(Vienna, 10 September 2026) Christian Nitsche from the Division of Cardiology at the Department of Medicine II at MedUni Vienna has been honoured with three scientific awards in 2026. At the annual conference of the Austrian Society of Cardiology (ÖKG), the cardiologist received the Werner Klein Research Prize and the ÖKG Excellence Fellowship, worth 100,000 euros. At the annual conference of the Austrian Society for Internal Medicine (ÖGIM), to be held in Salzburg from 16 to 18 September 2026, Nitsche will also be awarded the Klaus Lechner Prize.
The Werner Klein Research Prize recognised an international research project on the AI-assisted analysis of scintigraphy images in cardiac amyloidosis. In this condition, misfolded proteins accumulate in the heart muscle and progressively impair its function. The research team developed and validated an artificial intelligence method capable of automatically detecting and standardised assessment of abnormal accumulations in scintigraphy images. Data from more than 16,000 patients and around 19,400 examinations from nine international centres were analysed. The study was published in The Lancet Digital Health.
The ÖKG Excellence Grant supports multicentre cardiovascular research projects in Austria. This competitively awarded grant provides up to 100,000 euros and is specifically designed to strengthen collaboration between multiple research sites and foster long-term scientific partnerships.
Klaus Lechner Prize for study on aortic stenosis and amyloidosis
The ÖGIM’s Klaus Lechner Prize is awarded for outstanding scientific work in the field of internal medicine, with particular emphasis on clinical trials. Nitsche receives the award for the study published in the European Heart Journal entitled ‘Cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis treatment improves outcomes after aortic valve replacement for severe stenosis’.
The international study examined 226 patients with aortic valve stenosis and concomitant transthyretin amyloidosis across 16 centres in ten countries. The results show that both aortic valve replacement and specific drug treatment for amyloidosis were associated with a higher probability of survival. The prognosis was particularly favourable for patients who received both treatments.
About the person
Christian Nitsche is a consultant at the Division of Cardiology (Department of Medicine II) at MedUni Vienna. His main areas of research include heart valve diseases, cardiac amyloidosis and multimodal cardiovascular imaging.