Jakob-Herz Prize 2020 is awarded to Magdalena Götz
For her groundbreaking discoveries in the field of neurosciences, Prof. Dr. Magdalena Götz, Head of the Institute for Physiological Genomics at the Biomedical Center and Director of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at the Helmholtz Center Munich, was honored with the Jakob-Herz Prize for medical research. The prize, endowed with 10,000€, is awarded by the Medical Faculty of the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in cooperation with the Research Foundation of Medicine (Universitätsklinikum Erlangen) to honor outstanding, internationally renowned scientists.
Prof. Götz received the award for her pioneering research on neurogenesis. She demonstrated that glia cells in the brain not only have supportive and nourishing functions, but also have stem cell capacity in the developing brain. This discovery introduced a paradigm shift in the field and paved the way for the development of cell-based strategies for neuron regeneration after CNS injuries.
The festive award ceremony took place on 7 February at the Medical Faculty of the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Picture: H. Sippel