(Vienna, 21 October 2020) The Association of German Allergologists (AeDA) awards the Erich Fuchs Prize in recognition of individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to scientific allergology. This year's lifetime achievement award went to Rudolf Valenta from the Institute for Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at MedUni Vienna's Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology.
The prize is named after the internationally renowned allergologist Erich Fuchs (1921–2008), who is regarded as the pioneer of modern interdisciplinary allergology in Germany.
The laudation for Rudolf Valenta emphasised not only his research work but also his services in promoting the teaching of allergology and advanced training in the subject. "He can be considered to be a co-founder of molecular allergy diagnostics and has contributed important immunological knowledge to the field of allergology."
About Rudolf Valenta
Rudolf Valenta studied medicine at the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna (now MedUni Vienna), completed his postdoctoral qualification in general and experimental pathology and specialised in pathophysiology and immunology. He has been Professor of Allergology since 2004. He heads up the Division of Immunopathology at MedUni Vienna's Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research. In 2012, he was named MedUni Vienna’s "Inventor of the Year". In 2016, he took up a Foreign Adjunct Professorship at the Swedish Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Also in 2016, he received the International Distinguished Fellow Award conferred by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). Together with the Viennese company Viravaxx, he is currently developing a potential vaccine against Sars-CoV-2.