The oldest medical prize in Germany, the Dr. Martini Prize, was awarded exclusively to a researcher this year. Dr. Felicitas Hengel from the III Medical Clinic and Polyclinic of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) receives the award, which is endowed with 15,000 euros, for her work on anti-nephrine-mediated podocytopathy, an autoimmune disease of the kidneys.

According to the jury, Hengel’s research work contributes to a fundamentally new understanding of the causes of disease. It includes, among other things, the development of a new test method for the safe measurement of anti-nephrine autoantibodies. She was able to demonstrate these antibodies as a central trigger for diseases such as minimal change disease (MCD), primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in adults and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children.

Until now, these kidney diseases were considered largely unknown to the cause and were classified primarily on the basis of histopathological findings. The detection of autoantibodies against nephrine – an important protein of the blood-urine barrier – now opens up possibilities for more precise diagnostics, better prognosis assessment and the development of targeted therapies. The impaired filtration leads to massive protein loss in the urine, which in turn causes lipid metabolism disorders, thrombosis, immune deficiency and edema.

The Dean of the Medical Faculty of the UKE, Prof. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, emphasized that the work exemplifies how basic scientific findings can be transferred directly into patient care. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dr. Martini Foundation, Prof. Samuel M. Huber, emphasized the importance of the prize for the promotion of future-oriented medicine and thanked this year’s donors Eva-Maria and Wolfgang Peter Greve.

The Dr. Martini Prize was founded in 1880 by Hamburg merchants and is considered the oldest medical prize in Germany. Every year, it honors outstanding scientific work by young researchers in early career phases who work in Hamburg hospitals. The sole award to a female scientist will be made for the first time in 14 years.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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