News Release

Novo Nordisk Prize for research on novel therapeutic approaches for brain diseases

Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz of University of Freiburg Medical Center is honoured for groundbreaking results on the brains immune system / These form the basis for new diagnostic and treatment concepts for diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimers

Grant and Award Announcement

University of Freiburg

Marco Prinz

image: Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz view more 

Credit: University of Freiburg Medical Center / Britt Schilling

The blood-brain barrier is an impenetrable barrier between the circulating blood and the brain established before birth that prevents immune cells from entering the brain from the body's immune system. Thus, the brain has its own immune system with a key actor called microglia. As wardens and housekeepers, the microglia play a central role in both monitoring and defending the brain and maintaining its normal functions. At the start of his career, German professor Marco Prinz became fascinated by these cells, which were at that time primarily thought to be the brain's garbage collectors.

"Most people found them boring, because they were thought to simply remove waste during illness. Our research has shown that their function extends far beyond this role and that the development of microglia dates back to a remarkably short period during fetal development. Microglia are key in maintaining the normal function of the brain, and their failure can therefore also lead to several very serious brain disorders," explains Professor Dr. Marco Prinz, Director at the Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Germany.

Early alarm clock in the brain

In brains affected by multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's disease, microglia become activated, expand in numbers and respond rapidly to reduce damage by gobbling up dying cell parts and characteristic protein build-ups. However, after a few weeks of cleaning unwanted material, they get exhausted and aged, eventually contributing to developing severe brain disorders.

"I think we are now starting to understand how these police officers in the brain work. Based on what we and other groups find in terms of signatures, of function, this can be used for patients, because the microglia seem to be the first to respond during almost any brain disease. So if we can identify some molecules, genes or markers that are really typical for microglia-specific disease, we could possibly develop better diagnostics and treatments," says Marco Prinz.

For his unique efforts, Marco Prinz is receiving the Novo Nordisk Prize, which is accompanied by DKK 5 million. The Novo Nordisk Foundation awards the Prize to honour an active scientist who has provided outstanding contributions to advance medical science to benefit people's lives.

"Marco Prinz is an exceptional clinician scientist who exemplifies how basic and clinical research can come together to generate paradigm-shifting new knowledge. He has contributed to drawing a novel picture of the role of the innate immune system in the central nervous system, elucidating the function and origin of the brain's microglia and their functional connection to the intestinal tract and the microbiome. With the 2021 Novo Nordisk Prize, we celebrate bridging the gap between basic and applied research in neuroimmunology," says Jørgen Frøkiær, Chair of the committee that awards the Prize.

Marco Prinz is delighted to receive the Prize and says:

"It was hard to imagine 25 years ago that I would receive these honours and distinctions, because at that time not many paid attention, so I accept the Prize with great humility and pride. Predicting how this field might develop during the next 10 years is difficult, but it is exploding currently, with interest and potential possibilities for curing some of these disabling and deadly brain diseases, and this is still the driving force in my daily work."

Future treatment

Marco Prinz imagines that it might be possible in the future to identify some of the microglia-specific molecules using magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography in living patients and thus diagnose the disease even before symptoms appear.

"This is like an early alarm clock in the brain that can tell us things that are not possible to tell us today. Brain disease today is usually diagnosed based on the symptoms or even small biopsies from the human brain. If the microglia in a specific region are activated, we can then tell that the patient seems to be developing a specific brain disease," explains Marco Prinz.

Today most brain diseases are diagnosed when the disease has already progressed and the patients have difficulties. With early diagnosis, the patients can potentially get more specific treatment that might be-microglia-based in the future.

"We consider microglia to be obvious targets for treating people with central nervous system disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. We call these neuromodulatory therapies. They can be pharmaceutical interventions or brain stimulation to remedy and cure the diseases," says Marco Prinz.

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About Marco Prinz

1990-1996 Medical studies, Humboldt University (Charité), Berlin, Germany

1997-1998 Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin-Buch, Germany

1999-2002 Postdoctoral Fellow and Medical Doctor, Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

2004 Habilitation at the Medical School, University of Göttingen; Lecturer ("Habilitation"), Consultant ("Facharzt" and "Oberarzt") for Neuropathology, Institute of Neuropathology, University of Göttingen, Germany

2008- Professor (W3) and Director, Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Germany

2014 Sobek Prize

2015 Reinhart-Koselleck Grant

2017- Coordinator of the SFB/TRR 167 NeuroMac on myeloid cells in the CNS

2018- Highly cited researcher (Clarivate Analytics)

2018 Ernst Jung Prize

2020 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize

About the Novo Nordisk Prize

The Novo Nordisk Prize recognizes an active scientist who has provided outstanding international contributions to advance medical science to benefit people's lives.

The Prize is intended to award and further support biomedical research in Europe.

The Prize is accompanied by DKK 5 million (€672,000) and comprises a DKK 4.5 million (€605,000) research grant and a personal award of DKK 0.5 million (€67,000).

The Foundation will award an additional DKK 0.5 million for hosting an international symposium within the recipient's field(s) of research.

The 2022 nomination call is open until June 1st at that link https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/prizes/the-novo-nordisk-prize/.

About the Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg

The focus of the diagnostic activities of the Institute of Neuropathology is the evaluation of bioptic tissue specimens from the central and peripheral nervous system, covering the microscopic and molecular examination of CNS and PNS tissues. Research activities comprise projects in the area of innate immunity of the brain, such as autoimmune inflammation (EAE model), neurodegeneration and general immunity. Clinical and scientific work is being carried out in close collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Department of Neurosurgery and other medical specialties within the Neurocenter and from other institutions.

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish foundation with corporate interests. It has two objectives: 1) to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities of the companies in the Novo Group; and 2) to support scientific, humanitarian and social causes.

The vision of the Foundation is to contribute significantly to research and development that improves the lives of people and the sustainability of society. Since 2010, the Foundation has donated more than DKK 30 billion (€4 billion), primarily for research at public institutions and hospitals in Denmark and the other Nordic countries as well as research-based treatment and prevention of diabetes. Read more at http://www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz
Director
Institute of Neuropathology
University of Freiburg - Medical Center
Phone: +49 761 270-51060
marco.prinz@uniklinik-freiburg.de

Further information

Christian Mostrup, Senior Programme Lead, +45 3067 4805, cims@novo.dk


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