Research

Main research interests: Development of new antibiotics, biologically active natural agents, development of molecular biological methods

Rolf Müller is recognized for his important contributions to pharmaceutical research. He contributed significantly to the foundation of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland which he serves as the director of since its foundation in 2009.

The focus of this research is the development of new antibiotics against (multi-resistent) pathogens. Rolf Müller’s work is dedicated to the in-depth analysis and further exploitation of bacterial producers of natural products in order to identify and optimize lead compounds, especially anti-infectives. His work always centers around biologically active natural agents – be it their discovery in novel bacteria, their isolation, analysis and chemistry, their biosynthesis or genetics, their production in diverse hosts through the development of molecular biological methods, their mode of action and resistance mechanisms, or their development towards lead compounds for future application.