Determining the role of obesity and glucagon-like-peptide 1 agonists in human antiviral T cell immunity
The number of people with obesity is continuously rising worldwide with major consequences for personal and public health but new weight loss drugs have revolutionised the treatment over the last years.
Three new Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Professorships to advance research in pediatrics, anesthesiology, and hematology
Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe, December 10, 2025 – In 2025, the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) will once again award three Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Professorships. It will thus ensure long-term support for physicians who combine clinical care and scientific research at the highest level. Each professorship is endowed with €1.1 million and has a maximum term of ten years.
EKFS supports cutting-edge medical research with nine Excellence Fellowships
In 2025, the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation is awarding nine Else Kröner Excellence Fellowships to outstanding physicians. The two-year leave of absence from clinical duties will allow each of them to make decisive headway on a promising research project. The fellowships are endowed with up to 350.000 euros.
The following physicians are to be awarded a fellowship:
Reshape Adipocytes: Unraveling and reprogramming the altered adipocyte-specific DNA methylation in metabolic diseases
Fat tissue differs widely in its ability to store lipids and adapt to metabolic stress. These properties—known as adipocyte plasticity—strongly influence whether individuals with obesity develop complications such as insulin resistance. However, genetic factors alone cannot explain this variability. Growing evidence shows that epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm), help regulate fat cell function, yet this knowledge has not been translated into targeted therapeutic approaches.
Precision medicine in cardiology: Model-based therapy planning for complex heart-valve diseases
This project focuses on heart diseases in which two heart valves are simultaneously affected (so-called combined valve defects). These conditions can be challenging to treat, as in some cases treating a single valve is sufficient, while in others both valves require intervention. To support treatment planning, the project aims to develop a computer-based method that can predict the effects of various therapeutic approaches - such as the replacement of one or both valves with a prosthesis - for an individual patient.
Impact of voluntary endurance exercise after a heart attack: Focusing on AMP-activated protein kinase and the CD40 signaling pathway
This project aims to investigate the effects of voluntary endurance training as secondary prevention immediately following a heart attack. The potential key enzyme, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), will be modulated genetically and pharmacologically to identify the underlying mechanisms. Further examination of the interaction of AMPK with the immune checkpoint regulator CD40L-CD40 signaling cascade will be performed.