Jung Symposium 2025: Outstanding research that puts patients first

Science in dialogue – leading minds gathered by the Jung Foundation. Now available to stream on YouTube.

From personalised immunotherapy and immuno-oncology to the molecular mechanics of RNA degradation and the search for bioactive natural compounds: the 5th Jung Symposium “Excellence in Human Medicine 2025” brought together experts from across research, clinical practice and academia. Held on May 16 at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf and streamed online, the event offered deep insights into cutting-edge biomedical research with clear relevance for patients. As always, the spotlight was on the Jung Foundation awardees, whose talks not only showcased scientific excellence but also shared personal reflections on their motivation, values and sense of responsibility as researchers. The full presentations are now available on the YouTube channel of the Hamburg-based Jung Foundation for Science and Research (Follow this link for the lectures).

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“Research is a shared journey” – Jung Foundation honours scientific excellence and fosters personal exchange

Prof. Elena Conti, PhD (Munich), Prof. Dr Jörn Piel (Zurich), Dr med. Benjamin Ruf, MD (Tübingen) and Prof. Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD (Paris) recognised for groundbreaking medical research in Hamburg

Major breakthroughs in science are rarely made alone. This spirit shaped the Jung Foundation’s award ceremony, held last night in the elegant Hanse Lounge in Hamburg. Amid heartfelt speeches and thoughtful tributes, the independent Hamburg-based foundation celebrated four researchers whose work has either already transformed medical practice or holds the promise to do so: Prof. Elena Conti, PhD, Prof. Jörn Piel, Dr med. Benjamin Ruf, MD, and Prof. Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD. The evening was marked by warm, cross-generational conversations that transcended disciplinary boundaries.

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Jung Foundation honours pioneering research approaches for new cancer therapies, neurodegenerative diseases and infections

Prof. Elena Conti, PhD (Munich) and Prof. Dr Jörn Piel (Zurich) receive long-established Jung Prize for Medicine, Dr med. Benjamin Ruf, MD (Tübingen) honoured with Jung Career Advancement Award, Prof. Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD, (Paris) awarded Jung Gold Medal for Medicine

Which researchers are making decisive advances in medicine? Today, the Hamburg Jung Foundation for Science and Research honours ground-breaking discoveries that open up new avenues in the treatment of serious diseases. The Hamburg-based, independent foundation has been awarding the prestigious and highly endowed Jung Prize for Medicine since 1976. This year, the foundation is honouring Prof. Elena Conti, PhD, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, and Prof. Dr Jörn Piel, microbiologist and head of the Bacterial Natural Products research group at the Institute of Microbiology at ETH Zurich. The Jung Career Advancement Award goes to Dr med. Benjamin Ruf, physician and researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine I in Tübingen. With the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine, the Jung Foundation honours the scientific life’s work of Prof. Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Immunology at the Cordeliers Research Centre of the Université Paris Cité. The award ceremony will take place in the evening at the Hanse Lounge in Hamburg in the intimate setting of the Jung family. With its annual awards, the Jung Foundation honours outstanding scientific achievements that have the potential to change diagnostics and therapy in the long term or have already done so. With the awards and scholarships totalling up to 650,000 euros per year, it promotes excellent science and advances medical innovations that can be decisive for patients worldwide.

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5th Jung Symposium: New Perspectives for Cancer Therapies, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Infections

Under the motto “Excellence in Human Medicine 2025,” the Jung Foundation invites participants to experience groundbreaking research with direct benefits for patients on May 16, 2025, via livestream

How can neurodegenerative diseases be targeted effectively? Which new active substances could shape the next generation of cancer medications? And how can the immune system be activated to effectively destroy tumours? These pressing medical questions will be the focus of the 5th Jung Symposium “Excellence in Human Medicine 2025”, taking place on May 16 in Hamburg and available online via livestream. The event is organized by the Hamburg-based, independent Jung Foundation for Science and Research, which has been honouring top-level research with substantial awards since 1967. At this year’s symposium, structural biologist Professor Elena Conti, PhD, microbiologist Professor Dr Jörn Piel, cancer researcher Dr med. Benjamin Ruf, and immuno-oncologist and Professor Emeritus of the Unversité Paris Cité, Professor Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD, will present pioneering findings that open new avenues in the treatment of serious diseases. Following their presentations, these leading researchers will be available to answer questions from the audience. The symposium will be held on May 16 from 1pm to 4pm (CET) in Hamburg and can also be followed remotely via livestream. Anyone interested is asked to register in advance at https://jung-stiftung.de/en/symposium-2025/ where the current program is also available. The symposium will be conducted in English, and participation is free of charge.

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Apply by August 31, 2024: Medical research grant totalling 210,000 euros

The current application deadline for the Jung Career Advancement Award 2025 from the Hamburg Jung Foundation for Science and Research is August 31, 2024. The prize, endowed with 210,000 euros, is awarded annually to young medical professionals who have completed at least two years of scientific research, preferably abroad, and wish to conduct in-depth research at a German clinic while pursuing clinical training to become a medical specialist. The support is paid out over a period of three years. Applications can be submitted easily and barrier-free online in English. Applicants must upload a CV, an annotated list of publications, and a project outline in English to the Jung Foundation website. The top three applicants will be invited to a personal interview in Hamburg on October 30, 2024. The winner will be honoured at an award ceremony in May 2025 and will have the opportunity to present their research findings at the 5th Jung Symposium ‘Excellence in Human Medicine 2025’. More information is available at www.jung-stiftung.de.

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Jung Foundation for Science and Research presents 2021 medical awards in digital form

Hamburg, 20 May 2021. Today, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research presents its three awards for cutting-edge medicine in the fields of metabolism, natural product research, immunology and neurology. With a total prize fund of €540,000, they are among the most highly endowed medical awards in Europe.

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Award ceremony: €420,000 for young researchers

The Jung Foundation for Science and Research honours two young doctors with the Jung Career Advancement Award and awards the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine

Hamburg, May 3, 2024. There was a premiere at the award ceremony hosted by the Jung Foundation for Science and Research yesterday evening: for the first time, the foundation presented the Jung Career Advancement Award to two promising young researchers. Both will receive the full funding sum of €210,000, highlighting the Jung Foundation’s current focus on supporting promising scientific young talents – a focus that it already set back in 2023 by awarding five scholarships to doctoral students as well as launching a new call for applications for a fellowship in medical history. The two Jung Career Advancement Awards went to cardiologist Dr med. Christine Maria Poch and neurologist Dr med. Maximilian U. Friedrich. In addition, the Jung Foundation also presented the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine to Professor Dr phil. Rudolf Zechner in recognition of his lifetime achievement in the field of medical research. The three laureates received their awards among the invited Jung family with personal acceptance speeches.

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Understanding and preventing metabolic diseases

Prof. Rudolf Zechner is receiving the 2024 Jung Gold Medal for Medicine for his lifetime’s work in researching lipid and energy metabolism

Hamburg, 2nd May 2024. It’s what we think we know that keeps us from learning! (Claude Bernard) – Fortunately for human medicine research and many patients, Professor Rudolf Zechner never considered his extensive knowledge of biochemistry to be so complete that he would have stopped researching. As a result, he and his team have made significant discoveries that have fundamentally changed biochemistry and physiology textbooks and revealed promising strategies for treating metabolic disorders. Rudolf Zechner is currently Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Graz, Austria. For his life’s work, in which he has discovered essential components and mechanisms of fat loss in human cells and described their role in the development of metabolic diseases, he has now been awarded the 2024 Jung Gold Medal for Medicine by the Hamburg-based Jung Foundation for Science and Research. The foundation thus honours top researchers who have significantly advanced medical research and practice through their life’s work and will continue to do so in the future.

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Simulating heart disease in a 3D model

Christine Maria Poch receives the 2024 Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research for her research into the heart using model systems 

Hamburg, 2nd May 2024. She is passionate about research – especially cardiology. With the development of innovative three-dimensional cell models based on 3D printing technology, Dr Christine Maria Poch simulates the complexity and functionality of the heart. In doing so, she not only creates valuable platforms for research into heart disease, but also the basis for new forms of therapy. She is currently working as a specialist in cardiology and clinical researcher at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine I at the Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich. In recognition of her promising scientific studies in the field of cardiology, she is receiving the Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research 2024 from the Hamburg-based Jung Foundation for Science and Research. The award will support her research over the next three years with a total of €210,000, which Christine Maria Poch can use freely to continue her work.   

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Understanding neuronal vestibular processing

Maximilian U. Friedrich is receiving the 2024 Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research for his research into the brain’s sense of balance

Hamburg, 2nd May 2024. What do sound engineering, civilian service and a research stay in New York City have in common? They have all driven the career of Dr Maximilian U. Friedrich. The young neurologist is currently working as a clinician-scientist in Neurology and post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. There, he is researching the brain circuits that play a key role in balance disorders, which are very common in neurological diseases such as stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. He is particularly keen on gaining a better understanding of the vestibular system as a basis for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases. For this research approach, he is receiving the 2024 Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research from the Hamburg-based Jung Foundation for Science and Research. The prize will support his scientific work on neuronal vestibular processing over the next three years with a total of €210,000, which Maximilian U. Friedrich is free to use as he sees fit.

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