Antibiotica research in Jena from penicillin and nourseothricin to interferon.

Milestones of antibiotics research and biotechnology in Jena/Thuringia are: 1938--Hans Knöll established a strain collection of microorganisms; 1942--production of penicillin on laboratory scale by Hans Knöll; since 1945--development of industrial production processes for penicillin and streptomycin; 1952--production of BCG-vaccine; since 1956--development of biotechnical processes in the Institute of Microbiology and Experimental Therapy for actinomycin C, oxytetracyclin, erythromycin, paromomycin, turimycin, griseofulvin, nystatin, and nourseothricin, and in the 1980s for streptokinase, staphylokinase, and interferons. After the German unification the Hans-Knöll-Institute for Natural Products Research was founded.