Publication Prize 2023

Three young scientists are honored with the publication prize 2022 for their outstanding publications which have arisen from funding on the part of the foundation.
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All of the next-generation scientists funded by EKFS within the medical/scientific funding lines First and Second Application, Else Kröner Memorial Fellowships and Else Kröner Advancement Programmes were able to submit entries for the prize. Each of the prizes is endowed with EUR 10,000 for use at the prizewinner’s personal discretion.

 

Prize winners 2023:
 

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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dieter Henrik Heiland

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dieter Henrik Heiland, Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg for his paper in Cancer Cell 2022: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1535610822002203

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dieter Henrik Heiland and team, at Freiburg University Hospital, focuses on glioblastomas the most malignant tumors of the central nervous system. Despite various therapeutic approaches, no cure has been found for glioblastoma. One hypothesis for the low therapeutic success represents the tumor environment, which is a barrier for anti-tumor immunity. In Cancer Cell, Heiland et al, publish a topographical characterization of gene expression, metabolism, and genetic alterations in glioblastomas and show that tumor cells adapt to inflammatory stimuli and/or metabolites in the environment. The tumor milieu is largely responsible for the changes in the tumor and should be the focus of future therapies.

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Prof. Dr. med. Melanie Meersch-Dini

Prof. Dr. med. Melanie Meersch-Dini, Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine University Hospital Münster, for her paper in JAMA 2022: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2793288

Over 300 million surgical procedures are performed annually, approximately 9 millions of which involve an intraoperative handover of anesthesia care. Handovers might improve care by reducing fatigue, but there is also an inherent risk of losing critical information. The objective of this multicenter randomized clinical trial was to determine the effect of handovers of
anesthesia care on postoperative morbidity and mortality among adults with severe pre-existing conditions undergoing extended surgical procedures. Patients were randomized to receive either a complete handover (n=891) or no handover of anesthesia care (n=881). The composite primary outcome consisting of mortality, readmission, or serious postoperative complications within 30 days did not differ significantly among participants randomized to receive handover of anesthesia care vs no handover of care (30% vs 33%, respectively). This demonstrates that handovers of anesthesia care are not harmful for the patients.

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Dr. Dr. Varun Venkataramani, Erstautor und Mitautor der Studie

Dr. med. Dr. rer. nat. Varun Venkataramani, Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsklinik Heidelberg, for his paper in Cell 2022: https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(22)00847-9.pdf

Glioblastoma cells, the most aggressive form of brain tumors, mimic the properties and movement strategies of immature nerve cells to colonize the brain. Using newly developed intravital microsopy methodologies, this manuscript provides detailed insights into the tumor's spreading mechanisms. The cell structures typical of glioblastomas are formed by cancer cells that spread out, move through healthy brain tissue, settle in suitable locations, and then form malignant, stationary networks. The movement patterns and contacts with healthy nerve cells are similar to those of nerve cell precursor cells. These findings could provide starting points for new therapies, as glioblastomas survive operations and intensive chemotherapy due to their whole-brain colonization. Future steps include deciphering the molecular mechanisms of movement, communication with nerve cells, and network formation.