Heidelberg Neuroscientist receives 2025 “Brain Prize”
Professor Frank Winkler, who treats patients with brain tumors at Heidelberg University Hospital and conducts research at Heidelberg University’s Faculty of Medicine and the German Cancer Research Center, is being awarded the 2025 Brain Prize for his pioneering work on nervous system / cancer interactions.
Over the past 15 years, the Heidelberg neurologist has attained groundbreaking insights into the functioning of incurable glioblastomas – highly aggressive brain tumors. He has shown that the tumor cells make contact with healthy nerve cells in the brain and receive signals from them, which then fuels the invasive growth of the tumors and gives them enormous resistance to current therapies. The new research area of “Cancer Neuroscience” focuses on the interaction between the nervous system and cancer: What role does the nervous system play in the development and spread of a tumor? Do possible interactions influence the prognosis? Can these processes be stopped or used for therapies?
The Brain Prize is the most highly endowed research prize in neuroscience and neuromedicine. Professor Winkler is sharing this year’s prize with Professor Michelle Monje from Stanford University, USA. The award will be presented by Danish King Frederik X in Copenhagen on May 28, 2025.
Close link between clinical practice and research accelerates the implementation of new findings
Professor Winkler’s discoveries are opening up entry points for new therapeutic strategies that are currently being tested in clinical trials.
“This is ‘translation’ in action, when new findings from research flow promptly into clinical care. Thanks to the close connection of the university and university hospital with non-university research institutions such as the DKFZ (German Cancer Research Center), Heidelberg offers excellent conditions for this,” says Doctor and Professor Jürgen Debus, Chief Medical Director of Heidelberg University Hospital. “I would like to congratulate Professor Winkler on his great success at the interface between patient-oriented research and clinical practice.”
Video: Brain Prize Winner Professor Frank Winkler
In this video, we introduce Professor Frank Winkler, the winner of the 2025 Brain Prize, and his work.
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