, S. ; Giovannoni, F. ; Corti, D. ; Kreer, C. ; Ercanoglu, M.S. ; Schommers, P. ; Georgiev, I.S. ; West, A.P. ; Knüfer, J. ; Stumpf, R. ; Kroidl, A. ; Geldmacher, C. ; Maganga, L. ; William, W. ; Ntinginya, N.E. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Yang, Z. ; Wei, Q. ; Renfrow, M.B. ; Green, T.J. ; Novak, J. ; van Gils, M.J. ; Gristick, H.B. ; Gruell, H. ; Bloom, J.D. ; Seaman, M.S. ; Bjorkman, P.J. ; Klein, F.

Identification of a potent V3 glycan site broadly neutralizing antibody targeting an N332_gp120 glycan-independent epitope.

Gieselmann, L. ; DeLaitsch, A.T. ; Rohde, M. ; Radford, C. ; Worczinski, J. ; Momot, A. ; Ahmadov, E. ; Burger, J.A. ; Havenar-Daughton, C. ; Deshpande, S. ; Giovannoni, F. ; Corti, D. ; Kreer, C. ; Ercanoglu, M.S. ; Schommers, P. ; Georgiev, I.S. ; West, A.P. ; Knüfer, J. ; Stumpf, R. ; Kroidl, A. ; Geldmacher, C. ; Maganga, L. ; William, W. ; Ntinginya, N.E. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Yang, Z. ; Wei, Q. ; Renfrow, M. ; Green, T.J. ; Novak, J. ; van Gils, M.J. ; Gristick, H.B. ; Gruell, H. ; Bloom, J.D. ; Seaman, M.S. ; Bjorkman, P.J. ; Klein, F.

Identification of a broad and potent V3 glycan site bNAb targeting an N332_gp120 glycan-independent epitope.

Ghodousi, A. ; Iannucci, I. ; Saluzzo, F. ; Dreisbach, J. ; Mirold-Mei, S. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Cirillo, D.M.

Low-level BTZ-043 resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and cross-resistance to bedaquiline and clofazimine.

Killing, C. ; Elsbernd, K. ; Wekerle, M. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Rachow, A. ; Castelletti, N.

Generative neural networks for data imputation in longitudinal epidemiological studies.

Neusser, J. ; Zierer, A. ; Riedl, A. ; Javanmardi, J. ; Rubio-Acero, R. ; Waldeck, E. ; Kletke, T. ; Bschorer, A. ; Huber, S. ; Dudler, P. ; Hoch, M. ; Böhmer, M.M. ; Herr, C. ; Eberle, U. ; Sing, A. ; Ackermann, N. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Springer, K. ; Wieser, A.

High-resolution wastewater-based surveillance of three influenza seasons (2022–2025) reveals distinct seasonal patterns of viral activity in Munich, Germany.

Mosoba, M. ; Marandu, T.F. ; Maganga, L. ; Mhidze, J. ; Mahenge, A. ; Mnkai, J. ; Urio, A. ; Chiwarengo, N. ; Torres, L. ; John, W. ; Ngenya, A. ; Kalinga, A. ; J mwingira, U. ; Ritter, M. ; Hoerauf, A. ; Horn, S. ; Geldmacher, C. ; Hoelscher, M. ; Chachage, M. ; Kroidl, I.

Impact of Wuchereria bancrofti Infection on cervical mucosal immunity and human papillomavirus prevalence in women from Lindi and Mbeya regions, Tanzania.

Lutchmun, W. ; Heinrich, N. ; Svensson, E.M. ; Kloss, F. ; Konsten, S. ; Dreisbach, J. ; Hoelscher, M.

First-in-human study of the benzothiazinone and DprE1 inhibitor BTZ-043, a novel drug candidate for the treatment of Tuberculosis.