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The Heinrich Lanz Foundation in Mannheim has awarded the Heinrich Lanz Prize for Translational Research in Medicine for the first time as part of the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH). The first award was made in the field of psychiatry. The US psychiatrist and neuroscientist Professor Dr. Daniel R. Weinberger will receive the highly endowed prize of 100,000 euros.
The Heinrich Lanz Prize for Translational Research in Medicine honors internationally renowned researchers who have made a special contribution to combining basic research and clinical application. This year's prize was awarded in the field of mental health.
Weinberger played a key role in shaping research into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. He was one of the first to recognize the role of deviant brain development as a risk factor for psychiatric disorders and to bring it into the focus of research. In doing so, he used innovative imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and gene expression analyses in postmortem human brain. Weinberger also developed one of the first high-fidelity animal models of schizophrenia and was able to show how genetic variations influence cognitive functions and brain functions in humans. His groundbreaking work in identifying genetic factors and clarifying their mechanism in brain, such as the discovery of the role of the COMT gene in dopamine metabolism and cortical funciton, has revolutionized the understanding of the biological basis of mental illness. The significance of this discovery was recognized by the journal Science as one of the most important scientific breakthroughs.
“What particularly distinguishes Professor Weinberger is his ability to transfer findings from clinical work to basic research. His life's work has contributed to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and thus sustainably improved the lives of many people with mental illnesses,” said Wolfgang Pföhler, Chairman of the Heinrich Lanz Foundation, at the award ceremony.
“Daniel Weinberger has revolutionized psychiatry through a series of fundamental discoveries about neurobiological disease processes in the context of brain development,” said Professor Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CIMH and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, summarizing Weinberger's extraordinary achievements.
Weinberger thanked the Foundation for recognizing his life's work as a scientist. “It am deeply honored and grateful to be recognized as the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Heinrich Lanz Award for Translational Medicine. This recognition not only acknowledges the work I have dedicated my life to but also signals to us all about the importance of our shared mission to improve the lives of individuals with mental illness. I am also grateful to the many gifted and dedicated scientists who I have had the good fortune to have worked with throughout my career and who share this honor with me, including many exceptional colleagues from Germany. This unique honor is a reminder of how important our efforts are to reduce the burden of mental illness”, stated Weinberger.
The Heinrich Lanz Prize for Translational Research in Psychiatry was awarded as part of the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. “We are honored by the Heinrich Lanz Foundation's decision to award this prize in the context of our anniversary. Like Daniel Weinberger, the Central Institute also stands for innovative approaches in research that benefit people with mental illness in the form of new treatment approaches. Daniel Weinberger is both a role model and an incentive for us,” said Meyer-Lindenberg.
About Daniel R. Weinberger
Daniel R. Weinberger was born in 1947. He completed specialist training in psychiatry and neurology. For several decades, he worked at the renowned National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, which he played a key role in shaping. He is Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and Director and CEO of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore.
About the Heinrich Lanz Foundation
The Heinrich Lanz Foundation was established in 1906 as a family foundation for the construction of the Heinrich Lanz Hospital. In 1916, it evolved into today's Heinrich-Lanz-Stiftung. Its aim is to promote innovative projects and personalities who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in the medical-scientific field, in healthcare and for social progress. The foundation follows in the tradition of the Lanz family, who have left a lasting mark on the common good not only as industrialists, but also through their social work. Through its work, the foundation aims to help tackle social challenges and enable sustainable improvements, particularly in the areas of health and science.
About the Heinrich Lanz Prize for Translational Research in Medicine
In 2025, the Heinrich Lanz Foundation will award the Heinrich Lanz Prize for translational research in the field of psychiatry for the first time. This year, the prize, endowed with 100,000 euros, is awarded to Professor Dr. Daniel R. Weinberger, an internationally renowned researcher who has made a special contribution to the combination of basic research and clinical application in the field of mental health. With this award, the Foundation wishes to emphasize the importance of translational research, which makes a decisive contribution to translating scientific findings into concrete improvements for patients.
About the CIMH
The Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) stands for internationally outstanding research and pioneering treatment concepts in psychiatry and psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics and addiction medicine. The clinics of the CIMH guarantee psychiatric care for the population of Mannheim. Mentally ill people of all ages can rely on the most advanced treatments based on international standards of knowledge at the CIMH. Educating people about mental illness, creating understanding for those affected and strengthening prevention is another important part of our work. The CIMH is one of Europe's leading institutions for psychiatric research and is a site of the German Center for Mental Health (dzpg.org). The CIMH is institutionally linked to the University of Heidelberg through jointly appointed professors from the Mannheim Medical Faculty and is a member of the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim (health-life-sciences.de).
(From left to right) Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Chairman of the Board of the CIMH, Prof. Dr ...
Nikola Haubner
CIMH
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(From left to right) Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Chairman of the Board of the CIMH, Prof. Dr ...
Nikola Haubner
CIMH
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