Wir überwinden Grenzen

Neuropathologist Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz from the University Medical Center Freiburg of the University of Freiburg has been awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation, endowed with 2.5 million euros

Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz (49), Medical Director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the Freiburg University Medical Center, is one of ten scientists to be awarded the 2020 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. This was announced by the German Research Foundation (DFG) on Thursday, December 5, 2019. Prof. Prinz is being honored for his outstanding work in the field of neuroimmunology, which has led to a fundamentally new understanding of the immune response in the brain. According to the DFG's citation, his discoveries have clarified the previous picture of an extremely heterogeneous population of immune cells in the brain in the direction of distinct cell types and signaling pathways. His research points the way to new treatment options for inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases in the central nervous system. In particular, the microglia cells researched by Prof. Prinz are associated with the development of diseases such as Alzheimer's and depression. They could also play a central role in the treatment of brain tumors in the future. The award, worth 2.5 million euros each, is regarded as the most important research funding prize in Germany.

"This award is a great honor for me. But it is also clear that research work is always teamwork," says Prof. Prinz. "When I received the decisive call, I was initially weak-kneed," admits the Freiburg neuropathologist. "The prize helps to further advance research in the field of neuroimmunology at the highest international level in Freiburg," says the prizewinner.

Well-deserved recognition for an outstanding scientist

"As Rector of the University of Freiburg, I am extremely pleased that Marco Prinz's outstanding research achievements have received the recognition they deserve with the award of the Leibniz Prize. Marco Prinz is an outstanding scientist and we are proud that he has significantly shaped the profile of our medical and life sciences research. The prize also underlines the excellence of Freiburg as a research location in medicine. ", says Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, Rector of the University of Freiburg.

Prof. Prinz has been Medical Director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the University Medical Center Freiburg since 2008. He was awarded the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine in 2018. Born in Cottbus, he received the prestigious Reinhart Koselleck Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) in 2015 for particularly innovative projects. "The Leibniz Prize crowns ten years of top-class research by Professor Prinz at the Freiburg University Medical Center. Professor Prinz stands for modern, interdisciplinary research that integrates university and non-university partners," said Prof. Dr. Norbert Südkamp, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg.

"Professor Prinz is a prime example of how basic research and clinical application can come together in cutting-edge university medicine. As neurodegenerative diseases are on the rise, the impact of his research will be even greater in the future," said Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Director of the Freiburg University Medical Center.

Numerous original publications

Since January 2017, Prof. Prinz has been the spokesperson for the €10.9 million Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 167 "NeuroMac", which focuses on the development, function and potential of microglia cells in the central nervous system. Prinz has already been involved in well over 200 original scientific publications, many of them in high-ranking journals. "The award gives us great freedom to continue our research approaches in order to efficiently implement the preclinical data obtained in this way in the clinic," says Prof. Prinz.

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the most important research funding prize in Germany. It is awarded to outstanding researchers who, measured by the stage of their scientific career, have made excellent fundamental achievements in their fields of research on an international and national level. The award winners are expected to make a lasting impact on the research landscape in Germany through further top scientific achievements. The aim of the Leibniz Program, which was established in 1985, is to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists, expand their research opportunities, relieve them of administrative workloads and make it easier for them to employ particularly qualified younger scientists.

Contact: 
Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz
Medical Director
Institute of Neuropathology
Freiburg University Medical Center
Phone: 0761 270-51050
marco.prinz@uniklinik-freiburg.de

Caption: Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz
Image rights: University Medical Center Freiburg / Britt Schilling

Further information can be found here.