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Prof. Melanie Börries from the University Medical Center Freiburg is honored for her groundbreaking work on personalized cancer therapy

Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries has been awarded the German Cancer Prize 2025 in the "Translational Research" category for her outstanding research in the field of personalized cancer therapy. The Director of the Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine at the Freiburg University Medical Center is thus one of this year's four winners of the German Cancer Prize, one of the most important awards in oncology in the German-speaking world.

"I am delighted to receive the German Cancer Prize. The award recognizes not only my work, but that of many colleagues with whom I work together every day to shape the cancer therapy of the future," says Börries. The German Cancer Prize is endowed with 7,500 euros and is awarded annually by the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Foundation.

"With her research, Prof. Börries is decisively advancing personalized cancer therapies. She uses data-driven medicine to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the clinic - with the aim of treating patients more specifically and successfully," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Director of the University Medical Center Freiburg. "I warmly congratulate Ms. Börries on this award."

"This award not only recognizes an outstanding researcher, but also a field of research that is essential for the medicine of tomorrow. Prof. Börries combines scientific applications with strategic foresight - this strengthens the visibility of cancer research in Freiburg far beyond the region," said Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg.

New approaches for more targeted cancer therapy

The focus of her work is the question: Which therapy works for which person - and why? To answer this question, Börries uses artificial intelligence and modern biotechnologies to analyze the molecular characteristics of tumors. For example, her research has contributed to a new therapeutic approach for graft-versus-host disease - a dangerous immune reaction that can occur after stem cell transplants. The findings are already being incorporated into a clinical trial.

She is also developing digital tools to help doctors better understand complex genetic data and translate it into specific treatment recommendations - for example as part of the Molecular Tumor Board. Particularly in the case of pancreatic cancer, a cancer that is often difficult to treat, her research helps to make individual predictions about treatment response and the chances of survival.

The Freiburg scientist also takes on responsibility at a national level: she heads the PM4Onco ("Personalized Medicine for Oncology") consortium, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and uses modern technology, data analysis and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop new treatment strategies tailored to individual patients. She is also the site spokesperson for the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) in Freiburg - a nationwide network of leading cancer centers that aims to bring scientific findings into clinical application more quickly. Börries is an Associate Investigator of the Cluster of Excellence CIBSS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies and a member of the Collaborative Research Center 1479 "OncoEscape" at the University of Freiburg.

Image: Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries
Image source: Freiburg University Medical Center / Britt Schilling