Our Jung Alumni Meeting this September once again provided a wonderful opportunity to nurture both new and long-standing connections. Many of the former and current "Deutschlandstipendien" scholarship recipients and Jung Fellows (see current in the group photo on the left) accepted our invitation, contributing to the warm and inspiring atmosphere.

We are especially pleased that this meeting has now become an established tradition and a regular part of our foundation's annual calendar. This exchange once again highlights the growth of the Jung Foundation's network and underscores the importance of connecting and supporting each other within the scientific community.

In June 2024, the four-year research project "Medicine in the Neuengamme Concentration Camp and Its Aftermath" was launched, which we are supporting with €477,000. At the same time, since last year, we have also been sponsoring Médecins Sans Frontières with €300,000 for their clinical study "endTB-Q," which aims to improve the treatment of people in need suffering from drug-resistant tuberculosis. We expect the first interim results in the coming weeks.

Both projects are part of a comprehensive initiative through which we confront the history of our founder Ernst Jung, take lasting responsibility, contribute to the continued examination of the Nazi era, provide education, and help those in need.

We warmly congratulate Prof. Dr Thomas Boehm, Chair of our Board of Trustees, on receiving the 2024 Mendel Medal from the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Boehm's work, particularly on the development and function of the thymus, has significantly shaped our understanding of immunobiology and paved the way for future medical innovations. His tireless dedication to research and his contributions to science make him a well-deserving recipient of this prestigious award.

We are proud to have such a committed scientist as the Chair of our Board of Trustees!

Prof. Emmanuelle Charpentier, co-inventor of the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas method, has set a milestone in genetic research with her discovery. Thanks to this groundbreaking technology, the first therapy for sickle cell anemia – a disease long considered incurable – has now been approved. The new treatment marks a major advance in personalized medicine and brings new hope to many affected individuals. Charpentier is a 2015 Jung Prize laureate.

Two of our Jung Career Development Awardees have recently shared exciting scientific achievements with us.

Dr Maximilian Friedrich, this year’s awardee, has published three significant papers that have garnered international attention. His research on the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and the development of AI-based biomarkers for measuring neurological disorders such as tremor and dystonia has been featured in the renowned journals Annals of Neurology and npj Digital Medicine.

Another success comes from Dr Anastasios Giannou, the 2022 awardee, whose team published their work in the Journal of Hepatology. Their research reveals how the cytokine IL-10 suppresses the immune system and promotes liver metastasis in colorectal cancer, offering new perspectives for cancer therapy.

We warmly congratulate them on these groundbreaking publications!