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The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
The Faculty of Medicine at Saarland University in Homburg has once again presented the traditional awards of the Calogero Pagliarello Foundation. Dean Prof. Dr Matthias Hannig presented the awards on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine at Saarland University, where the Foundation is based.
The Calogero Pagliarello Research Prize and the associated prize money of 3,000 euros were awarded to PD Dr. rer. nat. Yuan Gu from the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Surgery. The researcher is currently working in the field of surgical research and molecular medicine, investigating the blood vessels that supply tumours with nutrients and oxygen. Interrupting this supply could curb tumour growth. PD Dr. rer. nat. Yuan Gu has identified various promising active substances, including natural plant-based compounds, already approved drugs with new applications, and small ribonucleic acid molecules (microRNAs). A better understanding of the mechanisms of action of these substances can help to develop targeted combination therapies. Her approach focuses primarily on types of cancer that grow rapidly and metastasise early, such as triple-negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
In addition to the research prize, a total of three Calogero Pagliarello Study Prizes were awarded for the first time this year. Each is endowed with 2,000 euros and honours three scientists who have made outstanding contributions to research into previously incurable or rare diseases. The research prizes went to:
Dr Lukas Alexander Brust, a junior doctor at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the UKS, investigated the influence of vitamin D on head and neck tumours in his doctoral thesis. The results of the study demonstrate comprehensively for the first time that vitamin D not only has a direct inhibitory effect on tumour cells but also supports the body’s own tumour defence mechanisms. In the long term, these findings could contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches – particularly in combination with modern immunotherapies.
Dr. rer. nat. Christopher Carlein investigated the rare condition ‘Barth syndrome’ and its effects on blood sugar metabolism – specifically the changes in cellular signalling pathways in the pancreas – in his doctoral thesis at the Centre for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM) in the Department of Biophysics. The regulation of these signalling pathways offers promising starting points for future therapies.
Dr Colya Englisch, a PhD student in the natural sciences at the Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology and a junior doctor at the Sulzbach Eye Clinic, focused his doctoral thesis – conducted at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene at the UKS – on the severe eye infection ‘Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis’. This condition affects the cornea and, in the worst cases, can lead to blindness or even the loss of the eye. Dr Englisch has investigated a new delivery system for antibiotics, whereby the active ingredient remains in the eye for longer, and is researching an innovative combination therapy using a new class of enzyme-inhibiting active ingredients.
Further details on all four award-winning research projects can be found in the Newsroom on the Saarland University Hospital website: https://www.uks.eu/ueber-das-uks/newsroom/medienmitteilungen/pm-detail/calogero-pagliarello-preise-verliehen
The Calogero Pagliarello Foundation
The Calogero Pagliarello Foundation and the associated awards trace their origins back to the self-employed craftsman Calogero Pagliarello. Born in Sicily in 1907, he initially lived and worked in Italy and France before settling in St. Ingbert in the Saarland. Following his death in 1991, almost his entire estate was bequeathed to the foundation named after him. This is based at the Faculty of Medicine at Saarland University in Homburg. The foundation’s purpose is to promote research and study in the field of medicine.
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