Jung Foundation promotes exchange on tissue–immune interactions at the Blankenese Conferences 2026
In 2026, the Blankenese Conferences once again brought leading scientists from around the world together in Hamburg. The 43rd conference focused on tissue–immune interactions in inflammatory diseases – a field of research that links fundamental biological mechanisms with key questions in clinical medicine.
As a supporter of the Blankenese Conferences, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research is committed to making excellent research visible and to strengthening scientific exchange across disciplines. One special programme highlight in 2026 was the Jung Lectures: Prof. Dr. Jens Brüning from Cologne (left in the picture), Jung Prize laureate 2009, spoke about CNScontrol of metabolism. Prof. Dr. Hans Clevers from Utrecht, Jung Prize laureate 2011 (right in the picture), presented how Lgr5+ stem cell-based organoids model human diseases in 3D and 2D.
Both lectures showed how basic research opens up new ways of understanding human diseases – from the neural control of metabolism to organ-like model systems that recreate disease processes in the laboratory. In this way, the Jung Lectures exemplify the Foundation’s mission: to support outstanding research, strengthen scientific networks and generate impetus for the medicine of tomorrow.
The welcome address was given by Prof. Dr. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro (centre in the picture), member of the Executive Board and the Board of Trustees of the Jung Foundation for Science and Research and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).
More information on the conference is available on the Homepage of the Blankenese Conferences.