In this Winners Session, you will be introduced to the Top 10 breakthroughs in the Life Sciences category. The presented work revolutionises our understanding of the complex human body, revealing that it is now possible to fight brain cancer in new ways, tackle COVID-19, fight different diseases with our very own microbiome, and replace damaged or lost neurons. Leaving the human body, viewers will learn about a breakthrough in bioengineering: With the highly innovative approach that uses the CRISPR/Cas technology for restructuring complete plant chromosomes, we can now rethink agriculture, potentially feeding millions of people in a more sustainable way. Jury Chair Marja Makarow assures: “The innovations are ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting science, opening up totally new avenues.”
We are delighted to announce the ten winners in the category Life Sciences:
STEFAN DÜBEL – TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF BRAUNSCHWEIG
Breaking the Wall to Corona Antibodies
Stefan Dübel generates natural human antibodies that completely block COVID-19.
ERAN ELINAV – THE WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Breaking the Wall of the Gut-Brain Connection in ALS
Eran Elinav focuses on decoding host-microbiome interactions and their effects on health and disease.
XIANG-DONG FU – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO (UCSD)
Breaking the Wall to Replenish Lost Neurons
Xiang-Dong Fu has developed a new strategy to convert astrocytes into functional neurons, and thereby rebuild lost neural circuits.
CHRISTIAN HACKENBERGER – LEIBNIZ-FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FÜR MOLEKULARE PHARMAKOLOGIE (FMP)
Breaking the Wall to Next Generation Biopharmaceuticals
Christian Hackenberger contributes to the development of protein-based therapeutics to target cancer and viral infections.
MICHELLE MONJE – STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Breaking the Wall of Brain Cancer
Michelle Monje works at the intersection of neuroscience and brain cancer biology.
SERGIU PASCA – STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Breaking the Wall of Human Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Sergiu Pasca’s team grows human brain organoids and assembloids from stem cells to learn about development and disease mechanisms.
HOLGER PUCHTA – KARLSRUHE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (KIT)
Breaking the Wall to Sustainable Agriculture
Holger Puchta uses CRISPR/Cas technology towards a more sustainable agriculture.
STEPHAN SIEBER – TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH
Breaking the Wall of Resistant Bacteria
Stephan Sieber discovers a new type of antibiotic overcoming several previous limitations.
GIOVANNI TRAVERSO – MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)
Breaking the Wall of Drug Delivery and Nutrient Absorption
Giovanni Traverso has developed a transformative technology to improve drug delivery and nutrient absorption.
HAITAO YANG – SHANGHAI TECH UNIVERSITY
Breaking the Wall of COVID-19 Inhibitors
Haitao Yang has worked to combine structure-assisted drug design and virtual drug screening to help identify new drugs to combat COVID-19.