27th September 2025

Award Winners 2025

Three talented researchers receive the Life Sciences Bridge Award 2025 for groundbreaking work in oncology and virology: Dr. Judith Feucht, Dr. Frauke Mücksch and Dr. Varun Venkataramani.

The most highly endowed prize for young scientists in the life sciences in Germany was presented yesterday evening at the Holzhausenschlösschen in Frankfurt am Main. Judith Feucht, Frauke Mücksch, and Varun Venkataramani, who have attracted attention with their significant achievements in cancer and HIV research, were each awarded prize money of €100,000. Dr. med. Judith Feucht from the University of Tübingen has made decisive progress in the development of CAR-T cell therapies at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Since returning to Tübingen, the pediatrician has been working at the iFIT Cluster of Excellence to further develop these approaches for clinical application, including for age-related diseases. Dr. rer. nat. Frauke Mücksch and her team at Heidelberg University Hospital are dedicated to finding a cure for HIV. Their focus is on “sleeping viruses” that hide in the genetic material and have so far prevented a complete cure. Today, she is one of the leading minds working to permanently eliminate the HI virus. Dr. med. Dr. rer. nat. Varun Venkataramani from Heidelberg University has opened up a new field of research: cancer neuroscience. His goal is to disconnect tumors from the brain’s “power grid” and thus stop their spread. These approaches are already being tested in clinical models. The Life Sciences Bridge Award is intended to support researchers on their way to a professorship and promote their innovative approaches. Through the targeted promotion of talented researchers at German universities, the award contributes to strengthening cutting-edge research in Germany.