Antje Körner will receive the prestigious Willendorf Award from the World Obesity Federation on July 17 in Mexico City. The award is among the most distinguished international honors in obesity research and has been presented since 1980 during the International Congress on Obesity. Körner is Professor of Metabolism Research at Leipzig University and Head of the Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Research Unit at the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolism, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG), a site of DZD partner Helmholtz Munich.
“This award is a tremendous honor and a recognition of the work of my entire team. It highlights the importance of long-term, interdisciplinary research to better understand the causes and consequences of obesity and to sustainably improve care for affected children and their families,” says Prof. Körner. “Every child deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life. Research helps us identify risks at an early stage, prevent complications, and create new perspectives for affected families.”
Körner’s research has been instrumental in identifying early childhood as a critical window for the development and manifestation of obesity. Her work focuses on understanding the biological changes in adipose tissue that are linked to metabolic complications. In addition, her team has developed novel approaches to more accurately predict the risk of severe obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Among her landmark achievements is the discovery of a previously unknown genetic cause of obesity. Körner has published more than 250 original scientific papers and has received numerous national and international awards. She has secured more than €11 million in competitive research funding, including grants from the European Union, the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
A defining feature of her work is its integrative and translational approach. Körner combines experimental basic research with clinical, epidemiological, and genetic studies, enabling scientific discoveries to be translated into improved patient care. This approach is supported by strong research networks and unique infrastructures in Leipzig, many of which she helped establish.
Regional and national initiatives such as the Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM) Cluster of Excellence, the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), the LIFE Child cohort, and HI-MAG provide an outstanding scientific environment for investigating the origins and progression of obesity across the entire lifespan.
Awards and Honors
Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Leipziger Wissenschaftspreis, EASO-Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence 2024
