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For their discovery of genomic imprinting, developmental biologists Davor Solter and Azim Surani will receive the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, endowed with €120,000, on March 14 at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche. They discovered that we inherit some genes only in one active copy, determined by a molecular mark specifying maternal or paternal origin – thereby laying the foundation for the field of epigenetics. The Early Career Award will be presented to neurologist Varun Venkataramani, who demonstrated that malignant brain tumors accelerate growth by tapping into nerve currents, helping establish the field of cancer neuroscience.
FRANKFURT. A long-standing principle of genetics held that every body cell contains two active copies of each gene. In 1984, Davor Solter and Azim Surani overturned this basic rule. They demonstrated that some genes are only inherited in one active copy – either the maternal or paternal copy is permanently deactivated. Working independently yet in parallel, they used a cell nucleus transplantation technique developed by Solter to show that mouse embryos containing only maternal or only paternal genetic material were not viable – contradicting established doctrine. Their findings revealed that mammals, including humans, require the full genetic contribution of both parents. This sets them apart from species capable of reproducing through parthenogenesis from unfertilized eggs. The underlying mechanism: of the two gene copies inherited from mother and father, some are selectively switched off by epigenetic imprints – small molecular tags attached to DNA. Surani termed this phenomenon genomic imprinting. “This discovery was a turning point in modern genetics,” said Prof. Thomas Boehm, Chairman of the Scientific Council. “It showed that our phenotype is not determined by genotype alone, but also shaped by epigenetic marks.”
Genomic imprinting is essential for healthy embryonic development, as it balances the competition for limited resources between mother and fetus. Its medical relevance extends far beyond embryology: We know that around one percent of human genes are imprinted, many of them embedded in signaling pathways that influence health and disease in adulthood. The discovery of genomic imprinting gave rise to modern epigenetics – the study of molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression without altering DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes play a key role in cancer, for example – an insight that has already led to the development of targeted therapies.
Brain tumors do not arise from nerve cells, which – with few exceptions – no longer divide. Most are gliomas, originating from glial cells that normally support and nourish nerve cells. Varun Venkataramani discovered that gliomas form synapses with neurons, allowing them to tap into electrical signals that drive tumor growth and spread. Over the past decade, he and his mentors have validated and deepened this unexpected finding, helping establish the field of cancer neuroscience. The work has also opened a new therapeutic avenue: disrupting the tumor’s access to neural signaling to halt its growth – an approach currently being tested in a Phase II clinical trial.
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2026
https://tinygu.de/csQDp
Davor Solter, born in 1941, is director emeritus of the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg. He has held visiting professorships in Singapore and Bangkok and now lives in the U.S. state of Maine.
Azim Surani, born in 1945, is a professor at the University of Cambridge in England, where he serves as Director of Germline and Epigenetic Research at the Gurdon Institute.
https://www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk/people/azim-surani/
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Scientists 2026
https://tinygu.de/EIvyl
Varun Venkataramani, born in 1989, is a neurologist at Heidelberg University Hospital and heads a research group at the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University.
https://venkataramani-lab.com/
Further information
Press Office Paul Ehrlich Foundation
Joachim Pietzsch
Tel: +49 (0)69 36007188
Email:j.pietzsch@wissenswort.com
https://www.paul-ehrlich-stiftung.de
The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize is the most prestigious medical prize in Germany. It is endowed with 120,000 euros and is traditionally awarded on Paul Ehrlich's birthday, March 14, in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. It honors scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of research represented by Paul Ehrlich, particularly in immunology, cancer research, hematology, microbiology and chemotherapy. The prize, which has been awarded since 1952, is financed by the Federal Ministry of Health, the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies and earmarked donations from the following companies, foundations and institutions: Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co KG, Biotest AG, Hans und Wolfgang Schleussner-Stiftung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Fresenius SE & Co KGaA, F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd, Grünenthal Group, Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Merck KGaA, Bayer AG, Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH & Co KG, GlaxoSmithKline GmbH & Co KG, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co AG. The prize winners are selected by the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation. A list of the members of the Scientific Council is available on the website of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation.
The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Early Career Award, first awarded in 2006, is presented annually by the Paul Ehrlich Foundation to a young scientist working in Germany for outstanding achievements in biomedical research. The prize money of €60,000 must be used for research purposes. University professors and senior scientists at German research institutions are eligible to submit nominations. The winners are selected by the Foundation Board on the recommendation of an eight-member selection committee.
The Paul Ehrlich Foundation
The Paul Ehrlich Foundation is a legally dependent foundation that is administered in trust by the Association of Friends and Sponsors of Goethe University. The honorary president of the foundation, which was established in 1929 by Hedwig Ehrlich, is Professor Dr. Katja Becker, president of the German Research Foundation, who also appoints the elected members of the foundation council and the board of trustees. The Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation is Professor Dr. Thomas Boehm, Director Emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Professor Dr. Jochen Maas. In his capacity as Chairman of the Association of Friends and Sponsors of Goethe University, Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bender is also a member of the Foundation Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation. The president of Goethe University is also a member of the Board of Trustees in this capacity.
Goethe University Frankfurt is a cosmopolitan workshop of the future based in the heart of Europe. Founded in 1914 by Frankfurt citizens, it resumed this tradition as a foundation university in 2008: as an autonomous citizens' university embedded in urban society, both ensuring and offering a high degree of social participation in and support for metropolitan life. With more than 40,000 students, Goethe University Frankfurt is one of Germany’s largest and most research-intensive universities and one of Frankfurt’s largest employers.
As an internationally oriented comprehensive university, Goethe University Frankfurt’s excellent research is clustered along six interdisciplinary, interdepartmental profile areas as well as the diversity of its faculties and subjects, spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, life sciences and medicine. Together with TU Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it makes up the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) alliance, and is also a member of the "German U15", the association of the 15 most research-intensive German universities. Goethe University Frankfurt is the only university in the “Frankfurt Alliance” network, whose 15 other members consist of non-university research institutions in the Rhine-Main region.
https://www.goethe-universitaet.de/en
https://www.paul-ehrlich-stiftung.de Paul Ehrlich Stiftung
Davor Solter, Azim Surani, Varun Venkataramani
Quelle: private, J. Garget, U. Dettmar
Copyright: Montage: Paul Ehrlich-Stiftung
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Davor Solter, Azim Surani, Varun Venkataramani
Quelle: private, J. Garget, U. Dettmar
Copyright: Montage: Paul Ehrlich-Stiftung
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