The second Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation Alumni Day took place in the Haus am Dom in Frankfurt am Main on May 16, 2025. The event had a varied program and brought together alumni and leading scientists to discuss current developments in medical research.
The day’s first sessions in the morning were three top-class lectures on the topic of “Therapies of the Future.” Prof. Dr. Stefan Endres, Director of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Dean of Research at the Faculty of Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich, gave a presentation on cell-based immunotherapies in tumor therapy. This was followed by a talk on optogenetic therapies entitled “Opportunities and Challenges” by Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser, Institute of Auditory Neuroscience & the Inner Ear Laboratory of University Hospital Göttingen. Following this, Prof. Dr. Christoph Alexiou from the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of University Hospital Erlangen, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine (SEON), offered an insight into the field of nanomedical research and future visions at SEON.
A highlight of the day was a discussion of a distinguished panel with Prof. Dr. Anastasia Khvorova, winner of this year’s Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research, and Nobel Prize winner Prof. Dr. Craig Mello, University of Massachusetts Medical School. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Michael Madeja, Chairman of the Board of EKFS, the participants discussed the potential of novel RNA technology.
Another important item on the agenda was the presentation of the 2024 and 2025 publication awards. At this, the ten EKFS-funded scientists who published an outstanding publication in 2023 or 2024 were honored. Each winner will receive 10,000 euros in prize money for their own personal use.
Afterwards, the alumnus Prof. Dr. Andrea Ablasser, École Polytechnique Féderale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, who was awarded the prestigious Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 2025, delivered an inspiring talk on her research experience. She played a decisive role in the discovery of the cGAS-STING signal pathway, which serves as a kind of alarm system for the immune system.
The day ended with a presentation from the world of sports medicine, titled “What can medicine learn from competitive sport? Insights from soccer and other sports,” given by Prof. Dr. Tim Meyer, Chair of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, which provided exciting insights from the world of elite sport.
The second Alumni Day provided another opportunity to deepen existing contacts, gain new impetus, and further expand the network.
