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2023

Award ceremony: 540,000 euros for top researchers

Jung Foundation for Science and Research honours Özlem Türeci, Stefan Rose-John and Achmed Mrestani with highly endowed medicine prizes 

 

Hamburg, May 5, 2023. Yesterday evening, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research awarded its medical prizes, which are among the most highly endowed in Europe. The laureates: Professor Dr med. Dr h.c. mult. Özlem Türeci, Professor Dr rer. nat. Stefan Rose-John and Dr med. Achmed Mrestani were honoured with a total of 540,000 euros for their pioneering research. With personal speeches of thanks, they accepted the awards in front of an invited audience. 

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Outstanding research work in the medical field

Stefan Rose-John receives the 2023 Jung Gold Medal for Medicine for his life’s work in translational medicine

 

Hamburg, 4 May 2023. “The human body is an incredibly complex machine, and I was privileged to be involved in researching the biochemistry of the human immune system.” What intelligence agencies do at a large scale, biochemists research on a small scale – the decoding of communication. The latter focuses on examining the exchange of information between the body’s cells. And it is precisely in this area that Professor Stefan Rose-John has been working for a long period of time, most recently at the Biochemical Institute in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kiel – with a vast amount of curiosity and passion. Through the work he has carried out over the course of his career, he has provided a great service to medicine and paved the way for new medications and treatments. He not only succeeded in discovering a new signalling pathway of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine, but also in finding ways to inhibit this pro-inflammatory pathway without compromising the protective and regenerative properties of IL-6. The Jung Foundation for Science and Research is now recognising this work by awarding him the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine. Each year, the Jung Foundation gives this award to leading researchers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of medical research and practice or who are still actively doing so. The award is a recognition of their lifetime achievements to date.

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Developing tailored medications with mRNA technology

Özlem Türeci receives the 2023 Jung Prize for Medicine for her research into the prevention and treatment of tumour diseases, infectious diseases and other serious illnesses

 

Hamburg, 4 May 2023. The potential of mRNA vaccines is shaping scientific discourse today in many ways. Having helped to alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this potential has now become widely known. However, the fundamental and translational research as well as the development of mRNA technology that enabled the fast response, development and thus rapid availability of a vaccine against COVID-19 began decades ago. As co-founder of BioNTech, Professor Özlem Türeci is a leader in this field. Her research in immunology and mRNA technology also highlights development potential beyond COVID-19 for the prevention and treatment of tumour diseases, infectious diseases and other serious illnesses. In recognition of her achievements, she receives the Jung Prize for Medicine, which is endowed with a total of 300,000 euros, from the Jung Foundation for Science and Research. Türeci can use the prize fund for her future research as she sees fit. The Jung Prize for Medicine has been awarded since 1976 and recognises the work of researchers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of human medicine and whose work promises to continue to do so in the future. It is one of the most highly endowed medical awards in Europe.

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Gaining a better understanding of epilepsy and migraine: exploring possible treatment approaches

Achmed Mrestani receives the 2023 Jung Career Advancement Award for his research project on understanding the pathophysiology of neurological calcium channel defects

 

Hamburg, 4 May 2023. Epilepsy and migraine are some of the most common neurological disorders. “The two disorders show significant genetic overlap,” explains Achmed Mrestani, MD, physician in training at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology at University of Leipzig Medical Center and a researcher at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Leipzig. In part, they originate through a dysfunction of voltage-gated P/Q-type calcium channels caused by point mutations. But how does this affect the architecture of synapses? And what structural and functional changes occur as result of these point mutations? This is where Achmed Mrestani’s current research project comes in. He hopes that this will lead to new potential treatments that, in the best-case scenario, can intervene specifically in the molecular interactions within the active zone. To support this exciting work, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research is awarding Achmed Mrestani with the Jung Career Advancement Award, which is endowed with 210,000 euros. The financial support will be provided over the next three years and can be used as he sees fit to conduct his own research project. The Jung Career Advancement Award is specifically aimed at young researchers and is the only award offered by the Jung Foundation for Science and Research for which people can submit applications.

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The Jung Foundation for Science and Research awards the 2023 Jung Prize for Medicine to Özlem Türeci

Stefan Rose-John receives a prize for his life’s work and Achmed Mrestani is awarded as young researcher

 

Hamburg, 4 May 2023. New treatments against cancer, autoimmune diseases, migraine and epilepsy – these are some of the areas covered by the research results of this year’s award winners from the Jung Foundation for Science and Research. With their groundbreaking work, Professor Özlem Türeci, Professor Stefan Rose-John and Dr Achmed Mrestani have made a significant contribution to alleviating the suffering of patients in the future. They will be honoured for this work by the Jung Foundation for Science and Research at an awards ceremony held on 4 May at the Anglo-German Club in Hamburg. With the Jung Prize for Medicine, the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine and the Jung Career Advancement Award, the Jung Foundation presents three awards every year to recognise cutting-edge medical work undertaken by outstanding physicians and researchers. With a total sum of 540,000 euros, they are among the most highly endowed medical awards in Europe.

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Jung Foundation offers a forum for renowned researchers: 3rd Jung Symposium with Türeci, Rose-John and Mrestani at the UKE and via live stream on 5 May 2023

Hamburg, 11/04/2023. What possibilities do mRNA agents open up for future cancer treatments? How can autoimmune diseases be combated with greater precision? And how do point mutations in the CACNA1A gene influence the onset of epilepsy and migraines? The 3rd Jung Symposium “Excellent medicine 2023” is the place to be for anyone who is intrigued by these questions. Here, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research will be unveiling the outstanding research findings of this year’s laureates. Attendees can look forward to talks by the doctor, immunologist and cancer researcher Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. Özlem Türeci, the translational neuroscientist Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Rose-John and young researcher Dr. med. Achmed Mrestani. The 3rd Jung Symposium will be broadcast live via video stream from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on 5 May 2023 and can either be watched online or attended in person at the Ian K. Karan auditorium of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). Interested parties will find the current programme and all key information at https://jung-stiftung.de/en/symposium-2023-en/. Attendance is free of charge.

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Jung Foundation for Science and Research provides funding for projects run by the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial as well as Médecins Sans Frontières

 

Study draws ambivalent conclusion about Ernst Jung – foundation faces up to responsibility and and initiates comprehensive measures

Supplement to the press release dated February 22, 2023 – Hamburg, Dezember 2023. The Jung Foundation for Science and Research is supporting the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) with funding totaling 777,000 euros. These projects are part of a comprehensive package of measures adopted by the Jung Foundation at the beginning of 2023 in response to the results of a study the Foundation itself initiated on its founder Ernst Jung and his companies during the National Socialist era. In doing so, it aims to face up to Ernst Jung’s history, assume lasting responsibility, contribute to the further investigation of the National Socialism period, actively educate people and help those in need.

Further information on the background to these measures can be found in the original press release dated February 22, 2023 including the update below.

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2022

Strong women in the Board of Trustees of the Hamburg Jung Foundation

 

Hamburg, 24. October 2022. Combined scientific and economic know-how: Since June, Professor Dr Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, Dean of the Medical Faculty Hamburg, has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Trustees of the Hamburg Jung Foundation for Science and Research. This means that the respected molecular biologist is now the second woman on the foundation’s Board of Trustees, alongside Petra Scharner-Wolff, Chief Financial Officer of the Hamburg Otto Group.

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Jung Prize for Medicine: Highly endowed, extremely flexible and a milestone in research careers

 

Hamburg, 17. October 2022. A survey of the prestigious Jung Prize for Medicine by the Jung Foundation of Science and Research underscores its importance for independent scientific research. The 33 participants highlight two aspects in particular: the influence of the prize as a springboard for further awards and its particular flexibility in the use of prize money.

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Europe’s Most Prestigious Medical Awards: Jung Foundation for Science and Research Honours Excellent Researchers

 

Hamburg, 13 May 2022. Yesterday evening, the Jung Foundation for Science and Research honoured the work of four outstanding medical researchers and awarded them the Foundation’s prestigious medical prizes worth a total of 540,000 euros. Around 50 invited guests attended the award ceremony at the renowned Hamburg and Germania Rowing Club. After the in-person award ceremony had to be cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic, the event took place as usual this year and numerous guests from science and research celebrated the laureates in a fitting manner.

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Combating Viral Diseases Such As SARS-CoV-2: Professor Dr Ralf Bartenschlager receives the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2022 for his research in molecular virology

 

Hamburg, 12 May 2022. Prof Dr rer. nat. Dr med. h. c. Ralf Bartenschlager, Head of the Department of Molecular Virology at Heidelberg University Hospital and of the Department of Virus-Associated Carcinogenesis at the German Cancer Research Center, is researching the biology of so-called RNA viruses. Notably, his work laid the foundations for curing damage incurred by chronic infections with the hepatitis C virus, such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. To honour this achievement, the Hamburg based Jung Foundation for Science and Research is awarding him the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2022. The annual prize is awarded with a total of 300,000 euros and goes to top researchers whose projects contribute to medical progress today and will continue to do so in the future.

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Preventing Secondary Complications of Diabetes: Professor Dr Ingrid Fleming receives the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2022 for her research into the molecular causes of vascular diseases in connection with diabetes as well as circulatory diseases

 

Hamburg, 12 May 2022. Diabetes and the resulting vascular diseases can lead to occlusion of leg vessels or even to heart attacks and blindness. Prof Dr Ingrid Fleming from the Center for Molecular Medicine at Goethe University, Frankfurt, is investigating how these diseases are related. She is now receiving the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2022 for her successful work and for transferring her results to potential medical applications. The award, which is endowed with a total of 300,000 euros, is presented each year by the Hamburg based Jung Foundation for Science and Research to top researchers whose projects contribute to medical progress and whose work promises pioneering findings in the future.

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Preventing Metastases in Cancer: Hamburg physician Dr Anastasios Giannou receives the Ernst Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research 2022 for his study of cancer-related metastasis formation

 

Hamburg, 12 May 2022. Why do cancer tumours form metastases in the body and how can these often-fatal developments be prevented? Researching the underlying mechanisms and transferring the findings into medical practice is the aim of Dr Anastasios Giannou, physician and postdoc at the Institute for General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery and I. Medical Clinic of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. To support his promising endeavours, the Hamburg based Jung Foundation for Science and Research is awarding him the Ernst Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research 2022. This is accompanied by financial support totalling 210,000 euros over the next three years.

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Understanding and treating genetic immunodeficiencies: Professor Dr. Alain Fischer receives the Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine 2022 for his outstanding life’s work in human immunology

 

Hamburg, 12 May 2022. “A healthy immune system can distinguish pathogenic microbes from harmless ones. But in the case of genetic disorders, life is at risk – and this is where the therapy developed by me, and my team, comes in.” Professor Dr med. Alain Fischer from the University of Paris Descartes and Collège de France dedicated more than 40 years of his life to the field of clinical immunology and achieved significant progress with his scientific work: he deciphered the molecular etiology of numerous genetic disorders of the immune system and developed a corresponding gene therapy. The Hamburg Jung Foundation for Science and Research has already honored Alain Fischer for his outstanding research with the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine in 1998 and is now all the more pleased to award him the Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine 2022 for his life’s work. This medal is awarded annually by the Jung Foundation to top researchers who have significantly advanced medical research and practice (or who are still actively doing so) and is a recognition of their life’s work to date.

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Jung Foundation for Science and Research Awards Medical Prizes for Excellent Human Medicine 2022 in Hamburg

 

Hamburg, 12 May 2022. The Jung Foundation for Science and Research is presenting its three awards for cutting-edge medicine today in Hamburg. This year, outstanding work in the fields of research into the molecular causes of vascular diseases, molecular virology, cancer-related metastasis and a lifetime’s work in the field of human immunology will be recognised. With a total of 540,000 euros, the Foundation’s prizes are among the highest endowed medical prizes in Europe. Tomorrow, 13 May 2022, the Jung Symposium of Medical Research will also take place for the second time, where the award winners will present their research results in a digital live stream.

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2021

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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Developing therapeutics for diabetes: Matthias Tschöp receives the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2021 for the development of therapeutics for the principal metabolic diseases

 

Hamburg, 20 May 2021. Adiposity and diabetes are two of the most widespread conditions affecting people in the world today and increase the risk of severe Covid-19 as well as other illnesses such as cancer. Professor Dr. med. Dr. h. c. Matthias H. Tschöp from the Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich and the Technical University of Munich is receiving the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2021 for his outstanding work and discoveries in this field. The award, with a total prize fund of €300,000, is presented each year by the Jung Foundation for Science and Research in Hamburg to leading researchers whose projects make a significant contribution to medical progress.

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Identifying new active ingredients from nature: Christian Hertweck receives the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2021 for his research into bioactive natural substances

 

Hamburg, 20 May 2021. Metabolic products of microorganisms from which new antibiotics can be developed: this is one of the topics that Professor Dr. rer. nat. Christian Hertweck from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll Institute (HKI) – in Jena is working on. He is now receiving the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2021 for his outstanding research. The award, with a total prize fund of €300,000, is presented each year by the Jung Foundation for Science and Research in Hamburg to leading researchers whose projects make a significant contribution to medical progress.

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Effectively combating infectious diseases: Antonio Lanzavecchia receives Ernst Jung Medal for Medicine in Gold 2021 for his groundbreaking discoveries in immunology

 

Hamburg, 20 May 2021. Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia, MD is one of the most influential and most cited immunologists in Europe and worldwide. During his scientific career he has worked on a wide range of core topics on innate and acquired immunity. For his outstanding research work, he will now receive the Ernst Jung Medal for Medicine in Gold 2021, an award presented annually by the Hamburg Jung Foundation for Science and Research to top researchers whose life’s work has made and continues to make a significant contribution to medical progress.

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Curing neurological diseases during sleep: Randolph Helfrich receives the Ernst Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research 2021 for his studies on brain activity during sleep

 

Hamburg, 20 May 2021. How neurological diseases are associated with our brain activity during sleep and the diagnostic and therapeutic methods that can be derived from this – these are the research topics of Dr. Dr. med. Randolph Helfrich. The young physician who completed two doctorates in Hamburg now receives the Ernst Jung Career Advancement Award for Medical Research 2021 from the Jung Foundation for Science and Research in Hamburg. The award will support his academic work at the University of Tübingen over the next three years with a total amount of €210,000.

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2019

Deciphering molecular mechanisms and using them for treatment Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2019 goes to Professor Brenda A. Schulman and Professor Gary R. Lewin

Hamburg, 23 May 2019. This year, the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine of the Jung Foundation for Science and Research goes to two outstanding researchers. Martinsried-based biochemist Professor Brenda A. Schulman is receiving the award in recognition of her continued pioneering work on the mechanisms of ubiquitin transfer at the atomic level. Berlin neurobiologist Professor Gary R. Lewin is being honoured for his ground-breaking research on the molecular and physiological basis of tactile sense and pain perception.Zur Pressmitteilung

2018