Frank Bradke receives the 50,000 Euro Academy Prize

Bonn/Germany, June 14, 2024. Neurobiologist Frank Bradke, a research group leader at DZNE and professor at the University of Bonn, has been awarded the 50,000 euro Academy Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The award recognizes his outstanding scientific accomplishments in the field of neuronal development and regeneration. With his studies, the Bonn scientist, who focuses on fundamental mechanisms, aims to pave the way for a better treatment of spinal cord injuries. In recent years, Bradke has already been recognized with several awards for his exceptional research.

The nerve fibers in the spinal cord cannot regenerate. Thus, if they are damaged or even severed, this can result in permanent paralysis or have other serious outcomes. In light of this, Frank Bradke and his research team are investigating how neurons grow and whether it is possible to specifically activate this growth after neuronal damage. To this end, the Bonn researchers carry out studies on cell cultures as well as in mice and rats. Over the years they discovered, for example, how the cytoskeleton is involved in neuronal growth and also gained key insights into the mechanisms that prevent the regrowth respectively regeneration of neurons after damage.

“I am thrilled to receive this award. It is an extraordinary honor for me personally, but also a great recognition for the entire team from our lab. Because fundamental research, as we do it, is a team effort,” says Bradke.

The Academy Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities is awarded for outstanding scientific achievements in any disciplinary field and can be conferred every two years. On this occasion, it will be presented at a ceremony in Berlin on June 15.

About the laureate: Frank Bradke was born in 1969. After studying at the Freie Universität Berlin and University College London, he carried out research at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg as part of his doctoral thesis. As a postdoctoral researcher, he moved to the University of California in San Francisco and Stanford University in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried. In 2011, he was awarded the IRP Schellenberg Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of regeneration research. In the same year he became full professor at the University of Bonn, and was appointed head of the Axon Growth and Regeneration research group at the DZNE. Bradke is an elected a member of the Leopoldina (the German National Academy of Sciences), the Academia Europaea, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). In 2016, he was awarded the Leibniz Prize, which is the most important research award in Germany. In 2018, he received the Roger de Spoelberch Prize, which is awarded by the Swiss foundation of the same name. In 2021, he was awarded the Carl Zeiss Lecture of the German Society for Cell Biology. In 2023, he received the Remedios Caro Almela Prize for Research in Developmental Neurobiology, which is awarded by the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, in collaboration with partners. In 2024 he was appointed to the Henriette Herz Scouting Programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which gives him the opportunity to recommend talented researchers from abroad for a renowned Humboldt Research Fellowship.

About Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases): DZNE is a research institute for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS, which are associated with dementia, movement disorders and other serious health impairments. To date, there are no cures for these diseases, which represent an enormous burden for countless patients, their families and the healthcare system. The aim of DZNE is to develop and translate into practice novel strategies for prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment. DZNE comprises ten sites across Germany and collaborates with numerous universities, university hospitals, research centers and other institutions in Germany and throughout the world. It is state-funded and a member of the Helmholtz Association and of the German Centers for Health Research.