Genetic scissors to treat muscle atrophy and immune cells to fight blood cancer

Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe, November 5, 2026 – Using genetic scissors to treat the cause of a serious genetic muscle disorder or deploying immune cells to specifically target aggressive blood cancer: Two research projects are set to open up new treatment options for diseases that have been difficult to treat to date. ForTra gGmbH for Research Transfer (subsidiary of the Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation) will fund the GMP-compliant production of the gene and cell therapies needed for this.

Karl Deisseroth awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – EKFS honored his groundbreaking research in 2017

Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe, October 7, 2026 – The U.S. neuroscientist and psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Karl Deisseroth (Stanford University) and the German researchers Prof. Dr. Peter Hegemann (Humboldt University Berlin), and Prof. Dr. Georg Nagel (University of Würzburg) are to be honored with the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The Nobel Prize Committee announced its decision on October 5.

CLIPLESS Trial: Electrocautery Versus Athermal Dissection During Robotic-assisted Radical Prostatectomy – A patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Radical prostatectomy is an established curative treatment and is now predominantly performed with robotic assistance. A key goal of the procedure is to preserve the neurovascular bundles, which are essential for erectile function and urinary continence. Two standard techniques are available for haemostasis during nerve-sparing dissection: athermal control using surgical clips and electrocautery. To date, high-quality prospective evidence on which technique leads to better functional outcomes is lacking.

Clinician Scientists: Dauerhafte Perspektiven für Forschung und Klinik schaffen

Berlin, 1. Oktober 2026 - Im Mittelpunkt standen die erstmals vorgestellten Ergebnisse des gemeinsamen Projekts „ECLiPSE – Etablierung von Clinician Scientist-Programmen an den Medizinischen Fakultäten: Status und Erwartungen“ sowie die Frage, welche Strukturen notwendig sind, damit Ärzt:innen Forschung und Patientenversorgung langfristig miteinander verbinden können. Ergänzend stellte die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) aktuelle Befunde aus ihren Clinician-Scientist-Programmen vor.

Reactivating developmental pathways to restore alveolar-vascular integrity in adult diseased lungs

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is a leading cause of death. Its most destructive feature is emphysema, where the gas-exchange surface of the lung is progressively and permanently lost. No treatment can rebuild the damaged tissue, and in advanced disease, lung transplantation is the only option.

Influence of ischemia time, cold preservation, and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution on the viability and function of cancellous bone grafts

Non-unions are among the most severe complications in trauma surgery and orthopedics. Functional impairment and persistent pain substantially reduce patients’ quality of life. In the treatment of large bone defects and non-unions, autologous cancellous bone grafting remains the method of choice due to its osteogenic, osteoinductive, and osteoconductive properties. However, failure rates of more than 40% have been reported.

In Focus: $ What exactly does Prof. Dr. Dr. Felix Sahm do?

Prof. Dr. Dr. Felix Sahm is Medical Director of Neuropathology at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and a researcher at the German Cancer Research Center. Felix Sahm specializes in meningiomas, which are tumors that develop in the membranes surrounding the brain. He received the 2026 German Cancer Award for his work on novel approaches to classifying these tumors using molecular analysis and machine learning.

Else Kröner Memorial Fellowships

Particularly at the start of their medical career, physicians face the challenge of combining clinical responsibilities with scientific research. This year, nine early-career researchers will receive a two-year Else Kröner Memorial Fellowship, each endowed with €250,000. A fellowship allows recipients to take time away from their clinical responsibilities to focus fully on advancing promising medical research. At the same time, it lays the foundations for a career as a clinician scientist.

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