Distinction for an innovative research approach
Univ.Prof. Dr. Christian Behl, Director of the Institute for Pathobiochemistry at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, has been awarded this year's BINDER Innovation Prize by the German Society for Cell Biology. The award is endowed by BINDER GmbH and by the German Society for Cell Biology (DGZ). The distinction comes with a 4,000 € endowment, was awarded the first time in 1998 and is given for outstanding cell biological research with a focus on cell culture or the use of cell cultures. An individual publication is not recognized, rather an innovative approach to research, in this case the study of the biochemistry of aged cells in conjunction with the course of neurodegenerative processes.
With age comes an accumulation of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's / dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). To understand how and why these diseases manifest themselves in old age, the cellular aging process per se and the associated changes in the fundamental cellular processes must first be analyzed according to Univ. Prof. Dr. Christian Behl. He has been able to conclusively show in his research that the biochemistry of young and old cells differs. This is especially true when dealing with proteins that have a causal relationship with neurodegenerative diseases. The molecular and cellular aspects of the aging process are being studied by Behl's workgroup at the Institute for Pathobiochemistry at the University Medical Center Mainz.