The legal historian Gerhard Thür, the biologist Leonid A. Sazanov and the molecular biologist Thomas Vogl will receive prizes worth 15,000 euros for excellent research achievements.
Vienna (OTS) – Once a year, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) awards its highest science prizes. The Wilhelm Hartel Prize, the Erwin Schrödinger Prize and the Elisabeth Lutz Prize are each endowed with 15,000 euros and will go to three scientists this year: Gerhard Thür will be awarded the Wilhelm Hartel Prize for his research in the field of ancient legal history . With the Erwin Schrödinger Prize, the ÖAW honors Leonid A. Sazanov for his scientific achievements in the field of structural biology of membrane protein complexes. Thomas Vogl will be awarded the Elisabeth Lutz Prize for his research into the complex immune response of antibodies, particularly to the intestinal microbiome, in the context of autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Twelve young researchers will also be honored at the award ceremony on March 12th. “The large number of award-winning researchers and their outstanding work are living proof of the excellent research landscape that we actively promote through the prizes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The prizes are appreciation and confirmation. It’s worth pursuing new and creative ideas and investing your life in research,” says ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann.
Gerhard Thür: Research into ancient Greek law
Gerhard Thür focused his research on the legal history of the ancient Greek city-states. On the one hand there are extensive sources in the Attic court orators and on the other hand in thousands of original inscriptions on stone. Through this approach he has opened up a new approach to understanding the Greek legal system and its institutions, as well as the sources themselves.
His work not only contributed to integrating epigraphy and papyrology into legal scholarship, but also brought legal history and its questions into these two source studies as well as into the analysis of Attic orators.
Leonid A. Sazanov: How molecular machines work
Leonid A. Sazanov and his research group at ISTA investigate the molecular design of complex biological machines that are responsible for cellular processes. In detail, this involves membrane protein complexes. Sazanov’s research deepens the understanding of the causes of various diseases and thus lays the foundation for the development of effective drugs to combat them.
“I feel particularly honored to receive this award because it was reading Erwin Schrödinger’s book ‘What is Life?’ at school, which encouraged me to later study biophysics at university,” says the Schrödinger Prize winner. For him, the award not only underlines the achievements of his research group at ISTA, but also “shows the importance the academy attaches to basic research in general – and to structural biology and the better understanding of membrane protein complexes in particular,” says Sazanov.
Thomas Vogl: On the trail of microbial and tumor factors
The human body consists of around 100 trillion cells and at least as many bacteria in the digestive tract, the intestinal microbiome. These microorganisms influence our immune system and also play a role in cancer. Thomas Vogl is trying to decipher the role of the microbiome and the immune system in autoimmune and cancer diseases at the Center for Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna. To do this, he combines experimental biology with machine learning and data science. His innovative methods have already identified a wealth of new biomarkers that pave the way to the development of new therapeutic approaches.
“I am very pleased that our research on the interaction of the intestinal microbiome with the immune system is also being recognized in this form,” says Thomas Vogl on receiving the Elisabeth Lutz Prize. “We use complementary approaches from bioinformatics, systems immunology, and artificial intelligence, which shows the great potential of interdisciplinary projects.”
Further information:
Information about all winners of the young talent awards can be found on the ÖAW website.
Download Pressebilder
Questions & Contact:
Sven Hartwig
Head of Public & Communications
Austrian Academy of Sciences
T +43 1 51581-1331
sven.hartwig@oeaw.ac.at
#Highest #honors #awarded #ÖAW