Christian Heinrich Maria Drosten (German:[ˈkʁɪs.ti̯anˈdʁɔs.tn̩]ⓘ, born 1972) is a German virologist whose research focus is on novel viruses (emergent viruses). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Drosten came to national prominence as an expert on the implications and actions required to combat the illness in Germany.[1]
From June 2000, Drosten worked as an intern in the laboratory group of the physician Herbert Schmitz in the virology department of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) in Hamburg, where he headed the laboratory group Molecular Diagnostics and established a research program for the molecular diagnostics of tropical viral diseases. From 2007, Drosten headed the Institute of Virology at University Hospital Bonn. During this time he worked with Isabella Eckerle, who would go on to lead the department of emerging viruses at the University of Geneva.[4] In 2017, he accepted a call to the Charité in Berlin, where he heads the Institute of Virology.[5]
Drosten is committed to the transparent distribution of scientific data and therefore, publishes in specialist journals such as Eurosurveillance, where all articles are freely available online.[9]
COVID-19 pandemic
In 2017 Drosten warned that the SARS virus potential needed to be investigated.[10]
On 23 January 2020, Drosten, along with other virologists in Europe and Hong Kong, published a workflow of a real-time PCR (RT-PCR) diagnostic test,[11] which was accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and which sent test kits to affected regions.[12]
On 19 February 2020, Drosten, along with 26 other scientists, published the Lancet letter in support of scientists and medical professionals in China fighting the outbreak and condemning theories suggesting that the virus does not have a natural origin, which it referred to as "conspiracy theories."[13]
On 17 March 2020, Drosten was appointed to the European Commission's advisory panel on COVID-19, co-chaired by EC President Ursula von der Leyen and ECHSFStella Kyriakides.[14][15] On 23 March 2020, The Guardian described Drosten as "the [German] country's real face of the coronavirus crisis", and also noted that the Süddeutsche Zeitung had described Drosten as "the nation's corona-explainer-in-chief".[1] He was a counterpart to Lothar Wieler, head of the State's Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, in consulting to German federal and state authorities.[1] In Februar 2022 he stated that the "ideal" immunity would be achieved by complete Covid vaccination (with 3 doses) and one or more Covid infections on top of that.[16] In September 2022 he stated that a strong Covid wave would occur before December and that a previously undergone Covid infection does not impede virus replication in the throat after three months and that therefore it likely does not protect against transmission.[17] On 26 December 2022, he considered that the pandemic was over and that the acquired immunity would protect the following summer.[18] Within a day, federal minister of justice Marco Buschmann then called for the Corona protections to be ended, which was criticized by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung as excessive German deference to authority.[19]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Drosten had a strained relationship with the German tabloid newspaper Bild that culminated early in summer 2020 with the tabloid's critical article about Drosten's study on Covid infection rates among children.[20][21]
Other scientific activities
Government agencies
Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG), Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (since 2020)[22]
Miscellaneous activities
Virchow Prize for Global Health, Member of the council (since 2022)[23]
In mid-January 2020, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 yielded to his method. The virus first came to light on 30 December 2019, because Li Wenliang (the Chinese ophthalmologist whistleblower who later died of the virus) forced the Chinese government to broadcast its existence the next day. In early January 2020, the research group led by Drosten, together with Marion Koopmans' group, a RIVM group including Chantal Reusken [de], Maria Zambon and others, developed a test that was made available worldwide through the WHO.[36] The whole research was published in the journal Eurosurveillance.[11][37]
During the early months of the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, Drosten advised politicians and authorities and was invited as an expert in the media, among others in the podcastDas Coronavirus-Update mit Christian Drosten [de] (English: The coronavirus update with Christian Drosten), initially published daily during the week since 26 February 2020, in Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR),[9][39][40] the frequency of the podcast having been gradually reduced from April 2020 until becoming weekly from 15 June 2020.[41] Drosten then shared his spot on the Podcast with fellow virologist Sandra Ciesek with either being interviewed by a science journalist of the NDR every two weeks to keep the weekly schedule of the podcast while allowing Drosten more time to focus on his research work. The last Podcasts with Drosten were 29 March 2022 and 12 January 2023.
Recognition
At the end of 2003, Drosten, together with Stephan Günther, was awarded an €8,000 prize by the Werner Otto Foundation for the Promotion of Medical Research for the identification of the SARS coronavirus and the establishment of a rapid diagnostic test system.[42]
In 2005, Drosten was awarded the "Verdienstkreuz am Bande" (Cross) of the Federal Cross of Merit, 2020 he received the "Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse" (Officer's Cross) for his civil service in time of COVID-19.[43]
Drosten lives in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg and has a son born in 2017.[45] His long-time partner is also a scientist.[46] His hobby is playing the guitar. During the height of the corona crisis, the popular punk band ZSK released a song about his work, which went viral.[47]
^"Infektion ohne Risiko: Drosten sagt, wann Sie die ideale Corona-Immunität haben" [Infection without risk: Drosten says when you have the ideal corona immunity]. www.focus.de (in German). 2022-02-21. Die ideale Immunisierung ist, dass man eine vollständige Immunisierung hat – mit drei Dosen – und auf dem Boden dieser Immunisierung sich dann erstmalig und auch zweit- und drittmalig infiziert mit dem wirklichen Virus [The ideal immunization is that one has a complete immunization - with three doses - and on the basis of this immunization one is then infected with the real virus for the first time and also for the second and third time.]
^"Drosten: Starke Corona-Welle "noch vor Dezember"" [Drosten: Strong Corona wave "before December"]. www.prosieben.de (in German). 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-12-27. Ein Infizierter, dessen letzte Infektion länger als drei Monate zurückliegt, trägt genauso viel Virus im Rachen und kann deshalb wahrscheinlich genauso viele andere infizieren wie jemand, der noch nie infiziert war. [An infected person whose last infection was more than more than three months ago carries just as much virus in his throat and is therefore likely to infect just as many others as someone who has never been infected.]
^"Christian Drosten zur Corona-Lage in Deutschland: "Nach meiner Einschätzung ist die Pandemie vorbei"" [Christian Drosten on the Corona situation in Germany: "In my assessment, the pandemic is over".]. www.tagesspiegel.de (in German). 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2022-12-27. Wir erleben in diesem Winter die erste endemische Welle mit Sars-Cov-2, nach meiner Einschätzung ist damit die Pandemie vorbei [We are experiencing the first endemic wave with Sars-Cov-2 this winter, in my estimation this means the pandemic is over]
^Christian Drosten publications indexed by Google Scholar includes papers of the Drosten group on MERS, they can be found by searching for the phrases "MERS" or "EMC".
