Berlin researcher honored with Leibniz Prize: 2.5 million for new medicine!

Berlin researcher honored with Leibniz Prize: 2.5 million for new medicine!

The Berlin biochemist Ana Pombo and Professor Volker Haucke were awarded the coveted Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. As the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced in Bonn, both researchers each receive 2.5 million euros to promote their scientific work, which they can use over the next seven years. The DFG announced this on December 11, 2024. The ceremonial awarding of the prize, which is considered the most important research promotion award in Germany, will take place on March 19, 2025 in Berlin, as well as the Tagesspiegel reported.

awards for groundbreaking research

Ana Pombo, which works on the Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, was honored for its innovative method for three-dimensional mapping of the gene structure in individual cells. The aim of your work is to deepen the understanding of genetic diseases such as autism and epilepsy. Pombo, which has been heading a laboratory since 2013, studied biochemistry in Lisbon and did his doctorate in cell biology at the University of Oxford. She is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences.

Your colleague Volker Haucke, who works at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, researches the process of endocytosis in which cells absorb liquids and molecules. This research could be pioneering for the development of new medication, especially against cancer. Haecke, who started his biochemical training at FU Berlin and completed his doctorate at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, such as the rbb24 informed.