The 2022 Langen Junior Science Award was given to young scientists from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut for outstanding research achievements.
Every year, the Association for the Promotion of the Langen Science Award recognises talented scientists from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. The award is financed by Sparkasse Langen.
1st Prize 2022: In her research, Dr Laura Roßmann compared ten different adjuvants in cell culture. One of the applications for adjuvants is as an immune booster in vaccines. They can influence the innate and acquired immune response. The adjuvants stimulated the immune cells to different degrees and had individual action profiles. Understanding the mode of action of adjuvants on cells of the innate and acquired immune system is significant for the comprehension of information such as the immune response breadth, the immune protection duration, and the risk of undesired immune reactions.
2nd Prize 2022: Kevin Wittwer researched the antiviral efficacy of the active substance ERDRP-0519 against measles in animal models with a view to a possible future therapy for individuals who cannot be vaccinated against measles. ERDRP-0519 inhibits an enzyme (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) that is important for the reproduction of the measles virus' genetic information and thus inhibits virus multiplication. While prophylactic treatment with the active substance completely prevented the symptoms of the disease after measles virus infection, the therapeutic treatment significantly reduced the disease progression and the viral load in blood cells and throat swabs. The study shows that ERDRP-0519 could be used as a supplement to vaccination and could thereby make an important contribution to the fight against measles.
3rd Prize 2022: Theofilos Filippos Charitidis showed in his research that single-cell transcriptome analysis can better characterise heterogeneous drugs such as CAR T cells than previous methods. Charitidis established the entire experimental process for the first time at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, starting with the generation of the CAR T cells, to the generation of the single-cell RNA library, to the bioinformatic evaluation of the extensive data. This research demonstrates an important methodological and analytical approach to further improve the production of CAR T cells with regard to the safety and efficacy of their use in humans.
Rossmann L, Bagola K, Stephen T, Gerards AL, Walber B, Ullrich A, Schülke S, Kamp C, Spreitzer I, Hasan M, David-Watine B, Shorte S, Bastian M, van Zandbergen G (2021): Distinct single-component adjuvants steer human DC-mediated T-cell polarization via Toll-like receptor signaling toward a potent antiviral immune response.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 118: e2103651118.
Wittwer K, Anderson DE, Pfeffermann K, Cox RM, Wolf JD, Santibanez S, Mankertz A, Plesker R, Sticher ZM, Kolkykhalov AA, Natchus MG, Pfaller CK, Plemper RK, von Messling V (2021): Small-molecule polymerase inhibitor protects non-human primates from measles and reduces shedding.
Nat Commun 12: 5233.
Charitidis FT, Adabi E, Thalheimer FB, Clarke C, Buchholz CJ (2021): Monitoring CAR T cell generation with a CD8-targeted lentiviral vector by single-cell transcriptomics.
Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 23: 359-369.