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Young Scientists Receive Langen Award for Young Scientists 2021 for Excellent Research

05 / 2021

In 2021, too, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the Association for the Advancement of the Langen Science Award (Verein zur Förderung des Langener Wissenschaftspreises) confer the Langen Award for Young Scientists (Langener Nachwuchswissenschaftspreis) to young researchers who produced outstanding research results presented in the relevant publications. In the tenth year of granting the award, Shiwani Agarwal and Julia Hanauer share the first rank with Cindy Hörner and Christoph Schürmann (600 euros each). Jasmin Popp and Oliver Siering rank second with two outstanding publications and received 400 euros each.

Prize Winners Langen Junior Science Award (Source: H.Stoll/Paul-Ehrlich-Institut) Upper row from left to right: Shiwani Agarwal, Julia Hanauer, Cindy Hörner / lower row from left to right: Jasmin Popp, Christoph Schürmann, Oliver Siering

The research and thus the prize-winning research results from the previous year are in direct connection with the duties of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut as a regulatory medicines authority for vaccines and biomedicines. Internationally competitive research at the highest level takes place in all groups of medicinal products within the remit of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, and this research again received the Langen Award for Young Scientists this year. The award is funded by the Sparkasse of Langen (Langen Savings Bank) and is worth 2,000 euros.

The award-winning research work in brief

In their article “In vivo generation of CAR T cells selectively in human CD4+ lymphocytes”, which was published in the online version of the science journal “Molecular Therapy”, the two first authors Shiwani Agarwal and Julia Hanauer describe that a sub-group of T-immune cells – so-called CD4+ T-cells – kills cancer cells significantly more effectively than the CD8+ T-cells which were previously thought to be the main players in this mechanism. Unlike the CAR T cells of authorised medicines, the research team created the CAR T cells directly in the mouse organism. CAR T cells are the body’s own T-lymphocytes upon which the function of killing cancer cells is confered by genetic modification; the cells are then returned to the patient’s body to kill cancer cells.

The research activities of Cindy Hörner and Christoph Schürmann et al. relate to the study of vaccine concepts against COVID-19 in the laboratory as part of the research of the German Centre of Infection Research (Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, DZIF). They are based on an attenuated and very well tolerated measles vaccine virus as the vector. In the publication “A highly immunogenic and effective measles virus-based Th1-biased COVID-19 vaccine”, published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America), the two first authors were able to show that a vector vaccine variant showed good stability in the cell culture and resulted in high antibody titres and a good cellular T-cell immune response against Coronavirus-2 after a two-fold vaccination in mice and hamsters. This immune response correlated with good efficacy against the infection in the animal model. The work supports the further development and regulation of COVID-19 vector vaccines.

Jasmin Popp is the first author of the publication “Pea (Pisum sativum) allergy in children: Pis s 1 is an immunodominant major pea allergen and presents IgE binding sites with potential diagnostic value”, which was published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy. In this article, she describes the storage protein “Pis s 1” as an immuno-dominant allergen in children with pea allergies. Ms Popp identified areas of the allergen (epitopes), which, in the study group, permitted a differentiation between a symptomatic allergy and symptom-free sensitisation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between the allergen and the immune system, support the quality assessment of diagnostic allergen extracts, and may be used for improved diagnostics in determining pea allergies.

As the first author of the publication “C Protein is Essential for Canine Distemper Virus Virulence and Pathogenicity in Ferrets” in the “Journal of Virology” Oliver Siering showed that the C-protein is essential for the virulence and pathogenicity of the distemper virus in ferrets. Normally, the CDV (Canine Distemper Virus) suppresses the production of viral RNA molecules, which stimulate the innate immune response. For this purpose, Oliver Siering and his research team caused the C-protein responsible for this to mutate and generated an attenuated virus, i.e. a virus the virulence of which is weakened. This virus accumulates immune-stimulative RNAs, which activate signal pathways of the cellular innate immunity. While the original virus causes a lethal disease in ferrets, the mutated virus is attenuated and causes practically no clinical signs of an infection. This is shown by the relevance of the C-protein for pathogenicity of the virus.

Original Publications

Agarwal S, Hanauer JDS, Frank AM, Riechert V, Thalheimer FB, Buchholz CJ (2020): In vivo generation of CAR T cells selectively in human CD4+ lymphocytes.
Mol Ther 28: 1783-1794.
Text

Hörner C, Schürmann C, Auste A, Ebenig A, Muraleedharan S, Dinnon KH, Scholz T, Herrmann M, Schnierle B, Baric RS, Mühlebach MD (2020): A Highly Immunogenic Measles Virus-based Th1-biased COVID-19 Vaccine.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117: 32657-32666.
Text

Popp J, Trendelenburg V, Niggemann B, Randow S, Völker E, Vogel L, Reuter A, Spiric J, Schiller D, Beyer K, Holzhauser T (2020): Pea (Pisum sativum) allergy in children: Pis s 1 is an immunodominant major pea allergen and presents IgE binding sites with potential diagnostic value.
Clin Exp Allergy 50: 625-635.
Online-Abstract

Siering O, Sawatsky B, Pfaller CK (2021): C Protein is Essential for Canine Distemper Virus Virulence and Pathogenicity in Ferrets.
J Virol 95: e01840-20.
Online-Abstract

Updated: 02.03.2021