(Vienna, 28-04-2022) The Johann Wilhelm Ritter von Mannagetta Prize for Medicine is awarded once a year by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) for outstanding medical research by young scientists. This year, Polina Kameneva from MedUni Vienna's Center for Brain Research and Gregor Gryglewski from MedUni Vienna's Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy each received this award, worth €4,000.
Biochemist Polina Kameneva from MedUni Vienna's Center for Brain Research is being recognized for her work in the field of neuroimmunology. In her publication "Single-cell transcriptomics of human embryos identifies multiple sympathoblast lineages with potential implications for neuroblastoma origin" (Nature Genetics) she demonstrated that neuroblastomas contain populations of cells that resemble the developmental stages of human sympathoblasts, bridge cells and chromaffin cells. This finding casts a new light on the premise that peripheral nerves represent a unique niche for stem cells during human development and potentially in cancer.
About Polina Kameneva:
Polina Kameneva completed her PhD in biochemistry in 2017. Between February 2018 and March 2021, she held a postdoctoral position at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Since March 2021, Polina Kameneva has been working as a postdoc at the Center for Brain Research, Division of Neuroimmunology, MedUni Vienna.
Neuroscientist Gregor Gryglewski from MedUni Vienna's Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy received the prize for his publication "Enrichment of Disease-Associated Genes in Cortical Areas Defined by Transcriptome-Based Parcellation" (Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging). In this study of transcriptome-based parcellation of the cerebral cortex, he explored regional enrichment with genes associated with brain disease. The enrichment patterns he discovered pointed to the vulnerability of specific cortical regions, the disruption of which could influence the risk of developing one or more brain diseases. For some diseases, it was possible to identify specific genes that may play a role in disease mechanisms or new therapies.
About Gregor Gryglewski:
Gregor Gryglewski completed his medical degree in 2015 and his PhD in clinical neuroscience in 2019. He completed his specialist medical training at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of MedUni Vienna and qualified as a university lecturer in 2021. Since 2022, he has been on a research placement at Yale University, USA, as a fellow of the European Molecular Biology Organization.
About the Prize:
The €4000 Johann Wilhelm Ritter von Mannagetta Prize for Medicine is awarded once a year by the Austrian Academy of Sciences for outstanding achievements by young scientists whose doctorate was awarded no more than four years ago and who are actively involved in medical research. The Johann Wilhelm Ritter von Mannagetta Prize for Medicine is endowed with 15,000 euros. It was awarded in 2021 to Joanna Loizou from the Center for Cancer Research at MedUni Vienna.