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EXCELLENCE IN HUMAN MEDICINE |
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
In May 2025, we honoured four extraordinary personalities in the Hanse Lounge Hamburg who are shaping the future of medicine with their research. The award ceremony was characterised by moving moments, inspiring conversations and a genuine sense of connection – an evening that showcased the diversity and strength of the Jung family.
Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who shared and helped to shape this special moment with us.
The following day, the 5th Jung Symposium "Excellence in Human Medicine 2025" opened up a space for dialogue, knowledge transfer and encounters. Interested parties were able to experience the award winners' current research projects on site in Hamburg and digitally – and engage in dialogue about medical innovations.
You can find a review of two special days and all the video contributions later in this newsletter.
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SCIENCE MEETS APPRECIATION
Four outstanding scientists whose research is shaping the future of medicine took centre stage at the Jung Foundation's award ceremony in May. Their impressive achievements were not only honoured with words, but also made visible in compelling video portraits specially produced by the foundation.
At the accompanying dinner, young talents and experienced researchers came together – for a lively, cross-generational exchange between the Jung family and guests.
You can find impressions of the event here.
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BENJAMIN RUF:
JUNG CAREER ADVANCEMENT AWARD
With the Jung Career Advancement Award 2025, we honour Dr Benjamin Ruf, research group leader at the M3 Research Centre for Malignoma, Metabolome and Microbiome at the Medical Faculty of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen.
The 34-year-old young scientist is also a doctor in training at the Department of Internal Medicine I at Tübingen University Hospital and a member of the ‘iFIT’ oncology cluster of excellence.
🎬 Get to know our award winner in the video.
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Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Trustees member Prof Dr Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro presented the certificate after Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board Prof Dr Thomas Boehm had delivered the laudatory speech.
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WOLF-HERMAN FRIDMAN:
JUNG GOLD MEDAL FOR MEDICINE
The Jung Foundation honours the scientific life's work of Prof Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD, with the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine.
The Professor Emeritus of Immunology at the Cordeliers Research Centre of the Université Paris Cité is considered a pioneer of immuno-oncology. As early as the 1960s, he showed that the human immune system can recognise tumour cells – a finding that paved the way for modern immunotherapies.
🎬 View the portrait of our award winner now.
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The award ceremony was presented by Board of Trustees member Petra Scharner-Wolff. The laudatory speech was given by Prof Dr Thomas Boehm, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
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ELENA CONTI:
JUNG PRIZE FOR MEDICINE
With the Jung Prize for Medicine 2025, the Jung Foundation is honouring the outstanding basic research of Prof Elena Conti, PhD.
The molecular biologist is Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich. Her research focuses on cellular control mechanisms: she investigates how cells recognise and degrade defective messenger RNAs – a fundamental protective mechanism that is disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS or spinal muscular atrophy.
🎬 Here you can find a portrait of our award winner.
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The award ceremony was presented by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jochen Spethmann. Prof Dr Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, gave the laudatory speech.
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JÖRN PIEL:
JUNG PRIZE FOR MEDICINE
The Jung Foundation is also honouring Prof Dr Jörn Piel, a microbiologist at ETH Zurich, with the Jung Prize for Medicine 2025. He heads the Bacterial Natural Products research group at the Institute of Microbiology. His work focuses on the diversity of microorganisms that could not previously be cultivated in the laboratory – a largely untapped source of potential active substances. Many of these bacteria produce bioactive substances that open up new approaches for the treatment of cancer, infections or viral diseases.
🎬 To the video portrait of our award winner.
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Prof Dr Dominique Soldati-Favre, member of the Scientific Advisory Board, gave the laudatory speech, the certificate was presented by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jochen Spethmann.
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A STRONG IMAGE FOR THE FUTURE
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"The large number of Jung Fellows and 'Deutschlandstipendien' Scholarship holders present is particularly pleasing and illustrates the thirst for knowledge of young people,’ emphasised Jochen Spethmann in his opening speech: ’A strong picture that impressively underlines our foundation's claim to provide sustainable support for young talent."
The doubling of applications for the fellowship programme also shows how great the need for targeted support for young talent is – and how well it is received.
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JUNG CAREER BOOSTER
With the Jung Career Advancement Award, the Jung Foundation supports young doctors who want to return to a German clinic after a research stay abroad – for research and specialist training. The prize is endowed with 210,000 euros and supports a project at the interface between clinical practice and science over three years – and is one of the most highly endowed of its kind. 💡 Apply now – the foundation's only prize with a direct application option! |
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TOP RESEARCH TO REVISIT
Exciting insights, engaging discussions and outstanding research: the 5th Jung Symposium "Excellence in Human Medicine 2025" once again brought together excellent science and inspired curiosity this year. In the UKE lecture hall – and in parallel via livestream – the 2025 award winners presented their award-winning research projects.
If you weren't there live or would like to relive the presentations, you can now find all the contributions on our YouTube channel. 🎥 Click here
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PERSONALISED IMMUNOTHERAPY
How can the immune system be specifically activated against cancer? Dr Benjamin Ruf presented his research into the development of personalised, immune-based cancer therapies at the Jung Symposium 2025. His goal: treatments that are precisely tailored to individual patients – more precise, more effective, more sustainable.
For this pioneering project, he receives the Jung Career Advancement Award 2025, endowed with 210,000 euros.
👉 Watch the lecture now
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FROM IMMUNE REACTION TO HEALING
Prof Wolf-Herman Fridman, MD, PhD is one of the pioneers of modern immunotherapies. At the Jung Symposium 2025, he explained how the tumour microenvironment shapes the body's own defences – and how this approach has led to the development of cancer therapies which today enable a complete cure for various types of cancer.
He was honoured with the Jung Gold Medal for Medicine 2025 for his scientific life's work.
👉 Watch the lecture now
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THE RNA EXOSOME COMPLEX
Prof Elena Conti, PhD researches the molecular control mechanisms that identify and break down defective messenger RNAs. In her lecture at the Jung Symposium 2025, she showed how errors in this system trigger diseases – and how these processes can be decoded. Using state-of-the-art methods, she uncovered the interplay between the molecular machines involved – and thus made a key contribution to understanding disease mechanisms at cellular level.
For this research, she received the Jung Prize for Medicine 2025, which she shares with Prof Dr Jörn Piel.
👉 Watch the lecture now
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NEW ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Prof Dr Jörn Piel has one goal: to develop active ingredients from bacteria that could not previously be cultivated. At the Jung Symposium 2025, he presented his research on bacteria that are difficult to cultivate. Using modern genomics and analytical methods, he has succeeded in identifying these substances and analysing them for their therapeutic potential – an innovative approach for new antibiotics, cancer and virus drugs. For this approach, the Jung Foundation awarded him the Jung Prize for Medicine 2025, which he shares with Prof Elena Conti. 👉 Watch the lecture now
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Contact Do you have any suggestions or would you like to support us in our work? We look forward to hearing from you!
+49 40 880 80 51
info@jung-stiftung.de |
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Jung-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Forschung
Management Verena Strasoldo
Elbchaussee 215
22605 Hamburg
+49 40 880 80 51
info@jung-stiftung.de |
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