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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Physician and diabetologist Dr. Martin Schön from the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) has been honored with the prestigious Rising Star Award at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). With this award, the EASD recognizes young researchers who are advancing international diabetes research with innovative approaches. Schön also received the Future Leaders Award, which is presented by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The funding will enable him to further expand his work on more precise diagnosis of diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).
Dr. Martin Schön comes from Bratislava, Slovakia, where he studied medicine before coming to Germany to pursue his research. In 2018, he completed a six-month research internship at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2020, he has been a resident physician at the Department of Diabetology and Endocrinology at Düsseldorf University Hospital and is conducting research on the diversity of type 2 diabetes at the DDZ in Düsseldorf and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). His goal is to better understand the subtypes of diabetes and find ways to detect and prevent complications at an early stage.
For the 35-year-old, the award is an important step in his career as a physician and scientist: “I am very grateful for the experiences I have had, the mentors who have inspired me, and the places I have been able to see. Every recognition of my work motivates me to become even better by taking one step at a time.”
“Dr. Martin Schön belongs to a new generation of diabetes researchers who want to bring precision medicine into clinical practice,” says Prof. Michael Roden, Scientific Director and Spokesperson for the Board of the DDZ and Director of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology at Düsseldorf University Hospital. “The fact that he is being honored for this work at the European level is a great success—both for him personally and for the DDZ.”
“Classifying diabetes into subtypes helps us to view people with diabetes more individually”
Diabetes mellitus is not a uniform disease. Type 2 diabetes in particular shows great differences in disease progression, metabolic profile, and risks for secondary diseases. Researchers worldwide are working to better understand this diversity with the aim of making therapies more individualized and effective. While some people develop complications early on, others remain free of secondary diseases despite similar blood glucose levels.
“Blood glucose levels alone are not sufficient to explain the differences between patients,” says Schön. “Knowing about the heterogeneity of diabetes helps us to view people with diabetes more individually and to assess the risk of secondary diseases more accurately.”
This is precisely where his work comes in. Under the direction of Prof. Robert Wagner, head of the Clinical Study Center at the DDZ, Schön was able to show that nine easily measurable values, all easy, cheap and quick to measure in a clinical praxis, are sufficient to meaningfully differentiate between people with diabetes. This classification, in turn, provides information about which individuals are particularly at risk for complications such as cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, or nerve damage.
CGM-based classification for precision medicine
In addition to the Rising Star Award, Dr. Schön will receive the EFSD/Novo Nordisk Foundation Future Leaders Award at the EASD—a prestigious support program that annually honors up to four outstanding young scientists in the field of diabetes research in Europe.
Schön plans to use the funds to rethink the classification of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Instead of relying solely on blood glucose thresholds, he wants to use data from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems to characterize individual metabolic profiles in greater detail.
“I am convinced that CGM-based classification can pave the way for precision medicine in diabetology,” says Schön. “For example, changes in blood sugar after eating could show which individuals would particularly benefit from GLP-1 therapy—a major step toward individually tailored treatments.”
Background: Rising Star Award und Future Leaders Award
The EASD Rising Star Award is presented annually to four outstanding young researchers who are breaking new ground in diabetology with innovative projects. The award winners present their work in a dedicated session at the EASD Annual Meeting.
The Future Leaders Award Program, sponsored by the EFSD and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, supports young researchers on their path to scientific independence. The aim is to promote the next generation of outstanding scientists in European diabetes research and strengthen their careers.
Profile photo of Dr. Martin Schön
Copyright: Martin Schön
Dr. Martin Schön receives the Rising Star Award at the EASD Rising Star Symposium in Vienna.
Copyright: Martin Schön
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Profile photo of Dr. Martin Schön
Copyright: Martin Schön
Dr. Martin Schön receives the Rising Star Award at the EASD Rising Star Symposium in Vienna.
Copyright: Martin Schön
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