(Vienna, 17 February 2023). The vfwf – the Association for the Promotion of Science and Research – awarded prizes for the best dissertations and post-doctoral theses at MedUni Vienna for 2022 and 2023. The prizes were presented as part of the Regine Kapeller-Adler Lecture, which was held for the first time.
The new series of events is dedicated to the scientific pioneer, Regine Kapeller-Adler. The opening lecture, on 16th February 2023 at the Josephinium, was given by the renowned oncologist, Laurence Zitvogel from the Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre in Ville near Paris. She gave insights into her research on tumour immunology, immunotherapy and microbiome.
Regine Kapeller-Adler
Born in 1900, Regine Kapeller-Adler was a chemist who made history with her innovation in the early 1930s; she developed a histidine-based pregnancy test which delivered a result within a few hours – a revolution at the time. Despite her outstanding achievements, she was denied a scientific career in Austria on the grounds of her being a woman and Jewish, and she was subjected to increasing repression. After the ‘Anschluss’ in 1938, she was unable to complete her medical studies, was expelled, and found a new home in Great Britain. With the lecture dedicated to her, the vfwf is creating a day for research with a high-calibre audience which is characterised by the exchange and transfer of knowledge.
The Prize-Winners:
Dissertation Prizes 2022
Gregor Sebastian Reiter, University Clinic of Ophtalmology and Optometry
‘Investigation of predictive factors for the progression of non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration’
Katarina Kovacevic, University Clinic of Clinical Pharmacology
‘Inhibition of von Willebrand factor by a third-generation aptamer (BT200)’
Habilitation Prizes 2022
Joanna Loizou, Centre for Cancer Research
‘Molecular mechanisms of genome stability’
Gabriel Bsteh, University Department of Neurology
‘New Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis’
Dissertation Prizes 2023
Ines Garces de los Fayos Alonso, Clinical Institute for Pathology
‘The PDGFRb-STAT5 signalling axis increases aggressiveness of ALK+ ALCL lymphomas’
Florian Moik, University Department of Internal Medicine I, Clinical Division for Haematology and Haemostaseology
‘Cancer and Haemostasis: Impact of hypercoagulability on clinical outcomes in patients with cancer’
Philipp Schwabl, Department of Medicine III
„The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) as treatment targets in cirrhotic portal hypertension“
Habilitation Prizes 2023
Christian Nitsche, University Department of Internal Medicine II, Clinical Division of Cardiology
‘Multimodal Imaging in High-Grade Aortic Stenosis’
Assunta Dal-Bianco, University Department for Neurology
‘Chronic inflammatory activity in patients with multiple sclerosis – A long-term clinical 7 Tesla MRI Study’.
The vfwf
The objective of the VFWF is to promote modern research at the AKH Wien (University Hospital, Vienna), to strengthen the public’s awareness of the MedUni Vienna’s position, and to continue the tradition of the ‘Viennese Medical School’.
The vfwf organises presentations/lectures, panel discussions on current topics, poster exhibitions, conferences and symposia and thus offers platforms for successful networking.
It also co-publishes the magazine, ‘Medunique-People’.
Another objective is the collaboration with industry and service-provider companies. The promotion of collaboration is an essential factor in supporting modern science and research in an increasingly financially-difficult environment.