Walter Siegenthaler Medals in Silver 2024 awarded to two DZIF junior scientists
Two DZIF junior scientists—Prof Philipp Schommers and Dr Alexander Simonis—have been honoured with silver medals by the Walter Siegenthaler Society for their fundamental medical research in the field of infectiology.
The Walter Siegenthaler Silver Medals have been awarded every two years for 76 years for fundamental scientific work on current topics in internal medicine. From a large number of excellent applications (29 papers), three young scientists from the fields of infectiology and endocrinology were selected for the 2024 Silver Medals. Two DZIF junior scientists, Philipp Schommers and Alexander Simonis, both researchers at the Department I of Internal Medicine/Infectiology at the University Hospital Cologne, and an endocrinologist from the University Hospital of Basel were honoured.
Prof Philipp Schommers was honoured for his HIV research. Schommers and his team were able to show that HIV-1 neutralisation activity and the lifespan of the naturally produced neutralising antibodies are strongly dependent on the amount of virus in the patient. The researchers characterised HIV-1-infected people who developed a highly potent and broadly neutralising antibody response that was still detectable after many years. The research results pave the way for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine that leads to such a long-lasting and efficient antibody response in vaccinated individuals.
Infections with the hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause life-threatening lung, kidney and bloodstream diseases and are feared due to the bacterium's numerous resistance mechanisms. Dr Alexander Simonis and his team have now succeeded in discovering a new approach for the antibiotic-independent blockade of virulence factors of this bacterium. Antibodies against the so-called type III secretion system of P. aeruginosa were obtained from the blood of cystic fibrosis patients, whose lungs are often chronically colonised with P. aeruginosa. Human monoclonal antibodies against the type III secretion system of P. aeruginosa were as effective as antibiotics in cell cultures and animal models. It is hoped that this therapeutic approach can be used successfully in the future for acute and chronic infections with P. aeruginosa.
The medals were awarded at the 38th Symposium of the Walter Siegenthaler Society (8-9 November 2024) in Cologne.
