The Medical University of Innsbruck has appointed Dr. Werner Ruppitsch as Professor for Antibiotic Resistance and Microbial Genomics. Returning to Innsbruck after over two decades of research and leadership at Austria’s Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Ruppitsch began his tenure on April 1, 2025, at the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology.
Ruppitsch’s expertise spans decades of work on bacterial outbreaks, antibiotic resistance, and microbial genomics. He has overseen major advancements, including the establishment of one of Europe’s largest genomic databases for Listeria, featuring 25,000 genomes, and the development of an internationally recognized bacterial typing system.
In his new role, Ruppitsch aims to strengthen molecular diagnostics and integrate genome sequencing to improve clinical responses to resistant infections. He plans to apply AI and machine learning to predict bacterial resistance profiles, significantly reducing diagnostic time and costs.
Highlighting the urgency of his field, Ruppitsch cited WHO projections that deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections could reach 10 million annually by 2050. His research follows the “One Health” approach, linking human, environmental, and animal health to combat the growing global threat.
Source: Medical University of Innsbruck
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