Prof. Matthias Tschöp, Director of the Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, was awarded the 2017 Hansen Family Award. The prize endowed with 75,000 euros recognizes his discoveries in gut-brain signaling and the development of drug candidates, which are now in clinical trials for obesity and diabetes.

The award was officially presented by Bayer CEO Werner Baumann at a ceremony in Berlin on May 15, 2017. Moreover, the Board of Trustees of the Bayer Science & Education Foundation and the Scientific Committee for this award honored Prof. Jens Brüning of Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne. The award, which is endowed with 75,000 euros each, is in recognition for their groundbreaking insights and paradigm shifting discoveries in the area of diabetes and obesity.  

Prof. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bayer Science & Education Foundation, said: “Diabetes is on the increase all over the world, and one major risk factor is obesity. Understanding the metabolic and hormone-related pathways and signals in the body has the potential to lead to urgently needed new prevention and treatment options. Both Jens Brüning and Matthias Tschöp are pioneers in this field of research and therefore deserving this prestigious award.”

Prof. Tschöp is Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Biomedicine Director of the new Helmholtz Pioneer Campus and Chair of the Metabolic Diseases Division at the Technical University of Munich. His research focuses on dissecting the molecular underpinnings of diabetes and obesity in order to discover new preventive and therapeutic approaches. One of his areas of interest is the role of gut-brain communication as a key circuitry that regulates adiposity, glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism. Currently, his team is aiming to develop innovative interdisciplinary approaches in collaboration with physicists, engineers and chemists for the personalized prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes and concomitant diseases.

Background:
The Hansen Family Award honors scientists who have conducted pioneering research in innovative areas of biology and medicine. It has been presented since 2000 in memory of its endower Professor Kurt Hansen. The late, former Bayer AG Board of Management and Supervisory Board Chairman established the award in 1999 in “gratitude for a fulfilling life as a natural scientist and businessman.”


Contact:
Communication Department
Helmholtz Zentrum München -
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
Ingolstädter Landstraße 1
85764 Neuherberg
Germany
Phone: +49 89 3187-2238
E-Mail: presse(at)helmholtz-muenchen.de

Scientific Contact:
Prof. Dr. Matthias Tschöp
Helmholtz Zentrum München -
German Research Center for Environmental Health
Institute for Diabetes and Obesity
Ingolstädter Landstr. 1
85764 Neuherberg
Germany
Tel. +49 89 3187 2103
E-Mail: matthias.tschoep(at)helmholtz-muenchen.de