Prof. Dr. Kaan Boztug from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) receives the Novartis Prize for Therapy-Relevant Immunological Research 2025. The expert in rare diseases of the immune system and blood formation conducted most of the research work that has now been honored in Vienna. His work was supported by an ERC Starting Grant (ImmunoCore, 2012-2018) and an ERC Consolidator Grant (iDysChart, 2019-2025), among others. The science prize, worth 10,000 € is divided into two parts this time and also goes to Prof. Dr. Evelyn Ullrich.
Prof. Boztug's area of expertise is research into inborn errors of immunity (IEI) and deciphering the molecular basis of inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. His research group is working to uncover the molecular processes involved in immune (dys)regulation, including autoimmunity and cancer predisposition in children. Prof. Boztug played a leading role in the initial description and molecular characterization of more than 20 previously unknown diseases.
"The vision of our research team and the entire institute will be to permanently help those children who cannot yet be sustainably cured with the existing treatment options in the near future. This aspiration also shapes my work and is the driving force behind the passionate and consistent advancement of our research activities," says Boztug. In his dual role as clinician and scientist, he is particularly committed to using new scientific findings to develop new treatment options.
Kaan Boztug is director of the Clinic for Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology at UKB and ImmunoSensation2 member since February 2025. Until January 2025, he was scientific director at St. Anna Children's Cancer Research, Adjunct PI at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Professor of Pediatrics and Inflammation Research at the Medical University of Vienna.
About the Novartis Prize for Therapy-Relevant Immunological Research
Basic immunological research has great potential for the development of innovative immunotherapeutic approaches. However, the successful translation of new findings in immunology into medical practice remains a major challenge and requires a high degree of interdisciplinarity. That is why the German Society for Immunology, in cooperation with the Novartis Foundation for Therapeutic Research, awards the Novartis Prize for Therapy-Relevant Immunological Research every two years. This prize, worth 10,000 € is intended to recognize work that bridges the gap between immunological and clinical research.
Contact
Clinic for Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology
Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn
mail: kaan.boztug@ukbonn.de
